Lionsgate’s Giant Snake Horror Film Beware Boiúna Opens to $550,000 Domestic, Mixed Reviews

Lionsgate’s giant snake horror film Beware Boiúna opened in U.S. theaters on October 2, 2026, earning just $550,000 from over 1,100 screens in its opening weekend, according to Fangoria. The film landed at number 14 on the domestic box office chart, with a per-screen average of $490.

The film, directed by Mike P. Nelson, was originally titled Titan before being renamed Boiúna: Legend of the Amazon and finally Beware Boiúna, according to Dread Central. It carries an R rating for bloody violent content, some grisly images, and language.

The survival horror movie follows a group of doctors who travel deep into the Amazon rainforest on a humanitarian medical mission. Their presence in the remote region attracts the attention of the legendary giant creature known as Boiúna, an ancient serpent that awakens and targets anyone who enters its territory.

The film stars Kiana Madeira (Fear Street) as Lena, a Colombian-Brazilian deckhand, and Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day) as Alli, a medical student. Logan Marshall-Green (Upgrade) also stars. The screenplay was written by Alan B. McElroy, with a story by Tony Giglio and McElroy. Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kulzer produced.

A Grounded Approach to the Creature Feature

Director Mike P. Nelson said he wanted to make a giant snake movie that felt grounded and serious, in contrast to the campier tone of previous films in the subgenre.

‘When I first signed on to this project, I was like, if I do this, I want to try to go all in and make this scary, make this grounded, make it feel real dirty, sweaty, put real stakes, real snakes, real stakes in there, and try to get away from what we’ve seen snake movies being, which is kind of all tongue-in-cheek,’ Nelson told ComingSoon.

Nelson said he made a point not to watch Anaconda before making the film, instead drawing inspiration from movies like Jurassic Park, Jaws, Alien, Tremors, and William Friedkin’s Sorcerer. ‘I actually made a point not to watch Anaconda before I made this movie,’ Nelson told Rue Morgue. ‘A lot of times, I will not watch the movies that are directly supposed to inspire the movie that I’m making.’

The film was shot on location in Colombia, a detail Nelson said added authenticity to the production. ‘It was incredible. I would go back again in a heartbeat,’ Nelson told ComingSoon. ‘We were all drenched throughout the movie and shooting. We were there on a boat while it was moving, shooting with the actors on the Amazon River.’

Cast on the Snake’s Unpredictability

Jessica Rothe described the titular creature as a force of chaos. ‘She is death that is coming for us all one day, and there’s no rhyme or reason to it,’ Rothe told SYFY Wire. ‘If you’re a good person, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to survive. If you’re a bad person, it doesn’t mean you’re going to die. That unpredictability gives such stakes to this film.’

Kiana Madeira said the script surprised her during her first read. ‘Even reading the script for the first time, I was gasping,’ Madeira told SYFY Wire. ‘I was like, They did not! As an audience member watching it, I hope they feel the same way. It’s ruthless. The jungle is ruthless.’

Mixed Critical Reception

Beware Boiúna holds a 56% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes based on 34 reviews, according to ScreenRant. The audience score stands at 70% fresh. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 49 based on eight reviews, indicating mixed or average reception.

Several critics pointed to the film’s limited screen time for its titular creature as a major issue. According to ComingSoon, critics said the film relies heavily on shaky camerawork, quick cuts, and an intense musical score when the creature appears, which often prevents viewers from getting a clear look at the monster.

RogerEbert.com’s Brian Tallerico described it as a giant snake movie that rarely allows audiences to see the snake properly. The criticism is particularly notable because the film belongs to a genre built around large-scale monster encounters.

Dread Central’s Matt Konopka offered a more positive assessment following the film’s Fantastic Fest premiere. ‘Beware Boiúna takes the crown as the meanest, bloodiest, scariest giant snake film to ever slither onto screens,’ Konopka wrote, while noting reservations about pacing and some characters.

CBR’s Rachel Leishman praised the film’s character development. ‘Beware Boiuna allows you to care about its characters and hope that they find a way out in the same way your slasher film would,’ Leishman wrote.

International Release Schedule

The film opened in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on October 1, 2026, followed by its U.S. wide release on October 2. It arrives in German cinemas on October 8 and in Spain on October 16 under the title Boiúna: La leyenda del Amazonas, according to The Numbers.

The film runs 104 minutes. Lionsgate presents Beware Boiúna, a Constantin Film/JB Pictures production in association with North.Five.Six.

Nelson is already attached to direct the next Saw film, which is in development at Blumhouse after the studio acquired the rights to the franchise.

Beware Boiúna remains in theaters.