Netflix has officially dropped the full trailer for Sacrifice, and it looks like one of the strangest movies of the year. Directed by Romain Gavras, the film stars Chris Evans and Anya Taylor-Joy in a dark satire about celebrities, billionaires, and a cult that believes the world is about to end.
Sacrifice marks Gavras’ first English-language movie. The French filmmaker, best known for Netflix’s Athena, co-wrote the script with Will Arbery, who previously wrote for HBO’s Succession.
The movie had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025, and Netflix picked it up earlier this year. With a runtime of 101 minutes and a cast packed with big names, here is everything you need to know about the movie.
The volcano demands an offering.Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy, Vincent Cassel, Ambika Mod, Sam Richardson, Jonatan “Yung Lean” Leandoer, Jade Croot, Miriam Silverman, John Malkovich, Charli xcx and Salma Hayek Pinault star in SACRIFICE. Directed by Romain Gavras.Coming to… pic.twitter.com/8ZyI4PRldo— Netflix (@netflix) September 16, 2026
Sacrifice Trailer Reveals a Doomsday Satire Movie
Chris Evans and Anya Taylor-Joy in Sacrifice | Credits: Netflix
The new trailer opens with Chris Evans’ Mike Tyler heading to a glamorous climate charity gala in Greece. There’s just one problem. He shows up in a gas-powered car, and he only realizes how bad that looks when he’s almost at the door. It’s a small moment, but it perfectly sets the tone for the satire that follows.
Once inside, the gala looks more like a flashy Hollywood party than a serious event about saving the planet. Mike tries to connect with the other guests, but nobody really cares about him unless they want a selfie.
Things take a wild turn in the middle of a dance performance featuring Charli XCX, when Anya Taylor-Joy’s Joan and her followers storm the event. Joan takes three hostages, including Mike, Vincent Cassel‘s Ben Bracken, and Ambika Mod‘s Katie. Her plan is to sacrifice them to a nearby volcano, which she believes is the only way to stop the end of the world.
From there, the trailer shifts into a trippy montage that hints at bigger ideas about faith and identity. Taylor-Joy’s character asks Mike in the final moments of the trailer, “What’s your most deeply held belief?”, to which he replies, “The power of stories to change the world.” When he poses the same question, she says, “I believe in the cleansing power of death.”
Netflix says the movie pokes fun at celebrity culture, fake activism, and the hypocrisy of the ultra-rich (via Tudum). Based on the trailer, Sacrifice looks like a doomsday satire that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Sacrifice Cast: Chris Evans Is a Celeb and Anya Taylor-Joy Is a Radical Leader
Chris Evans as Mike Tyler in Sacrifice | Credits: Netflix
Chris Evans leads the movie as Mike Tyler, an insecure action star trying to save his career after a humiliating public meltdown goes viral. He sees the gala as the perfect place to rebuild his image, but ends up as a hostage instead.
Anya Taylor-Joy plays Joan, the fierce leader of a radical doomsday group. Gavras shared with Tudum he has admired Taylor-Joy since The Witch and felt she could make Joan both “strong and vulnerable at the same time.”
Vincent Cassel plays Ben Bracken, the world’s richest man, while Salma Hayek Pinault plays his pop star wife, Gloria. John Malkovich appears as Gunnar, the father of Joan and her siblings, Arthur, played by Yung Lean, and Louise, played by Jade Croot.
The cast also includes Ambika Mod as Katie, an unlucky woman caught up in the chaos, and Sam Richardson as Oliver, Mike’s agent. Charli XCX shows up as Mother Nature, and Miriam Silverman rounds out the cast.
Sacrifice Plot: What Is Romain Gavras’ Movie About?
Chris Evans in a still from Sacrifice | Credits: Netflix
Sacrifice takes place at a lavish environmental gala in Greece, hosted by billionaire Ben Bracken and his wife, Gloria. The event is supposed to be about fighting climate change, but it’s really a showcase for celebrities and the ultra-rich.
Mike Tyler hopes a big speech about the climate will fix his damaged reputation. Meanwhile, Bracken uses the event to gain support for a shady deep-sea mining project. Their plans fall apart when Joan and her eco-cult crash the party. The group believes a massive volcano off the coast is about to erupt and destroy the world. To stop it, they plan to offer Mike and others as sacrifices.
Taylor-Joy called it “such a meta movie to be a part of.” She further shared with Tudum, “It’s this concept that you can sweep things under the rug, and I think Joan and her tribe are cold water in the face to that.”
Along the way, the movie explores themes of faith, belief, and redemption. It also takes shots at celebrities, billionaires, and activists who care more about appearances than real change.
Sacrifice Release: When and Where Is the Movie Releasing?
Vincent Cassel, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Evans, and Salma Hayek in the poster of Sacrifice | Credits: Netflix
Sacrifice premieres on Netflix on Friday, October 16, 2026, in the U.S. and France. The movie has a U.K. distributor in Black Bear Pictures, but a release date is yet to be confirmed. Release details for other regions also remain unknown at this time.
The movie was shot across Greece, Bulgaria, and Iceland, and it runs for 101 minutes. Reviews from its TIFF premiere were lukewarm. However, the new trailer has sparked fresh interest, thanks to its stacked cast and striking visuals.
Will you be watching Sacrifice? Let us know in the comments!
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