# Ma (2019 film)
**Ma** is a 2019 American psychological horror film directed by Tate Taylor, in which [Octavia Spencer](https://www.edgepedia.org/octavia-spencer) plays Sue Ann, a lonely woman in a quiet Ohio town who lets a group of teenagers party in her basement and then turns their hospitality into a trap. The film was written by Scotty Landes, produced by Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions together with Taylor and John Norris, and distributed by [Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures).[1](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/ma)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Tate Taylor; screenplay by Scotty Landes (Comedy Central's *Workaholics*)[1](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/ma) |
| Star | Octavia Spencer as Sue Ann, an against-type lead role for the Oscar-winning actress[1](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/ma) • [5](https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/5/31/18646372/octavia-spencer-ma-tate-taylor-horror-movie) |
| Release | Wide theatrical release May 31, 2019; streaming release August 20, 2019[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ma_2019) |
| Rating / runtime | R for violent/disturbing material, language throughout, sexual content, and teen drug and alcohol use; 99 minutes[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ma-%282019%29) |
| Box office | $61,220,784 worldwide on a $5,000,000 production budget, about 12.2 times the budget[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ma-%282019%29) |
| Critical reception | 55% on the Tomatometer from 215 reviews; 64% on the Popcornmeter from 5,000+ verified ratings[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ma_2019) |
| Sequel | Blumhouse announced *Ma 2* with Spencer returning, after Blum described the film as "a social phenomenon since its release in 2019"[6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/memed-to-death-movie-ma-to-live-again-with-new-sequel/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Sue Ann is a loner who keeps to herself in her quiet Ohio town. When Maggie, a new teenager in town played by Diana Silvers, asks her to buy booze for her and her friends, Sue Ann sees a chance to make younger friends of her own. She offers the kids her basement so they can avoid drinking and driving, on a set of house rules: one of the kids has to stay sober, no cursing, never go upstairs, and they must call her "Ma." Ma's welcome eventually sours into fixation: the teens' dream hangout becomes a nightmarish ordeal, and her house is transformed from the town's finest spot into the most dreadful one on earth.[1](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/ma) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ma-%282019%29)
### Afterlife and sequel
The film found a second life online. Spencer herself leaned into the meme culture around the movie, writing on Instagram in 2020, "You memers have inspired me. Let's have a contest to find the BEST #Ma Meme out there."[6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/memed-to-death-movie-ma-to-live-again-with-new-sequel/) In 2024, Blumhouse officially announced *Ma 2*, with [Jason Blum](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-blum), founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, saying "Ma has proven to be a social phenomenon since its release in 2019, with fans eagerly embracing the film and Octavia's iconic performance as Ma," and confirming that Spencer would return.[6](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/memed-to-death-movie-ma-to-live-again-with-new-sequel/) The film streams on Disney+, Peacock, and Hulu, and can be rented or bought on Fandango.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ma_2019)
The title *Ma* also belongs to an unrelated 2017 experimental film by choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall, distributed by Factory 25, a silent, movement-based retelling of a Mother Mary pilgrimage across the American Southwest; the two works share only the title.[8](https://www.factorytwentyfive.com/ma-film)
## Cast and production
[Juliette Lewis](https://www.edgepedia.org/juliette-lewis) plays Erica, Maggie's mom; [Luke Evans](https://www.edgepedia.org/luke-evans) plays a local dad, with [Missi Pyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/missi-pyle) as his girlfriend; and McKaley Miller, Corey Fogelmanis, Gianni Paolo, and Dante Brown play Maggie's friends.[1](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/ma) Production companies included Blumhouse Productions, Wyolah Films, Fuji Television Network, and Dentsu, with Universal Pictures as distributor.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ma_2019)
**A tailored starring vehicle.** Spencer and Taylor had been friends since working as production assistants on *A Time to Kill* in 1995, before both moved to Los Angeles; Taylor later wrote and directed *[The Help](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-help-film)*, which brought Spencer an Academy Award, and *Get On Up*. The [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) framed *Ma* as the film that gave Spencer a lead role she had long been denied, quoting her observation that "Women of color just don't get the lead unless they're a slave or a maid."[5](https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/5/31/18646372/octavia-spencer-ma-tate-taylor-horror-movie) Spencer also served as an executive producer on the film.[1](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/ma)
## Box office
The film opened at $18,099,805 from 2,808 theaters, 39.4% of its eventual domestic total, and finished with $45,896,028 domestically and $15,324,756 internationally for a worldwide gross of $61,220,784 against a $5,000,000 production budget.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ma-%282019%29) [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) records the original release running from May 29 to July 26, 2019 across 54 markets, with the earliest release date May 29, 2019 in Egypt.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt7958736/) Estimated domestic physical disc sales added $3,322,147, split between DVD ($1,975,167) and Blu-ray ($1,346,980).[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ma-%282019%29) Universal re-released the film theatrically on May 14, 2025 as part of Blumhouse's Halfway to Halloween Film Festival.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ma_2019) • [4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt7958736/)
## Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 55% Tomatometer from 215 reviews and a 64% Popcornmeter score from more than 5,000 verified ratings. The critics consensus states that "Octavia Spencer's performance overpowers many of Ma's flaws, but uneven pacing and a labored story keep this thriller from fully realizing its unhinged potential."[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ma_2019) Reviewers repeatedly singled out Spencer: Tim Cogshell of FilmWeek (LAist) wrote that "when [Octavia Spencer] goes bananas, she pulls the rip-cord," and Roxana Hadadi of Pajiba called it "an impressively against-type performance," while finding little else truly scary or emotionally engaging.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ma_2019) The Roger Ebert review judged the film "more shallow than its edgy premise and subsequent themes promise," criticizing teen dialogue and plot logic.[7](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ma-2019)
## References
1. [Ma, Universal Pictures](https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/ma)
2. [MA (2019) - Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ma-%282019%29)
3. [Ma (2019), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ma_2019)
4. [Ma (2019), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt7958736/)
5. ['Ma' puts Octavia Spencer in the lead role at last, Chicago Sun-Times](https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/5/31/18646372/octavia-spencer-ma-tate-taylor-horror-movie)
6. [Meme'd to Death Movie 'Ma' to Live Again With New Sequel, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/memed-to-death-movie-ma-to-live-again-with-new-sequel/)
7. [Ma movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ma-2019)
8. [MA, Factory 25](https://www.factorytwentyfive.com/ma-film)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Horror films (individual works) › Psychological horror films › Psychological horror films, 1990s and 2000s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license