The 2004 zombie movie Dawn of the Dead, from Zack Snyder and James Gunn, will be removed from Netflix’s streaming library next month. Marking his feature directorial debut, Snyder helmed the movie with a screenplay by Gunn. It is a remake of George Romero’s 1978 classic of the same name.
Dawn of the Dead to leave Netflix next month
Starting Friday, May 1, 2026, Netflix subscribers won’t be able to stream Dawn of the Dead on the platform.
The remake’s story follows Ana and a small group of survivors of a worldwide zombie plague. To escape the reanimated corpses, the group takes refuge inside a massive shopping complex, believing it to be safe. As tensions rise among the group, they must find a way out before supplies run out or they are overrun by zombies.
Reportedly, producers Marc Abraham and Eric Newman bought the remake rights from Richard P. Rubinstein, who was initially hesitant to grant them. Rubinstein eventually agreed, and the two producers hired Gunn to write the screenplay. Subsequently, they hired Snyder to direct the film, though he was mainly known for commercials and music videos at the time.
Dawn of the Dead’s cast includes Sarah Polley as Ana, Ving Rhames as Kenneth, Jake Weber as Michael, Mekhi Phifer as Andre, Ty Burrell as Steve, Michael Kelly as C.J., and Kevin Zegers as Terry, among others.
Given the movie’s violent action scenes and gory, brutal deaths, it received an R rating. Universal Pictures handled the movie’s distribution, releasing it on March 19, 2004. Ahead of the release, the studio marketed the movie by broadcasting the first 10 minutes on television for four days, per Variety.
When the movie finally hit theaters, it received favorable reviews from critics and moviegoers. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 77% approval rating from both critics and users. Made on a modest $26 million budget, the movie grossed $102.2 million globally (via Box Office Mojo).
