Pedro Pascal’s Materialists Becomes Global Streaming Hit on HBO Max

by

Pedro Pascal first gained widespread recognition for his performance as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. He’s now starring in the popular 2025 romantic comedy-drama Materialists, which is a hit with audiences around the world.

The movie Materialists, starring Pedro Pascal, is currently a huge hit across Europe! It’s the most popular film on HBO Max in Albania, Croatia, Hungary, and Romania. It’s also gaining traction in Italy on Prime Video, and is the #1 movie on Viaplay in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

Celine Song’s new film, Materialists, stars Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal, and was released by A24. It’s Song’s second feature film, following her critically acclaimed 2023 debut, Past Lives, which received two Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Materialists Follows an NYC Matchmaker

The movie Materialists features Dakota Johnson as Lucy Mason, a former actress now working as a matchmaker in New York City. Chris Evans plays John Pitts, Lucy’s ex-boyfriend, who is trying to make it as an actor and currently works as a waiter. Pedro Pascal is Harry Castillo, a rich businessman who Lucy meets at a wedding where she’s working.

I recently watched this movie, Materialists, and it’s a really sweet rom-com with a bit of depth. It starts with this guy, Harry, falling for Lucy, but she actually works for a dating company and gently pushes him towards their services! Of course, they eventually end up dating anyway. What I loved about it is that it really digs into what relationships mean – finding love, chasing your dreams, and whether you can actually make it work when you and your partner have different goals. It’s funny, a little dramatic, and surprisingly thought-provoking.

With a $20 million budget, the film was the first independent movie of 2025 to gross over $100 million worldwide. It opened the same weekend as the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake, and although it didn’t open in first place, it quickly became a surprising success with audiences.

Materialists Received Mostly Positive Reviews from Critics

Most critics responded positively to the film, particularly appreciating its dialogue, writing, and more grown-up take on romantic comedies. Clarisse Loughrey of the Independent (UK) rated Materialists 3 out of 5 stars, noting that while it’s a strong intellectual film, the romantic aspects weren’t quite as successful.

Some viewers felt the film wasn’t very funny and leaned more towards a touching romantic story. Tim Robey of the Daily Telegraph noted that the film’s portrayal of relationships might not appeal to everyone – a definite weakness – but praised it for honestly showing how dating apps have changed the way we connect with others.

Viewers had mixed reactions to the film, giving it varying reviews and a 6.2 rating on IMDb after nearly 100,000 reviews. Despite this divided response, Materialists has become a popular streaming success worldwide, almost a year after it was first released.

Materialists is available to stream on HBO Max.

Read More

2026-05-10 04:06