Pedro Pascal’s ‘Freaky’ Box Office Flop Is a Sleeper Hit on Streaming

Pedro Pascal’s anthology film Freaky Tales underperformed at the box office after its April 4 release, and although it failed to do well during its theatrical run, the film has lately been in the top 10 on streaming platforms, including HBO Max.

Freaky Tales premiered on HBO Max on August 8 and is now surging up the charts in less than a week. This sleeper hit status is hardly surprising, given its star-studded cast, including but not limited to Pascal, Dominique Thorne, Angus Cloud, Normani, Ji-young Yoo, Marshawn Lynch, Jack Champion, Keir Gilchrist, and a special appearance by Tom Hanks. The anthology is written, directed, and produced by the well-known creative duo behind Captain Marvel, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who have successfully stitched together four different stories into one feature film.

The plot of Freaky Tales is based on the lives of four people, all set in Oakland, California, in 1987. Pascal stars as Clint in the segment “Born to Mack,” about a criminal trying to escape his life of crime after tragedy. Clint is hired to rob basketball star Sleepy Floyd (Jay Ellis) during a pivotal game, but refuses. This decision sets off a dangerous chain of events involving punks, female rappers, Neo-Nazis, and supernatural mind-powers. The film’s underwhelming box office figures are attributed to its limited release in only 393 theaters and a subdued marketing campaign. However, Freaky Tales has garnered positive reviews from both critics and the audience, and holds an 89% audience score and a 74% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Pedro Pascal Is in Talks to Star in Tony Gilroy’s ‘Behemoth!’

Pedro Pascal is close to joining writer-director Tony Gilroy’s new film Behemoth!, which recently landed at Searchlight Pictures. According to a news report, negotiations are currently underway, and the project will begin filming this fall in Los Angeles. While the creators remain tight-lipped on plot details, Gilroy has revealed that the story is a cellist thriller.

This year has firmly established Pascal as an A-list star, due to his work in several high-grossing projects. He earned an Emmy nomination for his lead role in HBO’s The Last of Us, Season 2. Additionally, he starred in Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps, which became the highest-grossing Marvel opening of 2025. Looking ahead, Pascal has wrapped production on Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release in 2026. He will also reprise his iconic role as Din Djarin in The Mandalorian alongside Grogu next year.

Freaky Tales is available to stream on HBO Max. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates!