Resident Evil Star's New Survival Thriller Whalefall Pulled From 2,600 Theaters in 3 Weeks

The record-breaking success of the new Resident Evil reboot didn't have a spillover effect on star Austin Abrams' other survival thriller, which was released only a few weeks later. The new movie failed to recoup its reported budget at the box office, and has now suffered a massive drop in its theater count after a month of release. Also starring Josh Brolin, the movie generated significant pre-release buzz for its premise — a diver gets sucked alive into the belly of a whale — but the enthusiasm didn't translate into box-office results.

The survival thriller debuted theatrically on October 16, roughly a month after the Resident Evil reboot. Directed by Zach Cregger, the new Resident Evil defied expectations to deliver a franchise-record $400 million haul at the global box office. The movie also delivered a "Certified Fresh" 96% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes — a record for video game adaptations.

Abrams' follow-up film, directed by Brian Duffield, now holds a 71% critics' score and an 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Duffield previously directed the acclaimed dark comedy Spontaneous, which holds a 96% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the wordless sci-fi thriller No One Will Save You, which holds an 82% score. As a writer, Duffield has penned movies such as Love and Monsters, which is sitting at a 94% score, and The Babysitter, which has a 70% score on the aggregator.

Here's How Much the Survival Thriller Has Grossed at the Box Office

In other words, Duffield has proven his chops in genre cinema, and his new movie will likely find an audience when it lands on the PVOD market. We're talking, of course, about Whalefall. The movie's consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads, "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." In his review, Collider's Charlie Ridgeley described it as "a movie you'd catch during a cozy afternoon watching TNT on the couch with your dad."

Also starring Elisabeth Shue and John Ortiz, Whalefall has grossed around $37 million worldwide against a reported budget of $60 million. This is slightly under the $39 million haul of The Dog Stars, but above the $27 million haul of In the Grey — two other 2026 flops. Having debuted in 3,065 theaters, the movie lost around 1,000 theaters in its third week. At the start of its fourth week, it was removed from a further 1,625 theaters, and it's now playing in roughly 375 locations nationwide.