Netflix dropped the first Sacrifice trailer on September 17, 2026, and it’s exactly as unhinged as a Romain Gavras movie starring Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy and a volcano should be. It streams October 16, and the trailer spends two minutes making the case that this is the strangest thing either star has signed up for.
Trailer via Netflix on YouTube.
Sacrifice at a Glance
| Detail | Confirmed |
|---|---|
| Title | Sacrifice |
| Streaming release | October 16, 2026 (Netflix) |
| Director | Romain Gavras |
| Writers | Will Arbery & Romain Gavras |
| Studio / distributor | Netflix |
| Key cast | Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy, Salma Hayek Pinault, Vincent Cassel, John Malkovich, Charli xcx, Sam Richardson |
| Runtime / rating | Not yet announced |
| Premiere | Toronto International Film Festival, 2025 |
A Billionaire’s Gala Goes Very Wrong
The trailer opens like a luxury-brand ad: white marble villas, a Mediterranean-looking coastline, and guests in black tie photographing each other for social media. Chris Evans plays a washed-up movie star at the party, toasting and working the room like it’s any other gala. It doesn’t stay that way for long.
Within the first minute, the trailer cuts to guests running, a body on the ground, and a control room full of monitors and worried faces. Whatever this gala was supposed to be, it stops being that fast.
Wait, Who Invited the Cult?
Anya Taylor-Joy is running the show, and she’s unmissable the moment she’s on screen. She plays Joan, and the trailer gives her a red beret, a bullhorn, and a crowd that treats her like a prophet.
Behind her at one point, the trailer flashes the word “Supernature” across the frame like a slogan, which tracks with everything reported about the plot: Joan believes a volcanic, world-ending event is coming, and the only way to stop it is to sacrifice the rich people at the party to it. Chris Evans and the other hostages are the offering.
It’s not just talk. The trailer cuts to Joan’s followers holding rifles, dressed for something closer to a raid than a protest. Whatever Joan’s followers signed up for, they came prepared to enforce it.
The Rest of the Hostages (and Hosts)
The trailer’s cast-card sequence confirms who else is trapped at this party. Vincent Cassel and Salma Hayek Pinault play the billionaire couple hosting the gala — the ones Joan and her followers actually came for. Charli xcx gets her own card too, though her shot in the trailer is a silhouette in a corridor, impossible to make out beyond the name on screen. John Malkovich rounds out the ensemble per Netflix’s own cast list, but he doesn’t get a clearly identifiable shot in this cut.
What’s New Here
This is the first trailer Netflix has put out publicly for Sacrifice. The film already premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025, so critics have described the plot for months — but this is the first time footage has reached the general public.
It’s also the first real look at the tone: less straight thriller than the festival writeups implied, and closer to the satirical style Gavras built his name on with Athena, his previous Netflix film. Released in 2022, Athena holds an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score and became a global Top 10 hit in 24 countries, which is the track record Netflix is betting on here.
What the Trailer Doesn’t Show
A few things this cut leaves out, on purpose or otherwise:
- How anyone escapes, or if they do. The trailer sets up the hostage situation and stops there. There’s no glimpse of an endgame.
- John Malkovich, clearly. He’s confirmed cast, but no shot in this trailer is identifiably him.
- Whether the volcano is real or a delusion. Joan talks about a world-ending event. The trailer never confirms if she’s right, or if this is a cult convinced of something that isn’t actually happening.
- Any runtime or rating. Neither has been announced yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Sacrifice come out?
Sacrifice starts streaming on Netflix on October 16, 2026.
Who directed Sacrifice?
Romain Gavras directed Sacrifice from a script he co-wrote with playwright Will Arbery. It’s Gavras’s second film for Netflix after 2022’s Athena.
Who stars in Sacrifice?
Chris Evans and Anya Taylor-Joy lead the cast, with Salma Hayek Pinault, Vincent Cassel, John Malkovich, Charli xcx and Sam Richardson also appearing.
What is Sacrifice about?
Chris Evans plays a fading movie star taken hostage at a billionaire’s environmental gala by Joan (Anya Taylor-Joy), a cult leader who believes sacrificing the wealthy guests to an approaching volcanic event will save the planet.
Has Sacrifice already premiered anywhere?
Yes. It debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025 before Netflix released this first public trailer in September 2026.
More trailer breakdowns: our look at the newest Dune: Part Three trailer, which also features Anya Taylor-Joy, and everything confirmed so far in our Avengers: Doomsday explainer, which brings Chris Evans back to Marvel. Netflix is also de-aging its Stranger Things cast for the show’s final season.
Casting and plot details in this article are corroborated by Netflix’s Tudum, IndieWire and The Hollywood Reporter. Video: Netflix on YouTube.
