Don’t Breathe (2016)
86%RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: 1 nomination
Don’t Breathe smartly twists its sturdy premise to offer a satisfyingly tense, chilling addition to the home invasion genre that’s all the more effective for its simplicity
Don’t Breathe is the perfect movie to watch if you want to forget about the outside world and be completely absorbed in the story. Sure, there are some uncomfortable moments (like the heroine getting punched in the face), but the suspense is built so well that you won’t be able to look away. The blind man is a terrifying villain, and the way the camera explores the dark corners of the house will have you on the edge of your seat. Plus, the movie is only an hour and a half long, so you won’t have to hold your breath for too long. Overall, Don’t Breathe is a wild ride that horror fans won’t want to miss.
Production Company(ies)
Shangri-La Entertainment, Tuff Gong Pictures, Cowboy Films,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Belgrade, Serbia
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong bloody violence, gruesome images, and language
Year of Release
2016
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 28m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 26, 2016 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 29, 2016
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto, Stephen Lang, Emma Bercovici, Franciska Töröcsik, directed by Fede Alvarez, written by Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues Mendez, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Anupama Chopra, Kevin Maher, Bruce Diones, Wendy Ide, Rebecca Hawkes, Poppy Doran, Brian Eggert, Victor Pineyro, David Gonzalez, Jason Adams, Kristy Strouse, producer Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, MPAA rating R, home invasion, blind veteran, Detroit thieves, suspense, tension, violence, disturbing content, sexual references, Dolby Digital, Scope (2.35:1), Sony Pictures Entertainment
Worldwide gross: $47,312,950
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $51,457,882
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,312
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 5,611,547
US/Canada gross: $32,712,950
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $35,578,824
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,216
US/Canada opening weekend: $10,622,473
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $11,553,073
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 911
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Dylan Minnette – Alex
Daniel Zovatto – Money
Stephen Lang – The Blind Man
Emma Bercovici – Diddy
Franciska Töröcsik – Cindy
Director(s)
Fede Alvarez
Writer(s)
Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues Mendez
Producer(s)
Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, Fede Alvarez
Film Festivals
South by Southwest
Awards & Nominations
1 nomination
Academy Awards
All Critics (245) | Top Critics (53) | Fresh (216) | Rotten (29)
This film is just what you need to completely take you out of what is happening outside because you literally won’t be able to stop watching.
May 18, 2020
Anupama Chopra
Film Companion
TOP CRITIC
I never feel totally comfortable watching a movie in which the heroine is punched repeatedly in the face, in wide shot, by a muscle-bound psychopath until she blacks out.
October 10, 2016 | Rating: 2/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The suspense is built as carefully as it is in a good John Carpenter movie; Alvarez uses the camera like a stealth weapon, exploring dark corners and hidden areas of the house with devilish glee.
September 26, 2016
Bruce Diones
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
It’s hard to care much what happens to any of the highly unsympathetic cast.
September 11, 2016 | Rating: 2/5
Wendy Ide
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Plot and character quibbles aside, there’s doubting Alvrarez’s taste for horror. But, while you might hold your breath while watching, Don’t Breathe probably won’t give you any lasting nightmares.
September 9, 2016 | Rating: 3/5
Rebecca Hawkes
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Alvarez, take a bow. You sick freak.
September 9, 2016 | Rating: 3/5
Poppy Doran
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Not long after it’s over, the previous 90 minutes go from being an impressive exercise in cinematic tension to little more than a technically sound production hanging by the thin threads of a plot-hole-ridden script.
April 11, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Surprisingly, this movie made me hold my grip for an hour so, and question my own gray areas. Sometimes horror does not need the supernatural. Full review in Spanish
April 7, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
Victor Pineyro
Seventh Art Studio
Dont Breathe is the ideal title for this film as not only its characters, but the audience spends a part of the film holding their own breath rooting against the blind man and hoping the protagonists are able to escape.
February 14, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Gonzalez
Reel Talk Inc.
If only “restrained” was a word I could apply thicker across the skin of this wild, unwieldy beast of a movie
January 10, 2022
Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
There’s a taut pin-drop route that always seems to keep you hooked. The unpredictable nature of the film helps to steer you around unsuspecting, darkened corners that will have you peering between your fingers.
November 12, 2021
Kristy Strouse
Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying
At under an hour-and-a-half, it’s a brilliantly trim and genuinely riveting horror/thriller.
November 5, 2021
George Fenwick
Stuff.co.nz…
Plot
In “Don’t Breathe,” three Detroit thieves break into the home of a blind veteran who won a major cash settlement, only to find themselves trapped and fighting for their lives after making a shocking discovery about their victim.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t provide any goofy or funny comments about the film, but it does mention that Stephen Lang delivers a terrifying performance as the blind veteran.
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