Zac Efron's Movie 'The Iron Claw' Has Fans Leaving Theaters in Tears

'The Iron Claw' is playing in movie theaters now.

By John Connor Coulston

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While movies like Wonka are offering moviegoers a cheery time, Zac Eron's new movie is giving them a whole field of emotions. The Iron Claw is a drama inspired by the Von Erichs, a legendary professional wrestling family plagued by tragedy. The movie paints both the highs of the family's lives — including their tight-knit bond — and the heartbreaking lows. (Click here for to find showtimes at a movie theater near you.)

Tickets available at Fandango

Many Efron fans and general film watchers have been going into the movie assuming it was a feel-good sports flick. However, they are leaving are seeing one of the most moving films of the past year. Several videos of fans in tears leaving the cineplexes have taken off on TikTok, in addition to other reactions from the public shared around the internet. Continue on to see some of the tearful reactions to The Iron Claw.

"So F—ing Sad"

@_archseraphim_

“Let’s go see that wrestling movie that should be fun! 😁” #theironclawmovie #theironclaw

♬ original sound – Seraph

"my review of the iron claw is that it was so sad i almost threw up in the theater from crying so much," one fan wrote on X. A second added, "The Iron Claw was so f—ing sad. I don't remember the last movie I was at where everyone was loudly crying like that."

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"This Movie Crushed Me"

"Wish I coulda hugged my brother after this one," a third X user wrote. "This movie crushed me, what a performance from Holt McCallany as the father. This movie will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. What a great tribute to such a tragic story. A24, the best."

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"Saddest Movie Ever Made"

@megslee8

Do NOT go see Iron Claw if you want to see the saddest movie ever made. #ironclaw #iwasabrotheronce

♬ original sound – megslee

"I just watched iron claw and had to hold back a gasping sob so hard that I thought I was going to puke," another moviegoer wrote on X. "I got in the car and immediately started crying again."

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"Wiping Tears Away"

"A heartbreaking tragedy steeped in Americana," film critic James Preston Poole wrote on X. "Efron, White, Simon, and Dickinson add such interiority to their portrayal of the Von Erich family that it makes what happens sting so much more. Artful, empathetic, and at times exhilarating. Wiping tears away."

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"Cannot Stop Crying"

@gia.mariano

just saw the iron claw. what the bruh.

♬ original sound – Gia

"the way i could hear other people crying in the theatre when watching the iron claw last night omg. such a good movie," one cinemagoer recalled. Yet another Iron Claw watcher posted, "just saw the iron claw and i cannot stop crying."

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Buy Tickets to See 'The Iron Claw'

the-iron-claw-cast-zac-efron.jpg
(Photo: A24)

In addition to Zac Efron, The Iron Claw also stars Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, Lily James and Stanley Simons. Sean Durkin, who directed 2011's Martha Marcy May Marlene, helms the picture and wrote the screenplay. You can use Fandango to find showtimes at a movie theater near you.

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