MovieWeb attended the June 24 world premiere ofMaXXXinein Hollywood, where director Ti West, star Mia Goth, and plenty of other A-listers were in attendance. Seeing the film on the big screen, which West deeply encouraged, made fora true cinematic experiencein an age where so many of us simply wait for a streaming or VOD release.MaXXXineis a celebration of cinemawhile also being a clever critique of celebrity and the industry itself, and as such, practicallyrequires the movie theater experience to fully appreciate. It’s a masterful conclusion to one of the best trilogies in recent memory.
It was a blazing hot day in Los Angeles, made all the brighter by the many stars and flashing cameras on the red carpet outsidethe iconic TCL Chinese Theatre.Check out MovieWeb’s Will Sayre and the stars ofMaXXXineat the world premiere in our Instagram carousel below, and read on about the world premiere ofthe summer’s must-see horror movie:
The Stars of MaXXXine Shone on the Red Carpet
First cameXandPearl, setting the stage for an epic conclusion to a masterful horror trilogy, as evidenced inthose wild trailers released forMaXXXinethus far. They’ve revealed a stacked cast alongside Goth and Esposito, who also joined them for Monday’s jam-packed screening:Halsey, Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Debicki, Lily Collins, Moses Sumney, Simon Prast, Sophie Thatcher, Toby Huss, plus producer Jacob Jaffke.
Even some stars who don’t appear in the film made an appearance, such asEli Roth and famed Hollywood billboard star Angelyne, who got her own limited series starring Emmy Rossum back in 2022. Kyra Sedwick, Sosie Bacon, Eli Roth, Barbara Crampton, Zoe Lister-Jones, Tallulah Willis, Kim Petras, Alison Wonderland, Yung Gravy, Kaytranada, and more stars were also in attendance.
MaXXXine Filmmakers Discuss How a Real-Life Serial Killer Fits Into the Movie
Ti West, Mia Goth, and Elizabeth Debicki recently sat down to reveal how serial killer Richard Ramirez fits into the plot of MaXXXine.
The Meta Moments of the MaXXXine Red Carpet
There was a busy display of fame and celebrity on the red carpet, which is fitting for the themes of Ti West’s trilogy. That’s only the first self-reflexive element of the world premiere. The red carpet at the premiere cleverly reflected aspects of the film and the trilogy.Protesters were seen waving disparaging signs about the dangers of Hollywood. After a closer glance, however, it became clear these demonstrators were just one of many aspects that the premiere had gleefully organized. Anyone who’s seen the trailers forA24’sMaXXXineknows that the protesters play a fun little recurring role throughout the film.
There was a mysterious actor dressed up as Pearl— the star of the second film in the trilogy, who can also be glimpsed inMaXXXine— during the red carpet hour, meandering through the crowd of guests as they made their way into the theater. On top of that, Mia Goth arrived via vintage stretch limo in a moment that was reminiscent of the limoMaxine Minx takes to her own premiere at the Chinese Theatre inMaXXXine. Talk about “meta!”
Ti West & Mia Goth Introduce MaXXXine
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx lands her big break, but her rise to stardom is jeopardized by a mysterious killer targeting starlets. As the body count rises, secrets from Maxine’s past threaten to surface, intertwining her quest for fame with a deadly game of survival.
Before West came onstage inside the theater to formally introduce the world premiere,Noah Sacco from A24said a quick word about how thrilled the famed film company is to be rounding out the epic film trilogy this summer. West then took the mic and emphasized howthis movie in particular is best consumed in the cinema, and how it’s very much a “summer movie.“He also shared how premiering a film at the famed Chinese Theatre was always a “bucket list thing” for him, and thanked A24 for making it happen.
West then introduced most of the principal cast, who came out onto the stage to wave to the crowded and rowdy audience.Goth, who looked absolutely stunning, was introduced last, embraced West for a hug, and took the microphone to say a few words herself about how much this all means to her.
All in all, it was an ideal way to celebrate a movie likeMaXXXine. A movie about Hollywood honored…in Hollywood, of course. The ’80s-set film was certainly celebrated with pertinent costumes aplenty on the red carpet.
MaXXXine Director Teases ‘Gruesome’ Deaths; Says the Horror is Much ‘Broader’ This Time
Though MaXXXine will have some deaths worthy of Ti West’s trilogy, the director believes his latest film isn’t as “in your face” as previous entries.
What to Expect from MaXXXine
The official synopsis ofMaXXXinereads as follows:
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.
The film is the third in Ti West’s brilliant trilogy, followingXand its prequel,Pearl, all starring Mia Goth and covering 60 years of the film industry. These movies have been deconstructing the nature of the slasher genre and how it ran parallel with actual history, from the rise of serial killers to the Satanic Panic and extreme Evangelical Christianity. It’s a rich exploration of the inherent violence in fame, sexism, and Hollywood.
Xfollowed a group of adult filmmakers in 1970s Texas as they produced a porn movie in a rented area on a rural farm. The group is murdered one by one by the very elderly owners of the farm, Howard and Pearl (Mia Goth beneath thick prosthetics), with the young and fierce Maxine Minx (Goth) being the only survivor. InPearl, a prequel filmed simultaneously with X, Mia Goth plays the young Pearl in 1918 as she dreams of stardom despite her repressed farm life.MaXXXinebrings us back to Maxine’s story as she moves from Texas to L.A. and becomes a star while the ’70s become the 1980s.
The new film links Maxine’s quest for stardom with the infamous Night Stalker killingsaround Los Angeles, perpetrated by Richard Ramirez. As Mia Goth toldGamesRadar:
“It sets out a breadcrumb trail back to reality. It’s not just some big sweeping horror movie that’s purely for entertainment value.It’s rooted in something.
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Meanwhile, Ti West said in the same interview, “It has more in common withSummer of Sam, the Spike Lee movie [backdropped by the killings of David Berkowitz a.k.a. the Son of Sam, in New York during 1976 and 1977], than it doesOnce Upon a Time… in Hollywood. It does play a significant role in the story but in its own particular way.”
MaXXXinewill be released in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2025, from A24. After the intense, scary, but extremely fun and entertaining world premiere, we think it’s sure to be another hit for A24 following the huge success ofCivil War.
