| MaXXXine | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Ti West |
| Written by | Ti West |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Eliot Rockett |
| Edited by | Ti West |
| Music by | Tyler Bates |
Production |
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| Distributed by | A24 |
Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $7.8 million[2][3] |
MaXXXine is a 2024 American slasher action thriller film written, directed, produced and edited by Ti West. It is the third installment in West's X film series and a direct sequeltoX (2022). The film stars Mia Goth, who reprises her role as Maxine Minx, alongside Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon. In the film, Maxine sets out for fame and success in 1980s Hollywood while being targeted by a mysterious killer.
MaXXXine had its premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on June 24, 2024, and was released in the United States by A24 on July 5, 2024.
In 1985 Los Angeles, amidst the Night Stalker murders, Maxine Minx successfully auditions for the lead in a new horror film, The Puritan II, despite all of her previous film credits being in adult films. After sharing the news with her friend Leon and colleague Amber James, the latter invites Maxine to a party in the Hollywood Hills, which she declines. Maxine goes to work at her second job, a live peep show, where a mysterious, leather-clad figure watches with anger. She meets another adult entertainer, Tabby Martin, who also invites her to the party that Amber mentioned, but Maxine declines again.
The figure leaves a police evidence VHS tape containing the porn film Maxine and her now-deceased friends had attempted to make six years prior.[a] Upon watching it, she asks a confused Leon to find out where it came from. Meanwhile, in the Hollywood Hills, Amber and Tabby are killed and have their bodies branded with Satanic symbols. Maxine is invited to meet with John Labat, a private investigator who informs her that her previous crimes will be revealed unless she meets with his employer, telling her she must appear at a specific address on Starlight Drive later that night or risk repercussions. LAPD detectives Williams and Torres question Maxine about Tabby and Amber, but she refuses to answer them. She later sees Labat following her and attacks him, warning him to stay away from her.
Ignoring Labat's demands, Maxine begins reciting the script for The Puritan II. Elsewhere, Leon is murdered in his video store. The next day, the detectives attempt to goad Maxine into cooperating with them, but she remains steadfast. Maxine confides in her agent, Teddy Knight, who tells her he could not find anything on Labat but agrees to continue helping her nonetheless. On the set of The Puritan II, Maxine meets the star of the first film, Molly Bennett, who mentions a similar party in the Hollywood Hills. Soon after, Labat, angered by Maxine attacking him the previous day, chases her across the Universal Studios Lot with a gun before being caught and escorted away by security. Later that night, Maxine tricks Labat into following her, during which she, Knight, and her friend Shepard Turei ambush Labat, and subsequently trap him inside of his car to be crushed by a junkyard compressor.
Maxine visits the address Labat gave her, which leads her to a house in the Hollywood Hills. Seeing the killer's clothes and Molly's dismembered body, Maxine discovers it was her estranged father, a televangelist named Ernest Miller, who attempted to frame Tabby and Amber as victims of the Night Stalker. He captures Maxine, admonishing her and Hollywood for promoting a sinful life. Consequently, Miller intends to make a film to expose Hollywood's exploitative nature. With help from several accomplices, Miller confesses he killed Amber and Tabby for refusing his overtures to find God and intends to scar Maxine too unless she repents. Suddenly, Torres and Williams interrupt and cause a shootout, killing Miller's cohorts, injuring Miller, and giving Maxine time to free herself before the pair are mortally wounded while pursuing Miller. Armed with a shotgun, Maxine eventually confronts her father at the Hollywood sign but is interrupted by a police helicopter.
Maxine envisions herself as a celebrity credited for helping stop her father, attending the premiere of The Puritan II and revealing in an interview that the film's director, Elizabeth Bender, will be directing a biographical film about her. Returning to reality, she shoots her father, telling him he gave her what she needed – divine intervention. A month later, Maxine continues her work on The Puritan II, hoping her success will never end.
In March 2022, West announced that he was working on the script for a third film in the X series, to be set chronologically after the events of X. The project will explore another sub-genre of horror and will continue the depiction of cinema's influence on society, exploring how the development of home video releases did so. West states, while a viewer can watch each movie independently without seeing the previous film, they are made to "complement each other."
In June 2022, executive producer Peter Phok confirmed that a third film is officially in development, with West attached to the project.[5] In September 2022, at the first Midnight Madness showing of Pearl for the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, a third film was officially announced, with a short teaser played after the post-credits. The clip was later released online for those not present at the event. West once again serves as writer/director and one of the producers, while Mia Goth will reprise her role from the first movie. Taking place in 1985 and titled MaXXXine, the plot was confirmed to center around Maxine, the only survivor of the "Massacre of X," as she continues to pursue her future in Hollywood. The teaser trailer was shot with the film fast-tracked to being green-lit by A24, following the successes of the previous two installments. Jacob Jaffke, Kevin Turen, and Harrison Kreiss will be producers, while Goth will additionally serve as an executive producer.[6][7][8]
In January 2023, Goth stated that the script is complete and that the story is, in her opinion, the best of the series so far. The actress stated that many of the previous production team members are returning, with principal photography scheduled to commence later that year.[9]
In April 2023, it was announced that Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Lily Collins, Halsey, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon had been added to the cast.[10]
Principal photography took place from April to May 2023 in Los Angeles for seven weeks.[11][12][13] The film was towards the end of editing in February 2024.[14]
In January 2024, it was reported that Goth was being sued by background actor James Hunter, who played a corpse on set, for intentionally kicking him in the head and then taunting him about it. The suit also includes a wrongful termination claim against A24 and West.[15]
On September 13, 2022, a teaser trailer announcing a sequel to X, titled MaXXXine, was released shortly following the premiere of Pearl at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.[16] It featured the 1984 synth-pop song "Obsession" by Animotion.[17] Scott WamplerofFangoria was delighted by the surprise announcement and called the teaser "pitch-perfect, hall of fame–level."[18]
On May 1, 2023, a first-look image of Goth and Halsey in costume as their respective characters was shared on A24's and the film's social media accounts. They were captioned "The life she deserves," referencing the personal mantra spoken throughout X by Maxine.[19] Glenn Rowley of Billboard noted Goth's dramatic costume shift from her "Little House on the Prairie–esque look" to a "tousled blonde mane and iridescent green windbreaker."[20]
Tyler Bates composed the film's score, as he did for X and Pearl.[21] It was released alongside the film on July 5, 2024, by A24 Music.
MaXXXine had its premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on June 24, 2024.[22][23] It was released in the United States by A24 on July 5, 2024.[24] [25]
As of July 7, 2024[update], MaXXXine has grossed $6.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $1.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $7.8 million.[2][3]
In the United States and Canada, MaXXXine was projected to gross around $7 million from 2,200 theaters in its opening weekend.[26] The film made $3.1 million on its first day, and went on to debut to $6.7 million, finishing in fourth.[27]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 204 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Intoxicating with its maxxximal style, MaXXXine is an uneven but vibrant pastiche that drives a stiletto through Hollywood's heart."[28] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[29] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale (up from Pearl's "B-"), while those polled by PostTrak gave the film a 76% positive score, with 59% saying they would definitely recommend it.[27]
Though MaXXXine was originally developed as the end of the X trilogy, Ti West later stated in February 2024 that he has plans for a fourth installment, which would depend on the third film's reception.[30] In May 2024, West confirmed that he was working on a fourth film and that he may develop it as his next project.[31]
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Films directed by Ti West
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