Love is dead. Or so says TikTok, labeling Celine Song’s 2025 film Materialists as 'broke man propaganda.' But here’s where it gets controversial: is love truly doomed, or is it just misunderstood? Now, Materialists is getting a second chance to prove its point as it skyrockets to the top of HBO Max’s charts, reigniting a conversation about the transcendent beauty of love in an age of algorithms and commercialism.
Starring Dakota Johnson as Lucy Mason, a matchmaker who treats love like a solvable equation, the film challenges the very idea that relationships can be reduced to checklists and criteria. And this is the part most people miss: love isn’t logical—it’s messy, unpredictable, and often irrational. As Lucy navigates a love triangle between Chris Evans’ struggling actor and Pedro Pascal’s seemingly perfect millionaire, she—and the audience—learns that love defies all attempts to quantify it. It’s a lesson that feels both timeless and urgently relevant in our swipe-right culture.
Celine Song’s Materialists isn’t your typical rom-com. It’s a thoughtful, almost elegiac exploration of love’s complexities, building on the reflective tone of her 2023 breakout hit Past Lives. With a $106.4 million box office haul on a $20 million budget, it became A24’s third highest-grossing film ever, proving that audiences crave depth even in their feel-good fare. Now, streaming on HBO Max, it’s captivating subscribers who might have missed its theatrical run—a rare win in an era where streaming platforms seem to prioritize price hikes over quality content.
Here’s the bold truth: HBO Max’s recent price increases have left many questioning the future of streaming, but Materialists is a reminder of why we stick around. Thanks to A24’s deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, the platform gets exclusive streaming rights to the studio’s films, making it a must-have for cinephiles. Since its November 7, 2025 debut, Materialists has dominated the U.S. charts, holding the top spot for four consecutive days. But how long will its reign last? With competitors like It and Elf nipping at its heels, only time will tell.
Now, the question for you: Is Materialists a much-needed antidote to our cynical, algorithm-driven world, or is it just another romanticized take on love? And more importantly, can a film like this truly change how we think about relationships? Let’s discuss in the comments—because if there’s one thing Materialists teaches us, it’s that love is worth talking about, even when it’s hard.
