Summary
Following the death of his father, Jay Gardiner 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.
Good for
- Friends night
- Teens
- Thought-provoking
Skip it if
- You want something to laugh at
- You want something quiet and calm
Where to watch
Not streaming in any country yet.
Fingerprint
At a glance
Critics vs audiences
Audiences a little warmer than critics (+7)
Critics 59Audiences 66GoodWatch 62
Metascore59
User score6.8
IMDb6.6
Letterboxd · 170 K ratings3.2/5
Box office
61%of its budget back
- Budget
- $60 M
- Worldwide
- $37 M
Worldwide it made back $37 M of the $60 M it cost.
Running time
1 h 46 min
A typical length for thrillers
typical 104106Half of all thrillers run 94–118 min.
Released
2026
October 14, 2026
This year
Genre
ThrillerLanguage
English
Original language
Made in
United States
Rated
- PG-13United States
Not for young kids: it's rated PG-13 in the United States for violence, disturbing imagery, and suicide themes, and the viewing guide lists it for teens and adults.
What's in it
- ViolenceMild
- Gore, disturbing imagesMild
- Frightening scenesStrong
- Sex, nudityLittle or none
- Dark themesMild
In white: what the content advisories name. Levels from the title analysis.
Viewing guide
AdultsFriends NightPartner WatchPublic Viewing SafeSolo WatchTeensThought-ProvokingNot listed for kids or family movie night.
and 7 more14 people
- Austin AbramsJay Gardiner
- Josh BrolinMitt Gardiner
- Elisabeth ShueZara Gardiner
- John OrtizHewey
- Jane LevyEva Gardiner
- Emily RuddNan Gardiner
- Kamy D. BruderWhale Watcher Man
- MMMark Meloro Jr.Whale Watcher Man
- SFSam FranichJay at 10
- NGNicholas GouldUS Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Whaley
- LLLaurel Lane BowenCafe Patron
- Sam SkolnikEmployee
Grayson Paul SolomineYoung Jay
Shauna DugginsWhale Watcher Joy
Directing · 2
- Brian Duffield Director, Screenplay, Producer
- Jason Blumenfeld First Assistant Director
Writing · 1
- Daniel Kraus Novel, Book, Screenplay
Production · 10
- Douglas C. Merrifield Executive Producer, Unit Production Manager
- Will Rowbotham Executive Producer
- Richard Abate Executive Producer
- Ron Howard Producer
- Brian Grazer Producer
- Allan Mandelbaum Producer
Camera · 3
- Aaron Morton Director of Photography
- David Emmerichs "A" Camera Operator, Steadicam Operator
- Collin Davis "B" Camera Operator
Editing · 1
- Pietro Scalia Editor
Sound · 3
- Joseph Trapanese Original Music Composer
- Chris Terhune Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Re-Recording Mixer
- Peter J. Devlin Sound Mixer
Art · 4
- Ramsey Avery Production Design
- Michael E. Goldman Art Direction
- Gary McMonnies Art Direction
- Gordon Stotz Supervising Art Director
Costume & Make-Up · 3
- Natalie O'Brien Costume Design
- Joel Harlow Makeup Department Head
- Marie Larkin Hair Department Head
Visual Effects · 35
- David Seager Visual Effects Supervisor
- Guillaume Rocheron Visual Effects Supervisor
- Laurens Ehrmann Visual Effects Supervisor
- Gabriel Reichle Visual Effects Supervisor
- Florian Witzel Visual Effects Supervisor
- Harry Bardak Visual Effects Supervisor
Other crew · 10
- Shauna Duggins Stunt Coordinator
- Dan Mast Stunt Double
- Kurt D. Lott Stunts
- Leandro Estebecorena CG Supervisor
- Jill Brooks Executive Visual Effects Producer
- Cord Walker Stunts
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