Whalefall

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1:37

Whalefall

PG-13

In Theaters Oct 16

1h 46m

Mystery & Thriller

Adventure

Drama

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Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

Popcornmeter

0 Verified Ratings

Following the death of his father (Josh Brolin), Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) goes diving off the central Coast of California in search of his remains, but is swallowed by a massive sperm whale. While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.

Coming Soon

In Theaters Oct 16

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Brian Duffield

Director

Austin Abrams

Jay Gardiner

Josh Brolin

Mitt Gardiner

Elisabeth Shue

Actor

John Ortiz

Actor

Jane Levy

Actor

Odie Henderson

Boston Globe

1 hr ago

2/4

All movies are manipulative in one way or another, but the script, by Kraus and director Brian Duffield, is so blatantly stalking your emotions that the dramatic scenes feel less believable than the scenes inside the whale.

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Alison Foreman

IndieWire

2 hrs ago

B-

Even when the metaphor is painfully on the nose, the film’s most disturbing images are more than their dramatic limitations and a whale is still an astonishing place to spend a movie.

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Simon Crook

Empire Magazine

2 hrs ago

4/5

Frightening, thrilling, bold and brutal, this one-location survival horror is a genuine one-off and the most surreal blockbuster in years.

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Peter Sobczynski

Auteurist Class (Substack)

12 min ago

Whalefall is a real mess of a movie that yearns to be an inspiring tale of one man’s resilience in the face of isolation and overwhelming odds in the manner of Project Hail Mary but ends up sinking like a stone.

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Liz Declan

Screen Rant

18 min ago

4/10

Unfortunately, while promising, that basic idea fell apart on screen in a movie that clearly had a fascinating concept but failed to deliver on the narrative.

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Jason Flatt

But Why Tho?

37 min ago

6.5/10

Whalefall is such a great survival thriller; it’s a shame that everything else is so poor.

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Whalefall: Featurette - Father and Son Story

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Whalefall: Featurette - First Look

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Whalefall: Trailer 1

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Whalefall: Teaser Trailer

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Synopsis

Following the death of his father (Josh Brolin), Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) goes diving off the central Coast of California in search of his remains, but is swallowed by a massive sperm whale. While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.

Director: Brian Duffield
Producer: Brian Grazer, Brian Duffield, Jeb Brody, Allan Mandelbaum
Screenwriter: Brian Duffield, Daniel Kraus
Distributor: 20th Century Studios
Production Co: Imagine Entertainment, 3 Arts Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Content|Bloody Images|Some Strong Language|Peril|Violent Content)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Adventure, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 16, 2026, Wide
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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