Whalefall
“Hold your breath.”
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.
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US availability. Streaming data by JustWatch via TMDB.
Movie Details
- Rated
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 1h 46m
- Director
- Brian Duffield
- Written by
- Brian Duffield, Daniel Kraus
- Budget
- $60 million
- Box office (worldwide)
- $18 million
US release dates
- In theaters
- October 16, 2026
% positive of 7 critic reviews (tone read from each review)
No user ratings yet
Whalefall Cast
Austin AbramsJay Gardiner
Josh BrolinMitt Gardiner
Elisabeth ShueZara Gardiner
John OrtizHewey
Jane LevyEva Gardiner
Emily RuddNan Gardiner
Kamy D. BruderWhale Watcher Man- Mark Meloro Jr.Whale Watcher Man
- Sam FranichJay at 10
- Nicholas GouldUS Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Whaley
- Laurel Lane BowenCafe Patron
Sam Skolnik
Quick Answers
- Is Whalefall in theaters?
- Yes. Whalefall is playing in US theaters now. It opened on October 16, 2026.
- Is Whalefall streaming?
- Not yet. Whalefall isn't available to stream, rent or buy in the US right now.
- When will Whalefall be on streaming?
- No digital date has been announced. Most theatrical releases come to rent or buy about 30 to 45 days after they open, so Whalefall could arrive around November 30, 2026, with subscription streaming usually a few weeks later. This is an estimate, not a confirmed date.
- How long is Whalefall?
- Whalefall runs 1h 46m (106 minutes).
- What is Whalefall rated?
- Whalefall is rated PG-13 in the US.
- Who directed Whalefall?
- Whalefall was directed by Brian Duffield.
- Who stars in Whalefall?
- Whalefall stars Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue and John Ortiz.
Critic Reviews
The Guardian
by Benjamin Lee
Austin Abrams gets eaten by a sperm whale in an overlong and flashback-heavy adaptation of Daniel Kraus’s hit novel that only has us on edge in moments Continue reading...
Read full review →Collider
by Charlie Ridgely
Brian Duffield's stellar new Whalefall uses sound design and earnest emotion to tell the story of a young man (Austin Abrams) trapped inside a whale.
Read full review →The Hollywood Reporter
by David Rooney
Josh Brolin and Elisabeth Shue also star in Brian Duffield’s race-against-the-clock survival tale about a scuba-diving disaster, based on the Daniel Kraus novel.
Read full review →RogerEbert.com
by Zachary Lee
A mind-bending joyride that drags you to uncharted cinematic depths.
Read full review →/Film
by [email protected] (Jeremy Mathai)
Whalefall is gripping, moving, and earnest to a fault, aiming high to pull off a miraculous adaptation. Here's our review.
Read full review →IndieWire
by Alison Foreman
Brian Duffield delivers exceptional underwater body horror in a sincere adaptation of Daniel Kraus' novel that packs enough emotional baggage to nearly sink its ingenious premise.
Read full review →Variety
by Owen Gleiberman
Is it gross? At moments. Claustrophobic? A bit. Scary? Not even a little. The place Jay finds himself looks like a colonoscopy designed by H.R. Giger. The visual effects are…okay. At times, it’s as if we were locked in some pop-up theme-park ride called Full Cavity Search.
Read full review →Audience Reviews
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