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After expanding to over 2,000 theaters across North America, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons has stunned the box office with a massive 456% jump, raising one question: is this dark satire the year’s most brilliant film?
Bugonia movie is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
Los Angeles: 'Bugonia', the latest black comedy from acclaimed Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, has made a dramatic leap at the North American box office. After its expansion from just 17 to 2,043 theaters, the film witnessed a staggering 456% surge in collections, earning $1.8 million on its second Friday, including $700,000 from Thursday previews.
With this impressive growth, Bugonia has climbed to the #2 position in domestic rankings, taking its North American total to $2.8 million and worldwide collection to $3.8 million. Industry experts predict that the movie could touch $10 million globally by the end of its second weekend, cementing its success as a niche yet powerful release.
Bugonia dives deep into the social and psychological divide between the powerful elite and the disenfranchised working class. Emma Stone stars as Michelle, a glamorous yet ruthless biotech CEO, while Jesse Plemons plays Teddy, a disillusioned worker who becomes convinced that Michelle is an alien from Andromeda plotting humanity’s destruction.
Together with his cousin Don (played by Aidan Delbis, an actor on the autism spectrum), Teddy kidnaps Michelle in hopes of “negotiating with her emperor.” What unfolds is a darkly funny yet tragic exploration of paranoia, inequality, and delusion.
As Michelle’s intellect clashes with Teddy’s growing instability, Lanthimos turns this bizarre premise into a biting commentary on modern alienation, class disparity, and faith in conspiracy over truth.
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Bugonia marks the third collaboration between Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, following The Favourite and Poor Things. Critics have praised both Stone and Plemons for their performances, Stone for embodying confidence and cruelty in equal measure, and Plemons for his nuanced portrayal of a man unraveling under delusion.
The film premiered in competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in August 2025, where it received multiple standing ovations. Reviewers have described it as “a haunting mirror to the fractured psyche of our times.”
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While Lanthimos’ direction ensures the trademark mix of absurdity and brilliance, the film’s biggest strength lies in how it forces audiences to confront uncomfortable truths.
In a world where billionaires are idolized and conspiracy theories spread faster than facts, Bugonia asks: who’s really alien, the powerful few, or those left behind?
With its blend of biting satire, haunting performances, and psychological depth, Bugonia isn’t just a box office surprise, it’s a wake-up call disguised as dark comedy.
