# The Reading (film)
**The Reading** is a 2023 American supernatural thriller film written and directed by Courtney Glaudé in his feature debut, starring [Mo'Nique](https://www.edgepedia.org/monique) as a widowed author who murdered her family and then attacks the visitors to protect her secret.[11](https://www.looper.com/1341968/ending-the-reading-explained/) It premiered as a BET+ Original Movie on February 2, 2023, with [Lee Daniels](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-daniels) as executive producer.[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | February 2, 2023, streaming exclusively on BET+[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet) |
| Writer / director | Courtney Glaudé, his feature film debut[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet) |
| Stars | Mo'Nique as Emma Leeden; Chasity Sereal as Sky Brown[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet) |
| Executive producer | Lee Daniels[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet) |
| Runtime and rating | 96 minutes; TV-MA[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13358022) |
| Filming location | Houston, Texas, USA[3](https://www.courtneyglaude.com/the-reading) |
| Audience score | 5.3/10 on IMDb from about 2.3K users[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13358022) |
| Current streaming | Paramount+ and free with ads on Pluto TV (United States, as of October 2026)[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-reading) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Emma Leeden (Mo'Nique) is a recently widowed author who details the loss of her family in a violent home invasion in her new book, *Invasion*. To generate press for the book, she agrees to a staged reading by 19-year-old [Sky Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-brown) (Chasity Sereal) in Emma's now fortified home. The problem is that Sky's spiritual connection is real, and an evil emerges in a house the participants cannot get out of.[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet) Sky's backstory, per the studio's character notes, is that she was born with the gift to see and speak to the dead, hid it as a child, and makes money doing readings for wealthy students who have lost a parent, while growing weaker at closing the spiritual doors she opens.[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet)
## Cast and crew
The cast includes Mo'Nique as Emma Leeden, Chasity Sereal as Sky Brown, Denisha Hardeman as Jessie (Sky's best friend), Ian Haywood as Gregory (Sky's long-term boyfriend), Mcauley Teters as Randy, Lisa Alavi as Ashley Leeden, Charnele Brown as Oda Brown, Cooper Helm as Mathew Leeden, and Sara Alavi as Rachel Gates.[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13358022) Glaudé himself appears as the homeless man.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13358022)
Behind the camera, Gracie Henley served as director of photography and Stan Hillard as editor and visual effects artist.[3](https://www.courtneyglaude.com/the-reading) Producers included Aundrea Posey and Joy Ganes, with Glaudé and Daniels as executive producers.[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet)
## Production and context
**A reunion project.** The film put Mo'Nique and Lee Daniels back on the same project for the first time since the 2009 drama *Precious*, and the collaboration ended a 14-year feud between the two.[5](https://www.netflixmovies.com/the-reading-2023) Mo'Nique had won an Academy Award for *Precious* and later said Daniels told her she had been "blackballed" in Hollywood.[6](https://time.com/3715961/monique-academy-award-win-blackballed/)
**Glaudé's debut.** Courtney Glaudé is a Houston, Texas-based filmmaker who had written, directed, and produced multiple award-winning shorts, including Best Short Drama for *Row* at the Los Angeles Short Film Festival and Best Short for *Tag* at Atlanta's Bronze Lens Film Festival; *The Reading* was his first feature.[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet) In a statement, he called the film "a rollercoaster of a project" and praised Mo'Nique's "surgical performance" and the cast's commitment during the pandemic.[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet) The film later helped him secure an overall deal with [Tyler Perry Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-perry-studios); [Tyler Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-perry)'s COO Robert Boyd saw the movie before it aired and thought it would be a fit for the studio, and Glaudé became Head of Development there in January 2025.[7](https://www.atlantafilmandtv.com/post/behind-the-lens-a-sit-down-with-filmmaker-courtney-glaude)
## Reception and distribution
The film holds a 5.3/10 rating on IMDb from about 2.3K users.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13358022) A review at Wherever I Look called it horror focused mainly on kills, saying that viewers wanting a compelling story or characters would not find it there.[8](https://wherever-i-look.com/movies/the-reading-2023-review-summary)
Distribution has changed since release. After premiering on BET+ in February 2023,[1](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet) the film received a United Kingdom release on November 20, 2023.[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13358022/releaseinfo/) The BET+ streaming service was folded into [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) in June 2026, with BET+ content moving to Paramount+.[10](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/how-to-watch-bet-plus-shows-on-paramount-plus/) As of October 2026, *The Reading* streams on Paramount+ (Premium, Essential, Amazon Channel, and Roku Premium Channel tiers) and is free with ads on [Pluto TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/pluto-tv) in the United States.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-reading)
## References
1. [The Reading – Fact Sheet, Paramount Press Express (BET)](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/bet/releases/?view=106609-the-reading-facts-sheet)
2. [The Reading (2023), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13358022)
3. [The Reading, CourtneyGlaude.com](https://www.courtneyglaude.com/the-reading)
4. [The Reading streaming: where to watch movie online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-reading)
5. [The Reading (2023) on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/the-reading-2023)
6. [Mo'Nique: I Was 'Blackballed' After Oscar Win, Time](https://time.com/3715961/monique-academy-award-win-blackballed/)
7. [Behind the Lens: A Sit-Down with Filmmaker Courtney Glaude, Atlanta Film and TV](https://www.atlantafilmandtv.com/post/behind-the-lens-a-sit-down-with-filmmaker-courtney-glaude)
8. [The Reading (2023) – Review/Summary, Wherever I Look](https://wherever-i-look.com/movies/the-reading-2023-review-summary)
9. [The Reading (2023) – Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13358022/releaseinfo/)
10. [How to Watch BET+ Shows On Paramount+, Paramount+](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/how-to-watch-bet-plus-shows-on-paramount-plus/)
11. [The Ending Of The Reading Explained - Looper](https://www.looper.com/1341968/ending-the-reading-explained/)
---
*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) › Supernatural horror films › 2020s supernatural horror films › Titles M to Y*
*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