The marketing campaign for Weapons, writer-director Zach Cregger’s next movie after his breakout hit Barbarian, is rolling out. In the past couple of days, New Line has given us dribs and drabs about the film’s plot as well as what vibes we might expect from a movie that trades previously described as “a multi and inter-related story horror epic that tonally is in the vein of Magnolia.”
Yesterday, New Line released an image of a digital alarm clock set to 2:17 a.m. (pictured above). Intriguing! What it meant, however, was very unclear. Luckily, a website went live today that shed some light on that time’s meaning. This website purports to be a local news site for the fictional town of Maybrook. In it, the top news story also appears to be the synopsis of Weapons:
A chilling mystery has gripped the small town of Maybrook after seventeen children voluntarily left their homes Wednesday morning. Authorities are baffled by the inexplicable disappearance, which has shaken the community to its core.
Upon investigation, front door camera footage showed the children leaving their homes at 2:17 a.m. Wednesday morning without any signs of force. Since then, little information has surfaced, and the case continues to baffle investigators.
In response, a school gathering was held, where growing unease among parents became clear. As the town struggles to understand what happened, officials continue to urge the public for any leads, while Maybrook is left waiting for answers.
There you have it, folks! Seventeen children left their houses at the same exact time and then disappeared! The website even has video footage from “security cameras,” showing kids running away from their homes, their arms outstretched almost as if they were pretending they were airplanes flying. What’s going on? Who knows! But it’s definitely eerie and a bit disturbing.
The website also features an article titled, “Underground Prison Discovered in Rental Home,” a clear nod to the premise of Barbarian that suggests that Cregger’s two films are in the same universe.
You can check out the website yourself here.
We’ll be able to see the actual film when Weapons premieres in theaters on January 16, 2026. The movie stars Josh Brolin and also features Julia Garner (Ozark, Apartment 7A), Alden Ehrenreich (Cocaine Bear, Oppenheimer), Benedict Wong (3 Body Problem), Amy Madigan (Fringe, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels), Austin Abrams (Euphoria), and Cary Christopher (American Horror Stories).
