The sequel to Scott Derrickson’s commercially successful 2022 horror film has found success on Peacock. Black Phone 2, featuring Ethan Hawke, has become a streaming hit after finding a wider audience on the platform. Thanks to strong viewership, the film has managed to rank high on streaming analytics charts.
Notably, the original film is based on Joe Hill’s short story of the same name, published in 2004 as part of his short story collection, 20th Century Ghosts.
Black Phone 2 is a massive hit on streaming
Black Phone 2, which arrived on Peacock on January 16, 2026, has become the most-watched movie on Peacock. Data obtained and shared by FlixPatrol reveals that the film is now the #1 movie on the streamer. It retains this position as of January 23, 2026.
Following its release in theaters on October 17, 2025, the film grossed $132 million at the global box office against an estimated budget of $30 million. This is significantly lower than the worldwide box office gross of the first film, which made $161.4 million against a comparatively lower estimated budget of $16-18 million.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Black Phone 2 boasts solid critical and audience scores of 72% (certified fresh) and 83%, respectively. These scores are lower than those of the first film, which received an 81% (certified fresh) critical score and an 88% audience score.
Meanwhile, on Metacritic, Black Phone 2 holds a Metascore of 61 and a user score of 6.0. The former indicates “generally favorable” perception, while the latter points to “mixed or average” perception. This is lower than the scores of the first film, which has a Metascore of 65 and a user score of 7.0 — both of which denote “generally favorable” perception.
Black Phone 2 takes place four years after the first film. It finds Finney (Mason Thames) struggling to readjust to life following his captivity under the Grabber (Ethan Hawke), whom he killed. When his sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), begins dreaming about mysterious murders that took place at Alpine Lake Camp, Finney joins her and their friend Ernesto (Miguel Mora) on a trip to the camp. Soon, Finney finds himself plagued by the Grabber’s spirit, vowing revenge for his murder and for forcing him to kill his brother.