Overview
- The film opened in theaters on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, and early reviews praised Austin Abrams’s near‑solo physical performance along with the movie’s tactile creature effects and sound design.
- Critics consistently noted the production’s emphasis on large practical sets built in California, crediting production designer Ramsey Avery and reported workshop collaborators for the film’s claustrophobic interior whale environments.
- Reviewers praised Josh Brolin’s grounded work as Mitt and reported that Brolin said reading Daniel Kraus’s novel deeply moved him and shaped his portrayal.
- Several critics described the film as an emotionally driven body‑horror survival story that mixes graphic practical gore with explicit flashbacks about grief and masculinity, and some said those melodramatic choices weaken the film’s emotional clarity.
- 20th Century Studios released the PG‑13 film as a 1 hour 46 minute theatrical event and will watch opening‑week box office and audience word‑of‑mouth to see if craft‑forward, theater‑first marketing translates into broader commercial success.