Lionsgate’s giant snake creature feature Beware Boiúna opened in wide release on October 2, 2026, earning just $550,000 from 1,121 domestic theaters, according to box office reports. The film landed at number 14 on the domestic charts with a per-screen average of $490.
Directed by Mike P. Nelson, known for Wrong Turn and Silent Night, Deadly Night, the film stars Kiana Madeira, Jessica Rothe, and Logan Marshall-Green. It was produced by Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kulzer, with a screenplay by Alan B. McElroy from a story by Tony Giglio and McElroy.
The R-rated film runs 104 minutes and was shot on location in Colombia. It premiered at Fantastic Fest in September 2026 before arriving in theaters nationwide.
The official synopsis reads: Deep in the Amazon, a medical mission spirals into a fight for survival when Boiúna, a colossal ancient predator, awakens to reclaim her domain. In the jungle where nature holds absolute power, she decides who lives and who dies.
The film was originally titled Titan before being retitled Boiúna: Legend of the Amazon, and later given its final title, Beware Boiúna.
Critics were divided on the film. On Rotten Tomatoes, Beware Boiúna holds a 56% approval rating from critics based on 34 reviews as of October 2, according to ScreenRant. The audience score stands at 70% fresh, according to Creepy Catalog. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 49 from 8 reviews, indicating mixed or average reception.
Some critics praised the film’s grounded approach. JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols gave it a 9 out of 10 and wrote that Beware Boiúna is the greatest killer snake movie of all time, and it is not even close. Dread Central’s Matt Konopka wrote that the film takes the crown as the meanest, bloodiest, scariest giant snake film to ever slither onto screens.
Others were less impressed. RogerEbert.com’s Brian Tallerico gave the film a 38 and wrote that there is one phenomenal sequence in the middle of this frustrating movie that is almost worth seeing, but it only speaks to how much the rest of this creature feature does not work.
A recurring criticism focused on the limited visibility of the title creature. According to ComingSoon, critics said the film relies heavily on shaky camerawork, quick cuts, and an intense musical score when the creature appears, often preventing viewers from getting a clear look at the monster.
Director Mike P. Nelson said he wanted to take the subgenre seriously. He told Rue Morgue that he made a point not to watch Anaconda before making the film. He said he surrounded himself with other films instead, including Jurassic Park, Jaws, Alien, and Tremors. He cited William Friedkin’s Sorcerer as his greatest inspiration.
Nelson told SYFY Wire that the discovery of the Titanoboa fossil in 2009 helped inspire the film. He said the vertebrae of that snake were softball size compared to the golf ball size of a large anaconda’s vertebrae.
Nelson also said the jungle itself was a central character. He told SYFY Wire: Not mincing words here: one of the things going into this movie that I talked with our writer and producers about creatively was, the jungle does not give a f–k. It does not matter who you are as a character, as a person.
Jessica Rothe, who plays medical student Alli, described the creature as chaos and inevitability. She told SYFY Wire: She is death that is coming for us all one day, and there is no rhyme or reason to it. If you are a good person, it does not mean that you are going to survive. If you are a bad person, it does not mean you are going to die. That unpredictability gives such stakes to this film.
Kiana Madeira, who plays Lena, told SYFY Wire: Even reading the script for the first time, I was gasping. I was like, They did not! As an audience member watching it, I hope they feel the same way. It is ruthless.
Filming took place in the actual Amazon rainforest in Colombia. Nelson told ComingSoon that the location shoot brought authenticity. He said the cast and crew were drenched in sweat throughout production and that no fake sweat was needed.
The film opened against Tom Cruise’s disaster satire Digger and Colleen Hoover’s Verity, both of which drew significantly larger audiences. According to FANGORIA, Beware Boiúna was buried by the competition during its opening weekend.
Beware Boiúna is currently in theaters. No streaming release date has been announced.