Escape Room (2019 film)

Last updated

Escape Room
Escape Room (2019 poster).png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Adam Robitel
Screenplay by
  • Bragi F. Schut
  • Maria Melnik
Story byBragi F. Schut
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMarc Spicer
Edited bySteven Mirkovich
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • January 4, 2019 (2019-01-04)(United States)
Running time
100 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States [2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$9 million [3]
Box office$155.7 million [3]

Escape Room is a 2019 American psychological horror film [4] directed by Adam Robitel from a screenplay by Bragi F. Schut and Maria Melnik, based on a story conceived by Schut. The film stars Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll, Tyler Labine, Nik Dodani, Jay Ellis, and Yorick van Wageningen, and follows a group of people who are sent to navigate a series of deadly escape rooms.

Contents

Development of the film began in August 2017, then under the title The Maze, and the casting process commenced. Schut and Melnik were hired to write the screenplay, and Robitel was confirmed to be directing. Filming took place in South Africa in late 2017 through January 2018. Brian Tyler and Jon Carey were hired to compose the film's score, with Tyler also conducting.

Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with producers Neal H. Moritz and Ori Marmur's Original Film, Escape Room was released in the United States on January 4, 2019, by Sony Pictures Releasing, and grossed over $155 million worldwide. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the atmosphere, cast, and production design, but criticized the familiar plot and its failure to take full advantage of its premise. A sequel, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions , was released on July 16, 2021. [5] [6]

Plot

Six people from varied backgrounds are presented with a puzzle cube: Zoey, a physics student; Jason, a wealthy daytrader; Ben, a stockboy; Mike, a truck driver; Amanda, an Iraq War veteran; and Danny, an escape room enthusiast. When they solve the puzzle, they are invited to take part in an escape room with a $10,000 prize. The participants arrive at an office block with no greeting, and when Ben tries to leave, the door handle falls off, revealing that the challenge has begun. They escape the first two rooms, a giant heating oven and a winter cabin. After finding the key, however, the rooms become fatal. Danny falls through the ice in an icy room and drowns; Amanda plummets to her death in an upside-down billiards bar where parts of the floor periodically fall into a deep shaft below; Jason shocks Mike to death to solve a puzzle in a hospital room filling up with poisonous gas, leaving Zoey behind to die after she refuses to leave in order to destroy security cameras; and in a room with optical illusions, strobe lights and transdermal drugs coating the surfaces, Ben kills Jason over an antidote required to escape.

Some rooms, through songs playing, coats, and hospital beds, remind the players of them being sole survivors of various disasters; Mike escaped a mine cave-in, Zoey survived a plane crash, Danny survived when his family died of carbon monoxide poisoning, Amanda survived an IED blast, Jason survived a shipwreck in frigid weather, and Ben survived a car accident where his friends died. Zoey realizes that the purpose of the game is to determine which player is the luckiest. Ben, after escaping the last room where a wall moves inwards to crush him, meets the Gamemaster, who controls the game that the Puzzle Maker designed. The Gamemaster explains that each year they lure in players with something in common – college athletes, savants, etc. – and wealthy viewers bet on the result, with the current game luring in sole survivors of previous disasters. The Gamemaster tries to kill Ben, but Zoey intervenes, having used an oxygen mask in the hospital room to survive until the room was unlocked by cleaning staff. Together they kill the Gamemaster.

As Ben recovers, Zoey returns to the building with a detective. The police do not believe Zoey, as all evidence of the game has disappeared. They do not believe Ben either, as he is found to have drugs in his system from a previous room. While looking at the graffiti on the wall, Zoey notices the words "No Way Out" and realizes they are an anagram for "Wootan Yu", a name that appeared in several places throughout the escape rooms, suggesting the game is not over. Six months later, Zoey meets up with Ben and shows him newspaper articles that passed off the other players' deaths as everyday accidents. When Ben suggests Zoey should move on, she refuses. She reveals clues to Ben that point to an unlisted building in Manhattan. Ben agrees to go with her. However, the Puzzle Maker is already preparing to make their flight a new deadly game of survival.

Cast

Additionally, Cornelius Geaney Jr. appears as Zoey's professor while Jessica Sutton portrays her roommate, Allison. Russell Crous portrays Charlie, Jason's assistant; Bart Fouche portrays Gary, Ben's boss; Kenneth Fok portrays Detective Li; and Jamie-Lee Money portrays Rosa, a fake flight attendant who works for Minos. Director Adam Robitel also has a minor role in the film as a character named Gabe.

Production

On August 9, 2017, it was announced that the film, then titled The Maze, had commenced casting, based on an original story created by screenwriter Bragi F. Schut. [7] It was set to shoot in South Africa in late 2017. [8] In January 2018, director Robitel told Syfy that production had wrapped and that the film would be released in September 2018, [9] before the film was delayed multiple times to an eventual early 2019 release.

Brian Tyler and John Carey composed the score for the film. The soundtrack was released by Sony Music Entertainment, and includes the full score and a remix of the film's main theme by Madsonik and Kill the Noise, used in the closing credits.

Robitel originally planned the film to end with one of the survivors returning home but decided to change the ending to make the antagonists appear more menacing in anticipation of the sequel. [10]

Release

In May 2018, it was announced that the film was originally going to be released on November 30, 2018. [11] A month later, the film was pushed back two months from its original release date of November 30, 2018, to February 1, 2019, [12] and later was moved up from February 1, 2019, to January 4, 2019. [13]

In Poland, United International Pictures announced that the film's release in the country would be delayed out of respect for the five teenagers who had died in the Koszalin escape room fire, which actually occurred on the day of the film's U.S. release. [14]

Reception

Box office

Escape Room grossed $57 million in the United States and Canada, and $98.7 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $155.7 million, against a production budget of $9 million. [3] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $46.6 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues. [15]

In the United States and Canada, the film was projected to gross $10–14 million from 2,717 theaters in its opening weekend. [4] It made $7.7 million on its first day, including $2.3 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $18.2 million, surpassing expectations and finishing second, behind Aquaman . [16] The film made $8.9 million in its second weekend, dropping 51% and finishing fifth. [17]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 51% based on 158 reviews, and an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Escape Room fails to unlock much of the potential in its premise, but what's left is still tense and thrilling enough to offer a passing diversion for suspense fans." [18] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [19] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. [16]

Sandy Schaelfer from Screen Rant gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, writing that "Escape Room is an entertainingly cheesy and surprisingly innovative B-movie, but suffers when it turns its attention to setting up future sequels." [20]

Sequel

In February 2019, a sequel, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions , was announced as being in active development, with Robitel set to return to direct along with screenwriter Schut and producer Moritz. In October 2019, Collider reported that original cast members Russell and Miller would reprise their roles in the sequel. [21] It was released on July 16, 2021.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deborah Ann Woll</span> American actress

Deborah Ann Woll is an American actress. She played Jessica Hamby in the HBO drama series True Blood (2008–2014), which earned her a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. She is also known for her role as Karen Page in the Marvel series Daredevil (2015–2018), The Defenders (2017), The Punisher (2017–2019), and Daredevil: Born Again. Her film roles include Mother's Day (2010), Seven Days in Utopia (2011), Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You (2011), Catch .44 (2011), Ruby Sparks (2012), Meet Me in Montenegro (2014), The Automatic Hate (2015), and the commercially-successful Escape Room (2019) and its 2021 sequel. In 2022, she provided the voice and motion capture of Faye in the video game God of War Ragnarök.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dylan O'Brien</span> American actor (born 1991)

Dylan Rhodes O'Brien is an American actor. His first major role was as Stiles Stilinski in the MTV supernatural series Teen Wolf (2011–2017). He achieved further prominence for his lead role in the science fiction Maze Runner trilogy (2014–2018), which led to more film appearances.

<i>Insidious</i> (film series) Horror film franchise

Insidious is an American horror franchise created by Leigh Whannell and James Wan that has been produced by Blumhouse in association with Sony’s Stage 6 Films since 2010. The films in the franchise include Insidious (2010), Chapter 2 (2013), Chapter 3 (2015), The Last Key (2018), and The Red Door (2023). The films have grossed over $731 million worldwide on a combined budget of $42.5 million.

<i>Aquaman</i> (film) 2018 superhero film by James Wan

Aquaman is a 2018 American superhero film based on the DC character of the same name. Co-produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the sixth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by James Wan from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall, it stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, who sets out to lead the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and stop his half-brother, King Orm from uniting the seven underwater kingdoms to destroy the surface world. Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman also star in supporting roles.

<i>The Flash</i> (film) 2023 superhero film by Andy Muschietti

The Flash is a 2023 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Barry Allen / Flash. Directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Christina Hodson and a story by Joby Harold and the writing team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, it is the 13th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Ezra Miller stars as Barry, who travels back in time to prevent his mother's death and becomes stranded in an alternate past. Sasha Calle also stars in her film debut, alongside Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, and Michael Keaton.

<i>The Meg</i> 2018 film by Jon Turteltaub

The Meg is a 2018 science fiction action film directed by Jon Turteltaub from a screenplay by Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber, and Erich Hoeber, loosely based on the 1997 novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Alten. The film stars Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, and Cliff Curtis. In the plot, a group of scientists encounters a 75-foot-long (23 m) megalodon shark while on a rescue mission on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

<i>Before I Fall</i> (film) 2017 American teen drama film

Before I Fall is a 2017 American teen drama film directed by Ry Russo-Young and written by Maria Maggenti and Gina Prince-Bythewood, based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Lauren Oliver. The film stars Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley, Elena Kampouris, Diego Boneta and Jennifer Beals.

<i>Bumblebee</i> (film) 2018 film by Travis Knight

Bumblebee is a 2018 science fiction action film based on the Hasbro and Takara Tomy's Transformers toy line character of the same name. It is the sixth installment in the Transformers film series, serving as a spin-off and prequel to the 2007 film. The film is directed by Travis Knight and written by Christina Hodson. It stars Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, and Pamela Adlon, and features Dylan O'Brien, Angela Bassett, Justin Theroux, and Peter Cullen in voice roles. It was Knight's first live-action film, as well as the first film in the Transformers series not to be directed by Michael Bay, who instead acted as a producer. Principal photography on the film began on July 31, 2017, in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. Autobot Bumblebee is sent to Earth but is injured and is found and helped by a teenage girl named Charlie.

<i>Winchester</i> (film) 2018 film by Michael and Peter Spierig

Winchester is a 2018 supernatural horror film directed by Michael and Peter Spierig, and written by the Spierigs and Tom Vaughan. The film stars Helen Mirren as heiress Sarah Winchester, with Jason Clarke and Sarah Snook, and follows Winchester as she is haunted by spirits inside her San Jose mansion in 1906.

<i>Insidious: The Last Key</i> 2018 film by Adam Robitel

Insidious: The Last Key is a 2018 American supernatural horror film directed by Adam Robitel and written by Leigh Whannell. It is produced by Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and James Wan. It is the fourth installment in the Insidious franchise, and the second in the chronology of the story running through the series. Starring Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, Whannell, Spencer Locke, Caitlin Gerard, and Bruce Davison, the film follows parapsychologist Elise Rainier as she investigates a haunting in her childhood home. The film is the sequel to Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) and the second prequel to Insidious (2010) and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013).

<i>Holmes & Watson</i> 2018 film by Etan Cohen

Holmes & Watson is a 2018 mystery comedy film written and directed by Etan Cohen. The film stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as the eponymous characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively; with Rebecca Hall, Rob Brydon, Kelly Macdonald, Steve Coogan and Ralph Fiennes in supporting roles. The plot follows the famed detective duo as they set out to find the culprit behind a threat at Buckingham Palace.

<i>White Boy Rick</i> 2018 film by Yann Demange

White Boy Rick is a 2018 American crime drama film directed by Yann Demange and written by Andy Weiss, Logan Miller, and Noah Miller. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Richie Merritt in his film debut, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern, and Piper Laurie in her final film role. The film is loosely based on the story of Richard Wershe Jr., who in the 1980s became the youngest FBI informant ever at the age of 14.

Adam Robitel is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is best known for directing horror films, such as The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014), Insidious: The Last Key (2018), Escape Room (2019) and its sequel Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021). He also co-wrote Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015).

<i>Vice</i> (2018 film) American film by Adam McKay

Vice is a 2018 American biographical political satire black comedy film directed, written, and produced by Adam McKay. The cast of this film include Christian Bale as former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, with Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Justin Kirk, Tyler Perry, Alison Pill, Lily Rabe, and Jesse Plemons in supporting roles. The film follows Cheney on his path to becoming the most powerful vice president in American history.

<i>21 Bridges</i> 2019 American action thriller film by Brian Kirk

21 Bridges is a 2019 American action-thriller film directed by Brian Kirk and written by Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan, based on a story by Mervis. The film stars Chadwick Boseman as an NYPD Detective who shuts down the 21 river crossings of Manhattan to find two suspected cop killers, portrayed by Stephan James and Taylor Kitsch. Sienna Miller, Keith David and J. K. Simmons appear in supporting roles. The film was produced by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Robert Simonds, Gigi Pritzker, Boseman and Logan Coles. It was also Boseman's final theatrical film before his death in August 2020. His last two films, Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, were released on Netflix.

<i>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom</i> 2023 superhero film by James Wan

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a 2023 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Aquaman. Directed by James Wan from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, it is the sequel to Aquaman (2018) and the 15th and final film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Jason Momoa stars as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, who must work with his half-brother Orm to prevent Black Manta from killing his family and using the cursed Black Trident to overheat the world while searching for the lost seventh kingdom of the seas. Amber Heard, Randall Park, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Martin Short, and Nicole Kidman also star in supporting roles.

<i>The Craft: Legacy</i> 2020 American fantasy film by Zoe Lister-Jones

The Craft: Legacy, also known as Blumhouse's The Craft: Legacy, is a 2020 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones. A legacy sequel to The Craft (1996), the film stars Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, and Zoey Luna as four teenage girls who practice witchcraft as a coven. Additional cast includes Nicholas Galitzine, Michelle Monaghan, and David Duchovny, with Fairuza Balk making a cameo appearance.

<i>Escape Room: Tournament of Champions</i> 2021 American psychological horror film

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is a 2021 American survival horror film directed by Adam Robitel and written by Will Honley, Maria Melnik, Daniel Tuch, and Oren Uziel. A sequel to 2019's Escape Room, it stars Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, and Deborah Ann Woll reprising their roles from the first film, alongside new cast members Indya Moore, Holland Roden, Thomas Cocquerel, and Carlito Olivero, and follows a group of six people trying to survive a new series of more deadly escape rooms.

<i>Anyone but You</i> 2023 film by Will Gluck

Anyone but You is a 2023 American romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ilana Wolpert. Loosely based on Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, it stars Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. The supporting cast includes Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, Darren Barnet, Bryan Brown, and Rachel Griffiths.

References

  1. "Escape Room". AMC Theatres . Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  2. "Escape Room (2019)". British Film Institute . Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Escape Room (2019)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Rubin, Rebecca (January 3, 2019). "'Box Office: Escape Room No Match for Aquaman". Variety . Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  5. Kennedy, Michael (April 25, 2020). "Everything We Know So Far About Escape Room 2". ScreenRant. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  6. Nancy Tartaglione; Anthony D'Alessandro (October 5, 2020). "Monster Hunter Officially Dated Stateside For December; Escape Room 2 Flees To 2021 – Update". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  7. Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 9, 2017). "Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll, Taylor Russell Enter The Maze". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  8. "Deborah Ann Woll, Logan Miller to Star in Sony's The Maze". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  9. Wax, Alyse (January 5, 2018). "How a new director helped Insidious: The Last Key change up the franchise". Syfy. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  10. Topel, Fred (April 20, 2019). "Escape Room Almost Had a 'More Nihilistic' Ending, Which Was Changed After Test Screenings". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  11. Pedersen, Erik. "Peter Rabbit 2 Gets Sony Greenlight; 2020 Release Date Set". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  12. Sony Dates Jason Reitman's The Front Runner, Untitled James Gunn Horror Pic & Escape Room
  13. "Sony Moves Escape Room Up By A Month & Miss Bala By A Week". Deadline Hollywood . October 12, 2018.
  14. Scislowska, Monika (January 7, 2019). "Victims of poland escape room fire to be buried together". Associated Press. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  15. D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 27, 2020). "Small Movies, Big Profits: 2019 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  16. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 6, 2018). "Aquaman Still The Big Man At The B.O. With $30M+; Escape Room Packs In $17M+ – Early Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  17. D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 13, 2018). "Upside Set To Be STX's First No. 1 Opener With $19M+; Aquaman Flips Over $1B WW; Keanu Reeves Hits B.O. Low With Replicas". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  18. "Escape Room (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  19. "Escape Room Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  20. Schaelfer, Sandy (January 4, 2019). "Escape Room (2019) Movie Review - ScreenRant". Screen Rant . Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  21. Sneider, Jeff (October 3, 2019). "Exclusive: Isabelle Fuhrman Joins Taylor Russell, Logan Miller in Escape Room 2". Collider. Retrieved November 3, 2019.