Daisy Ridley’s New Zombie Thriller Is Devouring the Streaming Charts

If you had 'Daisy Ridley fronts bleak zombie movie' and 'Hulu streaming charts' on your 2026 bingo card, congratulations. Somehow, the little zombie thriller We Bury the Dead just bulldozed its way into Hulu's most-watched movies—right past a bunch of familiar franchises with way bigger marketing budgets. This thing is outpacing The Hunger Games, Jumanji: The Next Level, even The Boss Baby. Yeah, really.

So, What Is This Movie?

We Bury the Dead is written and directed by Zak Hilditch and kicked off its run in actual theaters back on January 2, 2026. The plot wastes no time getting grim: there's a catastrophic military disaster, something goes horribly wrong, and suddenly the dead start coming back. Classic. The authorities, ever the calming influence, go on public record downplaying the threat—claiming these zombies are sluggish and 'no big deal.' Shockingly, this does not turn out to be true. (The undead get meaner by the minute and containment unravels as the story goes on.)

Cast & Characters

• Daisy Ridley jumps in as Ava Newman, a woman on a desperate hunt for her missing husband smack in the middle of zombie hell.
• Brenton Thwaites plays Clay
• Mark Coles Smith is Riley
• Kym Jackson steps in as Lt. Wilkie
• Matt Whelan rounds out the main cast as Mitch

Streaming Surge: How Big Is 'Big'?

This movie's rise is one of those 'wait, what?' moments on the streaming charts. According to FlixPatrol's data for May 15, 2026, We Bury the Dead hit the number three spot on Hulu's Top 10 movies in the U.S. That means it soared above several heavyweights with much more brand recognition. It even made the overall Hulu Top 10 (counting both movies and TV shows), nabbing the ninth spot that same day.

Critic vs. Audience Reactions (Spoiler: There's a Gap)

If you look at the critical reception, the numbers are seriously positive. As of now, it's holding a hefty 88% approval score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 115 reviews). The folks on the audience side? Not quite as thrilled—it's only pulling a 45% on the Popcornmeter.

'We Bury the Dead' is running up the streaming charts, but it's a classic case of critics singing its praises while plenty of regular viewers are left asking, 'What did I just watch?'

Is it the next great zombie flick? Debatable. Is it a surprise streaming hit with Daisy Ridley leading the charge through a new brand of undead chaos? Absolutely. Check it out if you like your post-apocalyptic stories with a side of military denial and increasingly gnarly zombies (though, fair warning: the audience divide here is pretty real).