Whalefall

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Whalefall

PG-13

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1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

Adventure

Drama

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Popcornmeter

73%

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178 Reviews

81%

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1,000+ 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.

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Critics Consensus

Unforgettably visceral whenever it isn't getting mired in flashbacks, Whalefall's freaky concept requires suspension of disbelief that is rewarded with some of the most unusual set pieces the survival thriller genre has to offer.

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Audience Says

A thrilling story of survival, Whalefall swallows viewers into a physical and emotional endurance test, winding its way through grief, relief, and gratitude.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Oct 19, 2026

3/4

The visual effects are beyond reproach, and Duffield stages a set piece — in which Jay accidentally (stupidly?) gets involved with the whale as it hunts its morning breakfast — with cruel, horrifying tenacity.

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Wenlei Ma

The Nightly (AU)

Oct 19, 2026

3/5

Austin Abrams ably carries the movie but unless this is your very specific thing, Whalefall is more like a "nice to see" than "must see".

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Peter Travers

The Travers Take

Oct 16, 2026

2.5/4

The kid from Resident Evil gets swallowed by a whale and it’s slimy-scary good times in the belly of the beast until a soap opera plot drowns everything in tearjerking. Gross!

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Nicholas Bell

Fish Jelly Films (YouTube)

5 hrs ago

3.5/5

Surprisingly emotional for a hybrid survival drama creature feature, Whalefall works best at its queasiest, with Austin Abrams once again showcasing his talents as a poster boy of ragtag, roughneck resiliency.

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Maria Lattila

Film Stories

10 hrs ago

3/5

It’s a combination that mostly works, but a film should advance similarly to a heartbeat on a hospital monitor: there needs to be ups and downs. And every now and again, Whalefall threatens to flatline entirely.

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

2 days ago

With a one hour forty-six-minute runtime, it begins to lose steam after one hour, but people with daddy issues may eat it up.

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Tristin

3 hrs ago

I read the book first and the movie didn’t really do it any justice but I did like how they added a closed ending to the book that left it open.

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Christian

5 hrs ago

A fun, wholesome, and thrilling ride with a brilliantly talented cast!

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sierra

16 hrs ago

10/10 movie, will never watch it again!

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Steven

17 hrs ago

It was very intense. Kept me on the edge of my seat.

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Fhergie

17 hrs ago

Muy aburrida

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John

18 hrs ago

The whale part for me was the only real enjoyable part of the movie. I feel like the movie would have been much better shorter.

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Brian Duffield

Director

Austin Abrams

Jay Gardiner

Josh Brolin

Mitt Gardiner

Elisabeth Shue

Zara Gardiner

John Ortiz

Hewey

Jane Levy

Eva Gardiner

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Whalefall: Exclusive Movie Clip - Babies Crying

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Whalefall: Featurette - Father and Son Story

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Whalefall: Featurette - First Look

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Whalefall: Trailer 2

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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 (Some Strong Language|Peril|Bloody Images|Thematic Content|Violent Content)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Adventure, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 16, 2026, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.8M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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