Whalefall

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Whalefall

PG-13

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1h 46m

Mystery & Thriller

Adventure

Drama

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Popcornmeter

70%

Tomatometer

105 Reviews

Popcornmeter

50+ 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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Geordie Gray

The Australian

13 hrs ago

2.5/5

There’s a lean, vicious, hour-long escape thriller lurking inside Whalefall, bogged down by a soggy family therapy session. As drama, it’s a washout. As a feat of production design and filmmaking ingenuity, it’s something to behold.

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Kristy Puchko

Mashable

14 hrs ago

Is Whalefall a good father-son drama? Well, it's certainly a father-son drama.

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Keith Phipps

The Reveal

16 hrs ago

3.5 / 5

Often resembling an oceanic twist on Gravity that subs in the belly of a whale for outer space, Duffield’s film similarly uses each new twist in Jay’s survival to rhyme with past losses he has not yet resolved.

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Leo Brady

AMovieGuy.com

6 hrs ago

3.5/4

The result is one of the most intense moviegoing experiences of 2026, a film that shocks, awes, and sends a tidal wave of emotions crashing over its audience. Whalefall is an incredibly unique cinematic experience.

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Peter Gray

Cinefied

6 hrs ago

It's a film that can make you squirm, gasp, laugh, and, quite possibly, shed a tear. Not bad for a movie about a man trying desperately to avoid becoming whale food.

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Eric Marchen

Rogers TV

8 hrs ago

B

Maybe Nelson Muntz was onto something about nuking the whales. All kidding aside, the California coastal chamber piece dives headfirst into regret and reconciliation, cathartically emerging victorious.

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Leor

1 hr ago

I thought it was absolutely amazing, jaw dropping, and nail biting. It also made me feel very emotional afterwards because I lost my dad too.

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Bonnie

1 hr ago

Beautifully made! Great story telling with many powerful moments in this film. Highly recommend!

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Landon

4 hrs ago

Everything too the sounds and visual is amazing the story telling is sad but it opens your eyes

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Jacob

5 hrs ago

Probably the most boring movie I have seen all year. Almost fell asleep twice.

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Yuuu

8 hrs ago

better see an austin abrams whimpering for 1h+ video after this

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Jackie

8 hrs ago

It was good just wished there was more story line

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Brian Duffield

Director

Austin Abrams

Jay Gardiner

Josh Brolin

Mitt Gardiner

Elisabeth Shue

Actor

John Ortiz

Actor

Jane Levy

Actor

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Whalefall: Featurette - Father and Son Story

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Whalefall: Featurette - First Look

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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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