Stephen King's Dystopian Horror 'Not for the Faint of Heart' With 88% RT Returns as a Streaming Hit in America

Stephen King's adaptations are often popular, and 2025 was filled with them. The Long Walk continues its success on streaming almost four months after its debut.

The Long Walk is currently in third place on the charts on Starz, FlixPatrol reports. The dystopian horror film has been available on the platform since Jan. 1, and it returned on the charts on Apr. 25 in fifth place, before making its way up to third place.

It's unlikely The Long Walk will dominate the charts anytime soon, as Sydney Sweeney's The Housemaid has been glued to the No. 1 spot since its Apr. 1 release, and Henry Cavill's action film Night Hunter is currently in second spot.

What Happens in The Long Walk?

The dystopian survival thriller is set in the 1970s, and the United States is a totalitarian military regime after a brutal civil war. An annual televised competitive walking contest known as the "Long Walk" chooses 50 teenage boys from all states, who must walk hundreds of miles nonstop and maintain a pace of three miles per hour. The boy who lasts the longest wins a large cash prize.

The dystopian film comes from The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence with a script by JT Mollner. The film adapts King's 1979 novel of the same name, which he published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The Long Walk was the first novel King wrote, although he first published Carrie.

The Long Walk stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Joshua Odjick, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill.

The dystopian horror was the second-to-last movie released in 2025, just before The Running Man, which was also published under the same pseudonym. The Running Man also follows the eponymous television program, where the contestants are hunted by professional assassins and have to survive for 30 days to receive a big cash prize.

The Long Walk Was a Sleeper Hit

The Long Walk received fantastic reviews from the critics, who gave it an 88% approval score and a Certified Fresh badge, out of almost 300 reviews. They praised the performances, particularly the main stars, Cooper Hoffman and David Johnsson, plus the direction and adaptation. Audiences also enjoyed the dystopian horror, giving it a similar 85% approval score.

FilmWeek's Christy Lemire gave The Long Walk a positive review, warning, "It is not for the faint of [heart], but it will stick with you."

The Long Walk had a modest $20 million budget despite its star power, and managed to gross more than three times over, as it ended its theatrical run with $62.9 million worldwide, just enough to become a commercial success, as well.

Since its release on digital and streaming, the dystopian horror attracted a lot of attention. Although it's not yet available to stream on any big platforms like Netflix, HBO Max, or Prime Video worldwide, it was popular on all digital platforms.

The Long Walk is streaming on Starz.