Open Water (film series)

Open Water
Official film series logo
Based onloosely on a True Story
Distributed byWarner Bros. Entertainment
Release date
2003–2017
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget~$2,068,100
(Total of 3 films)
Box office$64,001,222
(Total of 3 films)

The Open Water film series consists of American-distributed standalone survival-horror and natural horror-shark thriller movies, inspired by the real-life disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan.[1][2][3] The overall plot centers around individuals who are stranded in the ocean and must fight to survive the hours alone.

Initially developed as minimalist oceanic survival movies, Lionsgate expanded upon the individual scripts to create the series of movies.[1] The first film was a massive financial and critical success,[4][5] with film critics praising its minimalistic filmmaking.[6] Though developed as a drama which fictionalized adaptation of the disappearance of the Lonergans,[7] the studio marketed the movie with horror genre tactics; something that modern analysis attributes to some of its success, with some calling Open Water "the most terrifying shark movie ever made",[8] and "the scariest horror movie based on a true story".[9] The sequels were met with mixed-at-best and poor respective critical reception,[10][11] while both fared well overall financially.[12][13]

  1. ^ a b Kohn, Eric (August 10, 2017). "'Open Water': How a $500,000 Indie Launched a 14-Year-Old Horror Franchise". IndieWire. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  2. ^ Molgaard, Matthew (August 12, 2017). "'Open Water 3: Cage Dive' Has a Surprisingly Strong Pulse (Review)". Addicted to Horror Movies. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  3. ^ "Open Water 3-Film Collection Blu-ray". Bluray.com. Bluray.com. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Open Water_BOM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Open Water_RT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Ebert, Roger (August 6, 2004). "'Open Water' churns emotions with quiet terror". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  7. ^ Motamayor, Rafael (June 17, 2024). "Horror Film Open Water Was Derived From A Terrifying And Very Real Shark Encounter". SlashFilm. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  8. ^ Larman, Alexander (August 15, 2023). "Two actors, one boat, no CGI: why Open Water is the most terrifying shark movie ever made". Telegraph. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  9. ^ Van Horn, Shawn (April 3, 2024). "This Is the Scariest Horror Movie Based on a True Story". Collider. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Open Water 2_RT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Open Water 3_RT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Open Water 2_BOM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Open Water 3_TN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).