The new psychological thriller Tyler Perry helped make has already become a huge streaming success.
Perry has starred in a variety of projects helmed by other filmmakers, including Alex Cross, Gone Girl, Vice, and Those Who Wish Me Dead. However, these days, he is chiefly known for the movies and TV shows he has his own hand in making. In some, like the Madea movies, he still appears in front of the camera, while in others, he solely operates behind the scenes.
In the latter category, among the movies Perry’s delivered in recent years include A Jazzman’s Blues, Mea Culpa, and Finding Joy, all of which he wrote, directed, and executive produced. The latest entry in his filmography sees him solely producing, and after just a few days of availability, it’s already impressing on the streaming front.
The Malcolm D. Lee-directed and Alan B. McElroy-written Strung premiered on Peacock on Friday, June 26, and it’s now the #1 ranked movie on the platform. Its wide release followed one month after the psychological thriller’s premiere at the America Black Film Festival on May 27. Perry produced Strung through the Peachtree & Vine production company alongside co-founder Tim Palen, Lee, Blumhouse Productions head Jason Blum, and Dominique Telson.
Strung, which is like The Housemaid mixed with Parasite, follows a talented violinist, played by The Little Mermaid’s Chloe Bailey, who takes on a tutoring job for an elite family. However, this job quickly devolves into a battle for her survival and sanity when the violinist learns that she’s connected to the family’s patriarch. Bailey’s Strung cast-mates include Lynn Whitfield, Lucien Laviscount, Anna Diop, Coco Jones, and Romy Woods.
The movie, originally titled Help, was announced in October 2021. However, it wasn’t until May 2025 that the full cast was announced, along with Lee replacing McElroy as the director. Strung began filming in Cape Town, South Africa two months prior. This is Lee’s first movie since 2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy, though he did create the 2022 miniseries The Best Man: The Final Chapters, which is also available on Peacock. McElroy’s screenwriting credits include Spawn, The Marine, Wrong Turn, and episodes of TV shows like The Vampire Diaries and Star Trek: Discovery.
While Strung has quickly been successful for Peacock in terms of viewing numbers, the movie has earned mixed critical reactions so far. Still, given its #1 ranking on the streaming service, it stands to reason even more people will check it out in the coming days. Ahead of the release, Strung’s stars spoke about the big villain twist to ScreenRant’s Brandon Zachary, as this psychological thriller unveils a shocking game-changer regarding the real nefarious party in the story.
Strung’s release follows four months after Perry’s Joe’s College Road Trip, which is the first spinoff in the Madea film series to focus on the title character’s brother, was released on Netflix. Looking ahead, Perry is directing, writing, and producing the Netflix TV show Where There’s Smoke, which will follow a group of firefighters navigating professional and personal struggles.
