Grab your popcorn because Demi Moore’s mind-bending film “The Substance” is headed back to theaters!
The movie, which helped earn Moore her first Golden Globe in her nearly 50-year career, has been well-received by fans, including a certified fresh rating of 89% from critics on RottenTomatoes.com.
According to Variety, “The Substance” has also become “the most successful box office release for arthouse distributor and streamer Mubi,” making $14.8 million in the global box office just 10 days after it was released in September.
The dark comedy features Moore alongside Margaret Qualley, who was up for best female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture at the 2025 Golden Globes for “The Substance.”
It follows Moore’s character (Elizabeth Sparkle) as an aging celebrity who takes a black-market drug that creates a younger replica of herself (named “Sue,” and played by Qualley) to help her stay relevant in the industry. Moore commented on the film’s messaging in her Golden Globe acceptance speech on Jan. 5.
“I’m just in shock right now. I’ve been doing this a long time — like, over 45 years — and this is the first time I’ve ever won anything as an actor,” she said during the acceptance speech, “And I’m just so humbled and so grateful.”
“I had a woman say to me, ‘Just know you will never be enough, but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick,’” she said.
In total,the film received five nominations at the awards show. Director Coralie Fargeat received two nominations (best director and best screenplay for a motion picture) and “The Substance” received a nod for best picture — musical or comedy. The film also won best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Though some sites classify the film as a horror (one of the categories listed on the film’s IMDb page), Fargeat says her film doesn’t quite fit into the genre.
“I wouldn’t call it horror. I would call it a genre film, which is to me very wide in the scope,” Fargeat said in a director roundtable with The Hollywood Reporter, “going from sci-fi, to action, to everything that is not grounded into reality.”
Scroll below to see how you can watch Moore’s Golden Globe-winning performance in “The Substance.”
Is ‘The Substance’ still in theaters?
Mubi announced on Jan. 14 that “The Substance,” which originally hit theaters on Sept. 20, 2024, would be rereleased in select theaters on Friday, Jan. 17.
The select theaters where “The Substance” will be available are listed on Mubi’s website.
Is ‘The Substance’ available for streaming?
“The Substance” became available for streaming exclusively on Mubi on Oct. 31, 2024, according to the film’s official Instagram account.
You can access the film on the streaming service with an account, or through the MUBI channel on Prime Video. The service also offers a 7-day free trial before a subscription of $14.99 a month or $119.98 a year.
