Anya Taylor-Joy’s New Netflix Thriller Proves The Critics Wrong On Streaming

Published Oct 18, 2026, 10:46 PM EDT

Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones, and also writes some features and reviews. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025. 

Negative reviews aren't stopping Anya Taylor-Joy's new thriller from becoming a major streaming hit. She is already an important part of Netflix's history by starring in the 2020 miniseries The Queen's Gambit, which is the platform's ninth most-watched English-language series of all time with 112.8 million views. The show received 18 Emmy Award nominations, including Taylor-Joy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and 11 wins, among them Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.

She also voiced Brea in Netflix's acclaimed prequel series Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program and has an 89% score from critics and 94% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Outside of Netflix, Taylor-Joy is known for her roles in The Witch, Split, Glass, Last Night in Soho, The Northman, The Menu, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, The Gorge, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Lucky. Now, she has returned to Netflix in the movie Sacrifice.

Sacrifice Dominates Netflix Despite Negative Reviews

Taylor-Joy's new thriller is the number two movie on Netflix's U.S. streaming chart and number three in France two days after premiering on the streaming service in these countries. She plays Joan, an extremist fixated on a prophecy that requires three people be sacrificed to a volcano so humanity can be saved. Joan kidnaps multiple individuals from an environmental charity gala, including movie star Mike Tyler (Chris Evans) and the world's wealthiest man, Ben Bracken (Vincent Cassel).

ScreenRant's Sacrifice review gave the movie four out of 10 stars following its premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, a year before becoming available to the larger public on streaming (it did not play in theaters). On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 38% Tomatometer score based on 48 reviews and a 35% Popcornmeter score based on more than 100 ratings. Nevertheless, these criticisms have not stopped the film from becoming Netflix's second most-watched movie in the world as of this writing, only behind Ben Affleck's Animals.

Anya Taylor-Joy Is Returning To Netflix After Sacrifice

Romuald Meigneux/Starface Photo/Cover Images

While Taylor-Joy has the major theatrical movies Dune: Part Three and The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum on the way, she is also returning to Netflix after Sacrifice with a brand-new series, How to Kill Your Family. Filming is underway, with set photos featuring Taylor-Joy appearing on social media. Other cast members include Clive Owen, Orlando Norman, and David Shields, while Emma Moran serves as the series creator, writer, and executive producer.

The story is based on Bella Mackie's 2021 How to Kill Your Family, with Taylor-Joy playing Grace Bernard, the forgotten child of ruthless billionaire Simon Artemis. A devastating rejection leads her to seek revenge via a deadly scheme. Apart from Peaky Blinders and Lucky, this is the first television series she has been in since The Queen's Gambit. With production taking place now and no release date set, audiences can see Taylor-Joy on Netflix in the meantime via Sacrifice.