Imaginary

Imaginary is a supernatural horror film set for release on 8 March 2024, directed by Jeff Wadlow. He also produced the film along with Jason Blum, while the screenplay was co-written by Wadlow, Greg Erb, and Jason Oremland. The cast includes notable actors such as DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne, Taegen Burns, Pyper Braun, and Veronica Falcón.

The plot revolves around Jessica, a children's book author who is married to Max, a divorced musician. Max has two daughters, Alice and Taylor, from his previous marriage. Jessica struggles with nightmares about her mentally ill father, Ben, and a character from her stories, Simon the spider. Their family moves into Jessica's childhood home, where Alice discovers a teddy bear named Chauncey, who turns out to be more than just a toy.

As the story unfolds, strange occurrences begin to surround Jessica and her family. After Max departs for a musical tour, Chauncey starts to create chaos. The situation escalates when Alice goes missing, and Jessica learns that only she and Alice can see Chauncey. She consults child psychologist Dr. Soto, who reveals troubling insights about imaginary friends and their potential darker sides. The film explores themes of childhood trauma, fear, and the power of imagination.

During a search for Alice, Jessica, her family, and their neighbor Gloria uncover a hidden realm called Never Ever, which is tied to Jessica's repressed memories. Here, they encounter the true nature of Chauncey and the sinister implications of imaginary friends. The situation reaches a climax when they must confront Chauncey and their own pasts to save Alice.

Upon its theatrical release, Imaginary had a production budget ranging from $10 million to $13 million. The film earned about $43.8 million at the box office, a modest success compared to its budget. However, it received mostly negative reviews, with critics pointing out its clichéd plot and lack of relatable scares.

In terms of critical reception, the film holds a rating of only 24% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 104 reviews, indicating that many found it lacking. Metacritic scored the film 34 out of 100, suggesting generally unfavorable reviews. Audience reactions were slightly better, with a CinemaScore grade of "C+".

Despite some commendations for the performances of Wise and the younger cast, many critics noted that the film failed to deliver on the promises of its intriguing premise. Commentators referred to it as a "watchable mess" and criticized its lack of engaging moments.

With a unique concept at its core, Imaginary attempts to blend childhood fears with horror elements but ultimately falls short due to its predictable narrative and missed opportunities for deeper psychological exploration.