Drop had its premiere at the SXSW on March 9, 2025, and was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on April 11, 2025. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $28 million worldwide.
Plot
Chicago therapist Violet Gates has begun to start dating again following the death of her abusive husband Blake. Leaving her young son Toby at home in the care of her younger sister Jen, Violet arrives at Palate, a top-of-the-tower restaurant, for a date with photographer Henry Campbell, whom she has been talking to via a dating app.
As Violet waits for Henry to arrive, she meets bartender Cara, pianist Phil, fellow diner Richard, who is on a blind date, and fellow diner Connor. Violet soon begins to receive "Digi-Drops"–a short range texting system–from an unknown user, sending memes to Violet that gradually become more threatening. Henry arrives, and the two are seated and served by new waiter Matt. Violet receives more drops, and Henry attempts to help her find out who it is, knowing it has to be someone seated in their section of the restaurant. Despite Violet's attempts to ignore the drops, they continue to escalate, eventually culminating in the user asking Violet to check her home security cameras.
On the cameras, Violet witnesses a masked gunman inside her home. Violet is messaged by her tormentor, demanding she not alert anyone or try to leave, otherwise Toby will be killed. Violet realizes the restaurant is bugged and she is being watched via security cameras. The user instructs Violet to retrieve a camera from Henry's bag and destroy its SD card. Violet obeys and discovers that Henry, who works for the city mayor, has photographed evidence of embezzlement. Henry grows suspicious of Violet's behavior and prepares to leave, but Violet kisses Henry and encourages him to stay, opening up about her trauma from her relationship with Blake. The user then instructs Violet to retrieve a vial of poison from the bathroom and kill Henry.
Suspicious of Connor, Violet confronts him but is unable to prove he did anything. Unwilling to kill Henry, Violet slips a note to Phil informing him of the hostage situation, but Phil collapses shortly afterward and dies from poison while trying to exit the building. The user insults Violet over her failed plan and demands she kill Henry immediately. Violet orders shots and spikes Henry's, but panics as he prepares to drink his and makes a mess trying to stop him. When Henry leaves to clean up, Cara checks on Violet and mentions that Richard has had a similar bad date and has been watching Violet's table all night. Violet visits Richard with new shots and he reveals himself as her tormentor.
Richard is on the mayor's payroll and plans to assassinate Henry, who intends to testify against the mayor, while pinning the murder on Violet. Henry arrives and drinks the fresh shot in front of them, but as Richard gloats to Violet, she reveals that she actually poisoned the dessert Richard is eating. Knowing he will die soon, Richard attempts to shoot Violet, but Henry pushes her out of the way and is shot instead. A scuffle ensues, during which: one of Richard's wild shots pierces a window, then he stabs Cara, then phones his henchman to kill Toby and Jen. Violet throws a hockey puck at the bullet hole in the window, which shatters and causes Richard to be sucked outside and fall to his death. Violet nearly falls as well, but Henry saves her. Taking Henry's car, Violet drives to her nearby house while Jen awakens and fights with the henchman, before she and Toby flee upstairs, where Jen is shot in the shoulder. Violet arrives at the house and stabs the henchman, who overpowers and corners her, but to the henchman's shock, Toby retrieves the gun, and Violet uses it to kill the henchman.
Some time later, Violet visits Henry and Jen in the hospital, while it is revealed that Henry managed to get the mayor exposed for his crimes and is under investigation. Jen sends a drop to prank Violet and Henry before the new couple plans a second date.
The premise is based on Olivia Sui's experience of receiving mysterious Air Drops while she was on vacation in Italy.[6] In February 2024, it was announced Drop was in development with Christopher Landon directing after exiting Scream 7, with Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach writing, and Meghann Fahy as the lead.[7]
Drop premiered at the South by Southwest Festival on March 9, 2025, and was released theatrically in the United States on April 11, 2025.[13]
Home media
The film was released on VOD on April 29, 2025, and was released on 4K and Blu-ray on June 10, 2025.[14][15] It was released on Peacock on July 11, 2025.[16]
Reception
Box office
As of May20,2025[update], Drop has grossed $16.6million in the United States and Canada, and $11.9million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $28.5million.[3][4]
In the United States and Canada, Drop was released alongside The Amateur, Warfare, and The King of Kings, and was projected to gross $6–8million from 3,085 theaters in its opening weekend.[2][17] The film made $3.3 million on its first day, including an estimated $1.14 million from preview screenings throughout the week. It went on to debut to $7.4 million, finishing in fifth.[18][19]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 232 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10.The website's consensus reads: "A Hitchcockian thriller that cleverly utilizes modern technology for its twists and turns, Drop delivers on its pulpy premise while providing a welcome showcase for Meghann Fahy's leading lady chops."[20]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[21]
Iana Murrey of Empire gave the film a score of 4 stars out of 5, and wrote: "Fahy may be familiar to most from her ability to destroy you with a single look in the Sicily-set season of The White Lotus, and while Drop isn't nearly as subtle, her groundedness is the antidote to the film's silliness."[22]Inverse's Hoai-Tran Bui wrote, "Drop comes from that same group of hypotheticals as [Landon's] greatest hits: What if someone blackmailed you into killing your first date? And the answer is a fun, efficient little thriller."[23]The Guardian's Adrian Horton gave it 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "[Fahy's] dialed-in performance is thankfully matched by an overarching crispness to the proceedings – just enough flourishes, an enjoyable but not unbearable amount of stress, no wasted time, a perfect match of star, script and style."[24]
In a negative review, Odie Henderson of The Boston Globe was less enthusiastic, stating: "The absurd plot twists in Drop might be tolerable if the film weren't so distastefully tethered to domestic violence."[25] James Marsh of the South China Morning Post wrote, "While Drop certainly finds fun in its increasingly ridiculous premise, that playful sense of humour is mostly lacking. Landon plays things straight – or as straight as one can given the film's inherently implausible premise."[26]The Daily Telegraph's Tim Robey gave it 2 stars out of 5, writing, "We've been through so many games like this – in the likes of Phone Booth, Red Eye and the recent Carry-On – which made virtues of their containment. But Drop botches its plot and looks so nastily composited there's no visual pleasure in the exercise."[27]
References
↑ "Drop (15)". BBFC. February 24, 2025. Archived from the original on April 6, 2025. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
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