In Ari Aster’s dark comedy, Joaquin Phoenix plays the sheriff of a New Mexico town riven by political clashes and pandemic anxieties.

Travis Hopsin of Punch Drunk Critics says the fear surrounding the pandemic, Black Lives Matter and the George Floyd protests that’s depicted in Eddington is “designed to enrage us,” but the most terrifying part of Ari Aster’s film is how accurate it is. The critic says:

I Know What You Did Last Summer' earned $2.2 million in Thursday previews, while A24's 'Eddington' grossed $625,000 at the box office.

The first and maybe only true jump scare in Ari Aster’s “Eddington” comes right at the start. A barefoot old man trudges down the center of a road running through an empty Western town. He’s ranting and incoherently raving as he climbs a craggy hill silhouetted against a twilight sky. He gazes, or maybe glares, out at the town below.

Located in a fictional small town in New Mexico, the film centers around the lives of the townspeople during the thick of the pandemic. At the epicenter of it all is the budding rivalry between two of the town’s most prominent leaders: Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal),

The reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer banked $2.2 million in previews. A24's Eddington, did $625K. 'Superman' to remain No. 1 with $60M.

A helpful guide on what new releases to watch, including movies in theaters, on streaming or available to rent or buy on digital and on-demand.

Writer and director Ari Aster joins Morning Joe to discuss the new film 'Eddington' which examines the mood in America during the Covid lockdowns.