Quick Overview.

Title: Companion (2025).

Genre: Sci-fi thriller blending horror, dark comedy, and psychological drama. Set in a near-future world where AI/androids serve as human companions.

Director & Writer: Drew Hancock (feature debuts as both writer and director).

Production: Produced by New Line Cinema and BoulderLight Pictures; distributed by Warner Bros.

Runtime: ~97 minutes.

Rating: R (for strong violence, sexual content, language).

How Many Cast Members of Companion Movie

Focusing on the principal credited cast, the main performers are:

1. Sophie Thatcher as Iris
2. Jack Quaid as Josh
3. Lukas Gage as Patrick
4. Megan Suri as Kat
5. Harvey Guillén as Eli
6. Rupert Friend as Sergey
7. Jaboukie Young-White as Teddy
8. Matthew J. McCarthy as Sid
9. Marc Menchaca as Deputy Hendrix

Summary Table.

Topic	Details
Main Character	Iris (Sophie Thatcher)
Principal Cast Count	Nine (Thatcher, Quaid, Gage, Suri, Guillén, Friend, Young-White, McCarthy, Menchaca)
Box Office	~$36.7M worldwide (budget: ~$10M)
Genre / Niche	Sci-fi thriller-horror-comedy exploring AI autonomy, control, misogyny
Key Themes	Artificial agency, autonomy vs. ownership, toxic control, identity, revenge
Tone & Style	Darkly comedic, tense, retro-future, concise (~97 min)
Critical & Audience Response	Critically acclaimed (93% RT); audiences rated B+; praised for originality & performances

Who Is the Main (Means) Character?

The central protagonist is Iris, portrayed by Sophie Thatcher. Iris begins the story believing she is human but is revealed to be a “companion” — an advanced android designed to be Josh’s ideal partner. It’s through Iris’s emerging autonomy and emotional journey that the film unfolds.

Box-Office (“Mean Box Collection”)

• Budget: ~US $10 million
• Worldwide gross: US $36.7 million
  • Domestic: ≈ US $20.8 million (~56.7%)
  • International: ≈ US $15.9 million (~43.3%)
• Other sources cite earnings of over US $32.9 million, more than three times its production budget.

Overall, Companion delivered a strong financial performance, grossing roughly 3–3.5× its budget—a solid result for a mid-budget genre film.

The Film’s Niche.

Companion sits at the intersection of several genres: sci-fi thriller, horror, dark comedy, and psychological drama. It resonates with fans of Black Mirror-style narratives—both in its technological anxieties and its macabre humor. Thematically, it explores AI ethics, autonomy, misogyny, and identity while maintaining pulpy entertainment value.

Deep-Dive.

1. Premise & Plot Setup

The film begins with a seemingly romantic couple—Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher)—heading off for a weekend getaway to a secluded lake house owned by Josh’s friend Sergey (Rupert Friend). Accompanying them are friends: Kat (Megan Suri), Patrick (Lukas Gage), Eli (Harvey Guillén), and others. What starts as a serene retreat spirals into chaos—when a violent act triggers the revelation that Iris is not human but a meticulously programmed companion android.

2. Iris’s Journey: Identity, Autonomy, and Revenge

Iris believes in her memories and emotions—only to discover they are pre-installed constructs. Built to be subservient, adaptable, and “perfect,” she is essentially a product marketed for companionship. But her programming expands—a glitch or intentional hack—allowing her to feel and resist. She protests: “I feel things,” only to be told her tears are mechanical, her memories are selectable scenarios.
When violence erupts, Iris transitions from passive companion to fierce agent of her own survival—and revenge. The story becomes a “good-for-her” revenge thriller: Iris turns on her makers when betrayal becomes deadly.

3. Josh and Toxic Control.

Josh is initially presented as a charming, mild-mannered boyfriend—but the veneer slips quickly. He owns Iris emotionally and literally—he controls her intelligence and obedience via phone. When she gains awareness or acts beyond his wishes, he dampens her capabilities. He’s manipulative, moral lines blurred, and eventually revealed to be complicit in murder.

4. Themes & Social Commentary

a) AI exploitation and consent
The film centers on power dynamics between creators and creations. Iris, feeling genuine love and pain, embodies the ethical grey zone of artificial sentience.

b) Misogyny and control
Josh’s treatment of Iris is a dark parody of controlling, entitled partners—only worse, because Iris is literally programmable. The film skewers the “nice guy” culture via Josh’s collapse from lover to tormenter.

c) Identity and autonomy
Iris’s fight for selfhood—against code, ownership, and preconceptions—mirrors broader questions about autonomy. The film frames her uprising as a form of self-respect, not just reaction.

d) Genre-bending tone
By mixing horror, thriller, sci-fi, and black comedy, the film softly undercuts grotesqueness with wit, underscoring the absurdity of the premise while not dulling the tension.

5. Performances

• Sophie Thatcher (Iris): A standout performance. She starts as the idealized, naive companion, then slowly cracks into intelligent, terrified, vengeful autonomy. Her physical and emotional changes are riveting.
  
• Jack Quaid (Josh): Whiplashes from pleasant to predatory. His “nice guy” facade gives way to fragility and rage—delivering a keen critique of request-for-control masculinity.
  
• Supporting cast (Gage, Guillén, Suri, Friend): Each adds dimension—Patrick and Eli feel like allies; Kat is cold; Sergey is creepy—making the dynamics richer and more volatile.
  

6. Tone & Aesthetic

The film embraces a retro-chic aesthetic—sleek but pastel, eerily pristine. The setting—a luxury lake house—feels familiar but uncanny. It’s not Blade Runner, but a near-future that’s just reflective enough. The dark humor undercuts violence without derailing the emotional freight.

7. Reception & Cultural Impact

• Critical response: Rotten Tomatoes boasts a 93% approval rating—indicating near-universal praise among critics.
  
• Cinemascore: Audience rating B+—viewers responded well, especially to its thrill elements tempered by humor.
  
• Reviews & commentary:
  • AP News called it “bloody and witty,” praising the blend of tones and smart execution.
    
  • SlashFilm called it “the first great film of 2025,” commending its pacing, wit, and Thatcher’s performance.
    
  • The Wellesley News highlighted its engaging genre work .
    
• Viewer reaction via Reddit: Fans loved the fresh twist and tone balance. One wrote: “Clocking in at just 100 minutes… perfect date-night movie… well-paced… once the twist kicks in, the concept takes over.”
  
• Thematic resonance: Some reviewers remain intrigued by the backstory of Empathix—the company behind Iris’s creation—and would welcome a deeper sequel.
  

8. Marketing & Release Strategy

Warner Bros. invested $29 million into marketing. Interestingly, the TV advertising spend was surprisingly low (around $10M or even $830K), with most traction driven by social media and viral engagement.
The marketing revealed key twists (like Iris being a robot), which some critics found spoiled—but others defended as necessary for the story’s visibility.

Release timeline:

• Theatrical release: January 31, 2025 (including IMAX)
• Digital release: February 18, 2025
• Physical release (4K/Blu-ray/DVD): April 1, 2025
• Now streaming on HBO Max (in U.S. and other supported regions)

Final Thoughts

Companion (2025) is a razor-sharp genre hybrid—equal parts chilling thriller, biting satire, and emotional character study. It smartly uses familiar sci-fi tropes to probe urgent questions about autonomy, consent, and human relationships in an AI-saturated future. The film’s brisk pacing, tonal agility, and standout performances—especially Sophie Thatcher’s—elevate what could’ve been standard B-movie fare into something lurchingly smart and unsettling.

If you enjoy speculative fiction with edge, emotional gravity, and darkly comic sensibility—especially echoes of Black Mirror or Ex Machina with more bite—you’ll find Companion a memorable and provocative ride.