Survival thriller 'Whalefall' puts man inside a sperm whale this October

A survival thriller from 20th Century Studios follows a man swallowed whole by a sperm whale off California's Central Coast — armed with just one hour of oxygen — arriving in theaters Oct. 16, 2026, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The film leans into thalassophobia — the dread of deep, open water — to frame a father-son survival story with underwater stakes unlike typical Hollywood thrillers. A 4DX trailer preview screened at Regal Sherman Oaks Galleria in Los Angeles ahead of the theatrical run.

Austin Abrams plays Jay Gardiner, a diver who descends into the waters off California's Central Coast to recover his father's remains. A sperm whale swallows him whole, leaving Gardiner trapped inside the creature with one hour of oxygen and no obvious way out, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Director Brian Duffield builds the film around thalassophobia. ABC7 reported the trailer "dives right into" that primal fear of deep, open water, anchoring the dread in a violent mid-ocean confrontation between the whale and a giant squid while Gardiner struggles to survive inside.

Josh Brolin portrays Gardiner's father, whose survival lessons form the protagonist's only lifeline in the creature's gut. The film's ensemble also includes Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy and Emily Rudd.

20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is producing alongside Imagine Entertainment. The studio staged an early 4DX trailer event at Regal Sherman Oaks Galleria in Los Angeles, offering audiences a preview of the film's immersive underwater terror before the wide release.

"Whalefall" opens in wide theatrical release Oct. 16, 2026, distributed by 20th Century Studios.