Stephen King has publicly endorsed a new summer sci-fi thriller that has struggled to find a wide audience at the box office, urging fans to see it on the big screen.
The film is The End of Oak Street, which follows a family whose suburban neighborhood is suddenly transported to a prehistoric world filled with dinosaurs. It stars Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway, with critics particularly praising Hathaway's performance as the family's matriarch. According to Screen Rant, the film currently holds an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 77%.
King posted his review on X. "You should see THE END OF OAK STREET on the big screen," he wrote. "What a glorious throwback to summer movies as they were back in the day. Total fun."
The film's premise has drawn natural comparisons to Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, the 1993 summer blockbuster that became the highest-grossing film of all time before Titanic overtook it four years later. Producer J.J. Abrams has already moved to shut down another line of fan speculation, publicly debunking theories that the film is connected to the Cloverfield universe.
Critics and audiences have responded well to the film's fast pacing, straightforward story, high-stakes action sequences, and bold storytelling choices. A specific jaw-dropping moment near the film's end has generated significant online conversation since the movie opened.
Despite that goodwill, the film's opening weekend brought in only $21 million domestically, a result that fell well short of what its production budget demanded. The End of Oak Street finished behind both Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey at the box office in its debut frame.
King's endorsement arrives as the film heads into its second weekend, now competing against new releases including Insidious 6 and Mutiny. Whether the word of mouth can give the film a stronger second weekend remains to be seen, but King's reach and reputation as a horror and suspense storyteller make his praise a notable boost for a film still fighting to find its audience.
