HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Bad Times at the El Royale'' is a 2018 American
neo-noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...
thriller film written, directed, and produced by
Drew Goddard Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard (born February 26, 1975) is an American filmmaker. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Angel'', ''Alias'', and ''Lost''. After moving into screenwriting in fi ...
. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of
Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent a ...
,
Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Erivo (; born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer, and songwriter. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Awa ...
,
Dakota Johnson Dakota Mayi Johnson (born October 4, 1989) is an American actress. The daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, she made her film debut at age ten with a minor role in the dark comedy film ''Crazy in Alabama'' (1999) with her mothe ...
,
Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televisi ...
,
Cailee Spaeny Cailee Spaeny (; born July 24, 1998) is an American actress. Her first major role was in the science fiction action film ''Pacific Rim Uprising'' (2018), which was followed by appearances in ''Bad Times at the El Royale'', ''On the Basis of Sex' ...
,
Lewis Pullman Lewis James Pullman (born January 29, 1993) is an American actor. His film credits include '' The Strangers: Prey at Night'', ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' (both 2018), and '' Top Gun: Maverick'' (2022). On television, he starred as Major Majo ...
, and
Chris Hemsworth Christopher Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor. He rose to prominence playing Kim Hyde in the Australian television series ''Home and Away'' (2004–2007) before beginning a film career in Hollywood. In the Marvel Cinemati ...
. The plot centers on six strangers and an employee at the El Royale, a hotel located along the California–Nevada border, who arrive with dark personal secrets that eventually intersect on a fateful night in the late 1960s. The film explores themes on morality, faith, and redemption, with the state border and other visualizations representing the concept of right and wrong. Goddard began writing the
spec script A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or ...
for the film in November 2016, and compiled a list of songs into his screenplay. After telling major studios to avoid buying the script if they could not buy the licenses for each piece of music, he sold it to
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
in March 2017.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
started in January 2018 with cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and finished in April. The El Royale hotel was built entirely on a studio set in
Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...
, Canada, under the supervision of production designer Martin Whist, who had envisioned designing a perfectly symmetrical hotel. Additional filming took place in the United States. During
post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. The ...
, editing was completed by
Lisa Lassek Lisa Lassek is an American Film editing#Film Editor, film and television editor. In addition to her editing career, her credits include her role as an associate producer for the television series ''Firefly (TV series), Firefly''. She edited episo ...
and the musical score was composed by
Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino (; born October 10, 1967) is an American composer of music for films, television and video games. He has also served as a director for television. He has received many awards, including an Oscar for his work on '' Up'' (2009), a ...
. ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' marketing efforts included posters, trailers, and television advertisements, stylized to evoke nostalgia of the noir genre and to make the movie stand out against other films in theaters. The film premiered in Los Angeles on September 22, 2018, and released on October 12 in the United States. The film underperformed at the box office, grossing $31.9 million against a $32 million budget, in part due to its competition and " R-rating" from the
Motion Picture Association The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...
. Critics praised the film for its ensemble cast, soundtrack, and cinematography but criticized its lengthy runtime of 141 minutes. It received various awards and nominations, most notably at the 45th Saturn Awards, for its writing, acting, cinematography, and music.


Plot

The El Royale, once popular with the wealthy until losing its gambling license, is a hotel that straddles the California–Nevada border. In 1959, Felix O'Kelly hides a money bag under the floorboards of his room. A man he recognizes arrives and shoots him dead. Ten years later, Catholic priest Daniel Flynn, singer Darlene Sweet, salesman Laramie Seymour Sullivan, and
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
Emily Summerspring arrive at the hotel, now run solely by
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
addict Miles Miller, and book separate rooms. Upon checking into the
honeymoon suite Honeymoon Suite is a Canadian rock band formed in 1981 in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The band's name was a nod to the fact that Niagara Falls is the unofficial honeymoon capital of the world. History 1981–1985 The band was originally formed ...
, Laramie begins removing
wiretap Telephone tapping (also wire tapping or wiretapping in American English) is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitorin ...
s but unexpectedly finds a second set as well. After stealing the hotel's master key, he discovers a secret corridor where every room can be observed through
one-way mirror A one-way mirror, also called two-way mirror (or one-way glass, half-silvered mirror, and semi-transparent mirror), is a reciprocal mirror that appears reflective on one side and transparent at the other. The perception of one-way transmission i ...
s and filmed with a camera. Laramie sees Darlene singing, Daniel removing the floorboards of his room, and Emily holding a young woman captive. In the parking lot, Laramie calls into the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
(FBI), revealing himself to be Special Agent Dwight Broadbeck. He is instructed by
J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation  ...
to focus on his mission of collecting the surveillance materials the FBI had planted and ignore the kidnapping. Believing the mission has been compromised, Dwight is also told to prevent the guests from leaving. To do so, Dwight disables all their cars. Daniel invites Darlene to join him for dinner in the hotel lounge. There, Darlene says she is practicing for a performance in
Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...
and Daniel reveals his memory is deteriorating. While Daniel is getting drinks, Darlene sees him spiking her beverage and she knocks him unconscious with a bottle. Miles later finds and revives Daniel, telling him that he wants to undertake a
confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...
but Daniel refuses. Miles, looking for the missing master key, leads Daniel to the secret corridor, explaining that he used to regularly film intimate encounters that he had to send to his superiors. Miles also admits to having withheld one incriminating film of a deceased public figure who had been kind to him. When Daniel leaves to evaluate said film, Miles witnesses through the one-way mirror Dwight attempting to rescue Emily's hostage, who is revealed to be her younger sister, Rose. Emily kills Dwight with a shotgun, which also shoots out the mirror, revealing the corridor and injuring Miles. Before these events, Emily had forcibly removed her sister from a dangerous cult, led by Billy Lee. In the present, Rose secretly calls Billy to tell him where she is. A witness to Dwight's murder, Darlene tries to escape but fails due to his tampering with her vehicle. Daniel arrives and reveals to her that he is Dock O'Kelly, imprisoned since a bank robbery in 1959. Recently
parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
d, he arrived in disguise to retrieve the money hidden by his brother Felix. Due to Dock's failing memory, he picked the wrong room and tried to drug Darlene to gain access to hers. To gain her trust, Dock offers to split the cash with Darlene. After retrieving the money, Billy and his cult arrive and take the pair, Emily, and Miles hostage. In a flashback, Billy tells his cult how people are forced to choose sides and, as an
allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...
, gets Rose to fight another girl for the chance to sleep with him as Emily watches nearby. In the present, a compliant Rose watches Billy as he interrogates the group and finds the film, which he realizes is more valuable than the money. He forces Emily to choose a color in a game of roulette between her and Miles, and kills her when she loses. Before Billy completes another round of roulette, Dock attacks him, a melee ensues, and a fire begins to spread. When Darlene implores Miles to pick up a gun and help, it is revealed that he served in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
as a sniper and killed 123 people. A defiant Miles kills Billy and his followers, but a distraught Rose stabs Miles in the stomach before being shot by Dock. Darlene convinces "Father Flynn" to absolve Miles of the guilt over his wartime actions before he dies. They then toss the film into the fire and leave with the money. Sometime later in Reno, Dock attends Darlene's
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
performance at a nightclub.


Cast

*
Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent a ...
as Father Daniel Flynn / Dock O'Kelly *
Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Erivo (; born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer, and songwriter. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Awa ...
as Darlene Sweet *
Dakota Johnson Dakota Mayi Johnson (born October 4, 1989) is an American actress. The daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, she made her film debut at age ten with a minor role in the dark comedy film ''Crazy in Alabama'' (1999) with her mothe ...
as Emily Summerspring *
Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televisi ...
as Laramie Seymour Sullivan / Dwight Broadbeck *
Cailee Spaeny Cailee Spaeny (; born July 24, 1998) is an American actress. Her first major role was in the science fiction action film ''Pacific Rim Uprising'' (2018), which was followed by appearances in ''Bad Times at the El Royale'', ''On the Basis of Sex' ...
as Rose Summerspring *
Lewis Pullman Lewis James Pullman (born January 29, 1993) is an American actor. His film credits include '' The Strangers: Prey at Night'', ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' (both 2018), and '' Top Gun: Maverick'' (2022). On television, he starred as Major Majo ...
as Miles Miller *
Chris Hemsworth Christopher Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor. He rose to prominence playing Kim Hyde in the Australian television series ''Home and Away'' (2004–2007) before beginning a film career in Hollywood. In the Marvel Cinemati ...
as Billy Lee *
Nick Offerman Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
as Felix O'Kelly *
Xavier Dolan Xavier Dolan-Tadros (; born 20 March 1989) is a Canadian filmmaker, actor and costume designer. He began his career as a child actor in commercials before directing several arthouse feature films. He first received international acclaim in 2 ...
as music producer Buddy Sunday *
Shea Whigham Franklin Shea Whigham Jr. (born January 5, 1969) is an American actor best known for portraying Elias "Eli" Thompson in the drama series ''Boardwalk Empire''. He also appeared in the first season of ''True Detective'' and the third season of ' ...
as Dr. Woodbury Laurence * Mark O'Brien as bank robber Larsen Rogers *
Charles Halford Charles Halford (born February 28, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Chas Chandler on the NBC series ''Constantine'', Earl in ''Logan Lucky'' and Sammy Wilds in ''Bad Times at the El Royale''. Known for his distinctively d ...
as prisoner Sammy Wilds *
Jim O'Heir Jim O'Heir (born February 4, 1962) is an American actor and comedian, perhaps best known for portraying Jerry Gergich on the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation''. O'Heir first became active in Chicago theater and improv during the late 1980s and ...
as emcee Milton Wyrick *
Stephen Stanton Stephen Walter Stanton (born August 22, 1961) is an American voice actor and visual effects artist. His roles include Sasha Nein in ''Psychonauts'' and ''Psychonauts 2'', Grand Moff Tarkin in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, Admiral Raddus in ''Rogu ...
as the voice of
J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation  ...
*
Rebecca Toolan Rebecca Toolan (born September 1943) is an American television actress best known for playing Teena Mulder, Fox Mulder's mother, on ''The X-Files''. Early life and career Although she has lived and worked in Canada for years, Toolan was actual ...
as
Helen Gandy Helen Wilburforce Gandy (April 8, 1897 – July 7, 1988) was the longtime secretary to Federal Bureau of Investigation director J. Edgar Hoover, who called her "indispensable". Serving in that role for 54 years she exercised great behind-the-sce ...


Themes and analysis


Deconstruction

As Kyle Kizu from ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' notes, the filmography of writer and director
Drew Goddard Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard (born February 26, 1975) is an American filmmaker. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Angel'', ''Alias'', and ''Lost''. After moving into screenwriting in fi ...
has deconstructed specific genres multiple times. When focusing on the 2018 film, he said that it was the filmmaker's "most controlled and fruitful piece of deconstruction" as it was able to present its thesis, of "what looks plain and ordinary hides something beneath", with its opening scene through a literal metaphor of a man deconstructing a room. While ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
''s Katie Rife noted that the film attempted to deconstruct its
neo-noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...
genre, but that it was instead "a structurally ambitious example of same", Matthew Razak of ''Flixist'' wrote that the film purposely avoided deconstructing its main genre as it "mashes together a whole wealth of genres and delivers an utterly unique, unpredictable, and unexpected movie that never stays still long enough to be anything but itself". In a negative light, Andrew Paredes from
ABS-CBNnews.com ABS-CBNnews.com is a news website based in Quezon City, Philippines. It is owned by the media conglomerate ABS-CBN and it is predominantly targeted to the Filipino market. The website is maintained by the ABS-CBN Digital Media division of ABS-C ...
said that the film's runtime made it difficult to analyze, and that the film could have been "both a deconstruction and a commentary" or neither, and that only Goddard could say. When asked if he had focused on deconstructing the genres in his film like he previously did with the horror-comedy ''
The Cabin in the Woods ''The Cabin in the Woods'' is a 2011 science fiction horror comedy film directed by Drew Goddard in his directorial debut, produced by Joss Whedon, and written by Whedon and Goddard. It stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, ...
'' in 2011, Goddard said "It's funny because in both cases that was not conscious either way. I just sort of go with what feels right for the story. ''Cabin'' was very aggressive in its approach. Whereas, in this case, ..it just sort of came out inherently. I didn't want to make it about the genre."


Right and wrong

A major aspect of the film was its visualization of each character's morality. One of its main cues to this was the presence of the California-Nevada border dividing the hotel. In one of the opening scenes, Darlene Sweet takes her time walking across the state line and crosses it only with the help of Father Daniel Flynn, never actually stepping on the line itself. However, characters such as cult leader Billy Lee calmly walk in between the line without a second thought. To further illustrate this idea, cinematographer Seamus McGarvey used color to give each character a "photographic signature". With this process, he assigned Billy to the color red for the significance of "impending doom, blood, and death", black and white to Daniel to tell his distinctions between the truth and deception, and bright colors to Darlene for her character's hopefulness and purity. Goddard said he placed the story in 1969 due to the circumstances and tensions during the decade while drawing inspiration on morality from the techniques used by the
Coen brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...
.


Crisis of faith

Alissa Wilkinson from '' Vox'' said the film's themes tackled "religion, salvation, and who we really are" and that the film was about "humanity's drive to find redemption". Believing that the state line served as the "existential crossroads" each character was facing, she came to the conclusion that the hotel was a "stand-in for
purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
". She noted that the main point of the use of religion in the film was the idea that confessing would help the characters "
peak Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...
freely about their past misdeeds in time for someone else to see them for who they really are". Tracy Palmer, from ''Signal Horizon'', similarly evaluated the story and arrived at the assumption that Daniel was, in fact, God testing six people in purgatory, and as "Darlene never commits any sin beyond hating herself and aiding a criminal find his money ..she is rewarded for her charity, and acceptance of self by singing for an audience what she wants, how she wants to look for eternity." ''The Hollywood Reporter''s Ciara Wardlow said the film had "a lot to say about faith". She began her analysis with the mention that the reveal of Daniel not being a priest but bank robber Dock O'Kelly as being similar to "other invocations of religion" turning out to be misleading. She explained the decision of Dwight Broadbeck to violate his orders to potentially rescue a kidnapping victim, as his attempt to do what is right after reciting to his daughter a revised version of the prayer " Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep". After concluding that all the characters in the film were having their faith tested, such as Miles Miller seeking forgiveness for his sins and Billy playing God as a cult leader, Wardlow cited Pascal's wager to summarize the major theme of the project: "''Bad Times'' repeatedly asks what is 'goodness' even, or forgiveness? And who is qualified to give it, for that matter?" Furthermore, a journalist named Jasmine from ''SSZee Media'' studied the film and wrote that it was "a study of religion" as every character was having a "crisis of faith". Focusing on the introduction of Billy Lee and how he uses religion to take advantage of his followers and to pose as a God himself, "walking the line between good and evil", Jasmine noted the similarity of his followers to the " disciples following Jesus". Also analyzing a scene in which a shot was framed to make Billy appear to have a halo on his head, she interpreted that his character was created to focus more on threatening appearances through his movements and words, calling it "the performance of Chris Hemsworth's career".


The film reel

A
film reel A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the end ...
containing a recently deceased person in an intimate act is destroyed in the film's finale. The choice to never tell the audience the identity of the person on the film was examined by both critics and filmgoers. ''
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'' Zak Wojnar said the scene would lead the audience to question "if it should actually matter." He said it was possible the person on the film was
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
,
Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...
, or
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
, major political figures who were all assassinated in the 1960s. In his conclusion, Wojnar said the "key takeaway of the film is that great men aren't perfect. Good people can do bad things, bad people can do good things, and there's more to human beings than the binary poles of righteous and wicked." Lia Beck from ''
Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. ...
'', on the other hand, closely examined the possibility of JFK being the person on the tape, as he had been rumored to have had an affair with
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
in the 1960s, who appears in the film through a photograph. They also pointed out that the hotel the El Royale is based on, the
Cal Neva Lodge & Casino Cal Neva Resort & Casino, previously known as the Calneva Resort and Cal-Neva Lodge, is a resort and casino straddling the border between Nevada and California on the shores of Lake Tahoe. The original building was constructed in 1926, and beca ...
, was frequently visited by the
Kennedy family The Kennedy family is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy be ...
. Goddard said his choice to leave the person on the tape ambiguous was to move the focus on Darlene, her rant towards Billy, and her character as a whole.


Production


Development

Goddard began writing the
spec script A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or ...
to ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' in November 2016. To prepare for the film financially, he pitched the project with a budget and a selection of songs he wanted to be included. On March 8, 2017,
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
bought the screenplay, accepted Goddard's terms, and set the budget at $32 million. According to ''The Hollywood Reporter'', the script was only given to top studio executives, with potential buyers having to read it off a tablet before returning it to a courier. Goddard was also attached to direct for
TSG Entertainment TSG Entertainment Finance LLC ( d.b.a. TSG Entertainment) is an American film financing entity which primarily funds live action films. TSG stands for parent company The Seelig Group. TSG was established after the U.S. theatrical release of '' ...
and Goddard Textiles, producing alongside Jeremy Latcham. Mary McLaglen was an executive producer. The film's location was influenced by the Cal Neva Lodge & Casino, a hotel located in between the California–Nevada border. Goddard said he wanted to work with an ensemble cast after finishing '' The Martian'' with lead actor
Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...
because he "wanted to play around with a large cast so that you don't know who the protagonist is." On further inspirations, Goddard said his cast and crew watched several films throughout the film's production, including ''
Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
'' (1942), ''
Out of the Past ''Out of the Past'' (billed in the United Kingdom as ''Build My Gallows High'') is a 1947 film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Daniel Mainwaring (using the pseu ...
'' (1947), ''
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
'' (1974), and ''
Barton Fink ''Barton Fink'' is a 1991 American historical drama, period black comedy psychological thriller film written, produced, edited and directed by the Coen brothers. Set in 1941, it stars John Turturro in the title role as a young New York City play ...
'' (1991), along with reading several novels from Jim Thompson,
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
,
Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade ('' ...
,
James Ellroy Lee Earle "James" Ellroy (born March 4, 1948) is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a telegrammatic prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, sta ...
, and
Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. She was a Southern writer who often ...
. He also compared the film to ''
The Good Place ''The Good Place'' is an American fantasy comedy television series created by Michael Schur. It premiered on NBC on September 19, 2016, and concluded on January 30, 2020, after four seasons and 53 episodes. Although the plot evolves significa ...
'', a television comedy series he executive produced, and said they were "two sides of the same coin. They're both about characters struggling to be better people and trying to figure out what it means to be a better person. One is a very broad comedy, the other is a dark noir. But at the core, they are about characters."


Casting

Goddard chose to spend more time developing his characters than looking for actors who would best fit the roles. Jeff Bridges was the first person to receive the script, and on August 23, 2017, it was announced he had been in negotiations to star alongside Chris Hemsworth, who previously worked with the director on ''The Cabin in the Woods''. Actors who were also being considered for lead roles included
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
,
Tom Holland Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, three Saturn Awards, a Guinness World Record and an appearance on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Some publications h ...
, and newcomer
Cailee Spaeny Cailee Spaeny (; born July 24, 1998) is an American actress. Her first major role was in the science fiction action film ''Pacific Rim Uprising'' (2018), which was followed by appearances in ''Bad Times at the El Royale'', ''On the Basis of Sex' ...
; the latter was officially cast on August 24. Cynthia Erivo was first considered for a lead role while working on ''
Widows A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...
''. She submitted two auditions tapes to casting director Carmen Cuba, and was cast on August 29, 2017. When asked about Erivo's audition process, Goddard said he "felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck. It was pretty exciting the day she walked in, that's for sure." Erivo would go on to help Goddard write a scene in the climax of the film in which her character gives a speech towards the primary antagonist portrayed by Hemsworth, explaining that as the only lead character who is a woman of color, that if her character "doesn't have a moment where she can just speak, it will seem as though we don't want her to". In January 2018,
Dakota Johnson Dakota Mayi Johnson (born October 4, 1989) is an American actress. The daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, she made her film debut at age ten with a minor role in the dark comedy film ''Crazy in Alabama'' (1999) with her mothe ...
joined the film;
Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...
signed on to star but dropped out shortly before filming began. To quickly find his replacement, Jon Hamm was contacted while attending the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and given two days to read the screenplay and decide whether he wanted to star. After accepting, he had less than a week to remember fourteen pages of dialogue before filming began. Hamm noted a major reason he accepted to star was to work with Bridges and said, "I've wanted to work with
ridges A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
since I was in college or even younger. So to get that opportunity, you gotta jump with both feet". In February,
Nick Offerman Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
and Mark O'Brien were spotted on set. Lewis Pullman was confirmed to star in May 2018. On casting Pullman, Goddard said "it was one of those good old-fashioned casting searches. After meeting with lots and lots and lots of actors, Lewis came in and you just felt that immediately. The last time that happened, quite honestly, was when Chris Hemsworth walked in for ''The Cabin in the Woods''. You're just looking for actors who inherently fit the role — and then also transcend the role. Lewis had that sort of magic."


Filming and design


Costumes

Costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...
Danny Glicker Danny Glicker is an American costume designer. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Costume Design for the film ''Milk''. Selected filmography * ''Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands ...
created each character's attire and found Goddard's "visual vocabulary" to be "playful and sharp". Glicker said his job was to create "real tension" in each character "between their outward appearance and who they really are". To create the design for Hamm's character, a salesman, Glicker and his production crew researched different types of salespeople and used the documentary ''
Salesman Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in r ...
'' (1969) as inspiration, before deciding that his attire, described as being "very American", would change as the temperature in the film changed as well. On the other hand, the clothing of Erivo's character, lounge singer Darlene Sweet, was purposely created to look imperfect to reflect her declining career. Glicker said he had to screen test each piece of clothing due to conditions presented in the film, such as the weather, environment, and lighting, and that he spent time at the library researching different types of clothing from the 1960s. Summarizing his work, Glicker felt that actors wearing his created costumes were "infused with truthful information ..to experience that character's life without inhibition".


Principal photography

Principal photography took place between January 29 and April 6, 2018, in areas around
Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, where an incentive was given in the form of a 28% refundable tax credit. The film was shot under the working title ''Purple Harvest'' and filmed in chronological order to improve continuity. After working on ''
The Greatest Showman ''The Greatest Showman'' is a 2017 American biographical musical drama film directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut, written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon and starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, ...
'' (2017), Seamus McGarvey was hired to bring out the "1960s look" and "beautiful colors" of each set. Shot with
Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
35mm film 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format ...
with a Panaflex XL camera on a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, McGarvey used
Panavision Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company founded in 1953 specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses during ...
C Series and E series anamorphic lenses to capture the film. Several actors took pay cuts to complete the project and allow the production to "take big creative bets". For the first few days of the shoot, filming for the main bank robbery sequence took place in Pioneer Avenue in
Agassiz, British Columbia Agassiz ( ) is a small community located in the Eastern Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada, about 97 kilometres east of Vancouver and 24 kilometres north-east of the city of Chilliwack. The only town within the jurisdiction of th ...
. The following week, cast members were moved to Mammoth Studios, a
sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...
in
Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...
featuring a set of the El Royale. Early in the production, the film crew realized they could not find a real place with perfect symmetry to film, and Goddard also wanted the weather to be controllable, thus the decision to build the set in Burnaby. The set was created under the supervision of production designer Martin Whist, who had previously worked with Goddard on ''
Cloverfield ''Cloverfield'' is a 2008 American found footage monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams, and written by Drew Goddard. It stars Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel and Odette Yustman ...
'' (2008) and ''The Cabin in the Woods''. Each hotel room of the set was designed to be unique to each character, particularly through their wallpaper, with Darlene's room being the most vibrant. It took eight months to plan a
tracking shot A tracking shot is any shot where the camera follows backward, forward or moves alongside the subject being recorded. In cinematography, the term refers to a shot in which the camera is mounted on a camera dolly that is then placed on rails – ...
in which Hamm's character discovers the secret corridor of the El Royale and watches the hotel guests through one-way mirrors. Rehearsals of the scene began in November 2017, with the cast working with a model of the hotel and small figurines to research how to perfect the timing. Due to the complexity of the scene, in which Erivo was singing live for the five-minute continuous shot, cast and crew members had to move silently in unison while wearing "padded shoes and quiet clothes". Using "30% reflective glass" for the one-way mirrors, the scene took an entire day between twenty-seven
take A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each s ...
s to accomplish. An additional scene in which Erivo's character sings to cover up noises caused by Bridges's character took twenty takes to complete. Furthermore, the set of a scene involving Billy Lee and his cult talking around a bonfire was built outside the parking lot of the hotel set. The scene showing the first interaction between Daniel and Darlene was one of the last scenes shot for the film as it was built on location to have the scene occur during the day; every other scene taking place inside the hotel was shot on the set at Mammoth Studios. The film's climax scene in which the hotel burns down was planned using fire retardant materials by Whist's brother Joel, a special effects coordinator. The last scenes that were shot for the film involved flashbacks; the Vietnam War scene, originally going to be shot in Thailand, was filmed at the Pölsa Rosa Movie Ranch in
Acton, Ontario Acton (population 9,377 in 2021) is a community located in the town of Halton Hills, in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. At the northern end of the Region, it is on the outer edge of the Greater Toronto Area and is one of two of the primary po ...
, while the FBI scene, doctor's office scene, and jail scene were shot in an armory from the
Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
. Additional filming in Los Angeles and north of
Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...
, took place for three days when scenes involving a flower walk and a beach were shot. McGarvey said he used a wide aspect ratio to shine focus on the ensemble cast.


Editing

Lisa Lassek Lisa Lassek is an American Film editing#Film Editor, film and television editor. In addition to her editing career, her credits include her role as an associate producer for the television series ''Firefly (TV series), Firefly''. She edited episo ...
edited the film using
Avid Media Composer Avid Media Composer is a film and video editing software application or non-linear editing system (NLE) developed by Avid Technology. Initially released in 1989 on Macintosh II as an offline editing system, the application has since evolved to al ...
; she previously worked with Goddard on ''The Cabin in the Woods''. Lassek said she had to wait for the film stock to travel to Los Angeles, where it was processed and returned to Vancouver. As a result, Lassek was permitted to edit the project as filming took place while in a workspace above the set. Due to the delay, the footage shown in the film on television monitors was shot first so the original film stock could be projected on said monitors weeks later. After post-production concluded near the start of October 2018, the finished product reached an Avid DNxHD 115 resolution. On working with the director, she said there were various "scenes that, in the script, were particularly memorable. It was really the way Drew shot them that took them to a whole ewlevel."


Soundtrack

Goddard wrote each song into his screenplay before pitching it for an "organic process of structuring the film and the songs" and told major studios to avoid buying the script if they could not buy the licenses for each piece of music. He described the film as "a love letter to music" and served as a music supervisor. Goddard had Erivo sing her songs live on set with the belief that without it, "the movie would not work". Goddard said that the music was "almost like the eighth character in the movie. It serves the function of a chorus in a Shakespearean play. It actually is a key part of the emotional fabric of the film." As a result, the production crew had each song playing during filming on loudspeakers; Pullman and Bridges said they had originally read the script while listening to the songs in the background as a "great way to set the tone". In introducing the character of cult leader Billy Lee with " Twelve Thirty", Goddard said he wanted to provide a metaphorical connection with the character, as the song is "very bright and seductive, but when you really listen to what the words are saying, there's an incredible darkness". The
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
was composed by
Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino (; born October 10, 1967) is an American composer of music for films, television and video games. He has also served as a director for television. He has received many awards, including an Oscar for his work on '' Up'' (2009), a ...
, who had met Goddard while working on television series ''
Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...
'' and ''
Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
''. Both the score and its accompanying soundtrack album were released on digital download by
Milan Records Milan Records is a record label located in Los Angeles, California specializing in film scores and soundtrack albums. In addition, Milan boasts an extensive electronic catalog which features down-tempo, chillout, and eclectic electronic releases ...
and
Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...
, on October 12, 2018. The original tracklist for the soundtrack featured eleven prerecorded songs, while a digital re-release on November 30, 2018, included two additional songs; "
This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" is a Holland–Dozier–Holland song that was a hit for American musical group the Isley Brothers in January 1966 during their brief tenure on Motown's Tamla label. Featuring Ronald Isley on lead vocal, ...
" and " Hold On, I'm Comin'", performed by Erivo in the film. Following its re-release, the soundtrack received positive reviews from critics. ''Polygon''s Karen Han called it "one of the year's best". Angelica Florio from ''Bustle'' said that "between the music ..and Darlene's show-stopping performances, you definitely get the sense that the song selection was key for Goddard".


Marketing

The marketing campaign from 20th Century Fox for ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' began on May 29, 2018, when "exclusive" images of the project were released and Drew Goddard said "real-life historical figures could turn up at the El Royale". A teaser for the film was publicized on June 7, 2018, with ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' calling it a "tense first look" and ''
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...
'' comparing its premise to ''
Clue Clue may refer to: People with the name * DJ Clue (born 1975), mixtape DJ * Arthur Clues (1924–1998), Australian rugby league footballer * Ivan Clues * Tim Cluess Arts, entertainment, and media ''Clue'' entertainment franchise * ''Cluedo ...
'' (1985) and the television series ''
Room 104 ''Room 104'' is an American television anthology series created by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass. The series debuted on July 28, 2017, on HBO. A twelve-episode second season aired between November 9 and December 15, 2018. On February 8, 2019, HBO ...
''. On August 28, an official trailer was released, which ''
Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators. Colliders are used as a research tool in particle ...
'' described as "fantastic" as it was "more delightful for the fact that it reveals pretty much nothing beyond the basic setup and the idea that none of these strangers is who they at first appear to be". In a trailer breakdown with ''Empire'', who described it as an "instant blast of glossy genre intrigue", Goddard revealed the names of each character and said, "If it was really up to me, I'd say the less you know the better. I take very great care in giving the audience something they've never seen before and surprising the audience, and taking them to places that they do not expect to go." Promotional and theatrical posters for the film were released extensively to broadcast the ensemble cast. On June 26, 2018, eight character posters were unveiled by the studio, with Ben Pearson from ''
/Film ''/Film'', also spelled ''Slashfilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. Podcasts Six podcasts have run on the site. ''The /Filmcast'', hosted by David Chen, De ...
'' noting the "progression of the setting sun" and "how the amount of light in each poster seems to mirror what we know about the characters so far". On August 13, seven additional character posters along with an official theatrical poster were released featuring "closeups of the brooding main characters lit by the title's neon glow". On August 28, a second theatrical poster was publicized to coincide with the release of the official trailer. Television spots began airing on September 4, 2018. In the week starting September 17, seven commercials made 223.4 million impressions across 28 networks, particularly on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
and
FOX Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
. In the final week of September, ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' had eleven versions of similar advertisements aired 773 times nationwide, gaining an attention score of 93.42 (as well as an attention index of 109). In the first week of October, eighteen commercials made over 378 million impressions. With its following week from October 8 to October 14 being its last time as one of the top five projects with the highest commercial spending, twenty-two commercials aired a total of 1,331 times on 34 networks, specifically on
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as
dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
and NBC, bringing the film's overall television advertisement spending to $24.46 million. On December 21, 2018, a 10-minute "extended preview" scene of the film was released, with ''Collider'' questioning the studio's decision, writing that it was "something they should have done back in October, but it is what it is". ''The Hollywood Reporter'' Chris Thilk analyzed the marketing techniques of ''Bad Times at the El Royale'', summarizing the fact that the studio was "
etting Etting (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Ettinge'') is a commune in the Moselle department of the Grand Est administrative region in north-eastern France. The village belongs to the Pays de Bitche. See also * Communes of the Moselle department The ...
on noir nostalgia" to attract audiences. In what he believed was "established neon-heavy branding", Thilk said each of the released posters was "hinting in some way toward the nature or arc" of each character. On the trailers, he wrote that viewers were unable to "describe what's going" and were left "raising lots of questions". After discussing the initial footage being released at CinemaCon and
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...
, where filmgoers were also allowed to enter a lottery for the chance of seeing an exclusive screening of the film, Thilk tackled the various clips, featurettes, and television spots produced to advertise the film. In his summary, he wrote that the marketing campaign "promoted a strong cast and a wicked sense of humor", and that 20th Century Fox "has embraced that to sell it to those looking for something a bit different at the theater".


Release

''Bad Times at the El Royale'' premiered at the
TCL Chinese Theatre Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chinese ...
in Los Angeles on September 22, 2018. It was attended by its crew, cast, and fellow filmmakers and actors including
Manny Jacinto Manuel Luis Jacinto ( ; born August 19, 1987) is a Canadian actor born in the Philippines. After several small roles on television, his breakout role came starring as Jason Mendoza on the NBC sitcom ''The Good Place'' (2016–2020). He has appea ...
, Alvina August, Stefan Kapičić,
Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. He made his film debut in ''R ...
(the father of actor Lewis Pullman, who stars in the film), and
Joss Whedon Joseph Hill Whedon (; born June 23, 1964) is an American filmmaker, composer, and comic book writer. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions, co-founder of Bellwether Pictures, and is best known as the creator of several television series: ...
along with 20th Century Fox chairman and CEO
Stacey Snider Stacey Snider (born April 29, 1961) is an American film industry executive. She previously served as Chairman and CEO of 20th Century Fox before its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company. Biography Snider was born to a Jewish family. From 199 ...
and vice chairman Chris Aronson. At the opening, Whedon gave the film positive feedback, having previously worked with Goddard on writing ''The Cabin in the Woods'', and said of the finished product, "It's gritty, it's hard-edged, but it's adorable." In Austin, Texas, the film was one of the last screened projects at
Fantastic Fest Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of ''The Iron Gi ...
and later had its world premiere in Spain, out of competition, at the
San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in th ...
. The film's runtime of 141 minutes was chosen after negative scores appeared during
test screening A test screening is a preview screening of a movie or television show before its general release to gauge audience reaction. Preview audiences are selected from a cross-section of the population and are usually asked to complete a questionnaire or ...
s where audiences were given a viewing of the film with a shorter runtime. Though the film was originally scheduled to be released on October 5, 2018, 20th Century Fox postponed the film's release by a week to October 12 to avoid competition with the October 5 releases of ''
Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
'' and '' A Star Is Born''. After it opened in theaters, the film was chosen to introduce the 13th Rome Film Festival, serving as its Italian premiere. At the ceremony, Goddard said his film contained "parallels to the #MeToo movement" on the topic of abusing power. 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment released the film on
Digital HD A digital copy is a commercially distributed computer file containing a media product such as a film or music album. The term contrasts this computer file with the physical copy (typically a DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, or Ultra HD Blu-ray disc) wit ...
via
digital distribution Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of digital media content (media), content such as Sound recording and reproductio ...
on December 18, 2018, before giving it a physical release on
Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players, though a traditional Bl ...
,
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
, and
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
on January 1, 2019. Special features on the physical release include several featurettes, a 28-minute
making-of In cinema, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a type of documentary film that features the production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the EPK (electronic press kit) vid ...
documentary, both trailers, and an image gallery. In separate reviews, Chris Evangelista from ''/Film'' and Adam Chitwood from ''Collider'' both expressed their disappointment at the lack of an
audio commentary An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...
track from the director.


Reception


Box office

''Bad Times at the El Royale'' grossed $17.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $14 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $31.9 million against a production budget of $32 million. A
box-office bomb A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...
, its performance was credited to its runtime, competition, and R-rating from the Motion Picture Association. Box office analytics projected the film would make $8–12 million in its opening weekend from 2,808 theaters, with some "ambitious estimates" going as high as $17 million. ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' earned $2.8 million on its first day (including $575,000 from Thursday night previews) and went on to debut to $7.1 million in its opening weekend, finishing seventh at the box office. Opening below initial estimates, ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
'' noted the fact that the film had made less in its first weekend than ''
Night School A night school is an adult learning school that holds classes in the evening or at night to accommodate people who work during the day. A community college or university may hold night school classes that admit undergraduates. Italy The Scuola ...
'' in its third. Audiences during the film's opening weekend were 53% male and 73% above the age of 25. In its second weekend, the film made $3.4 million and dropped to ninth place at the box office. The film was pulled from theaters in the U.S. and Canada on December 6, 2018. Worldwide, ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' debuted in 36 markets, making $4 million in its opening weekend; the top countries were Russia ($913,000), Australia ($884,000), the United Kingdom ($620,000), and Germany ($315,000). The film earned $2.5 million in its second weekend and $1.63 million in its third from 49 markets.


Critical response

The website's critical consensus reads, "Smart, stylish, and packed with solid performances, ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' delivers pure popcorn fun with the salty tang of social subtext." Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale. The film was criticized for its runtime, character beats, and pacing. Additionally, Goddard's screenplay for the film received mixed reviews, with some praising it for its dialogue and use of violence, others comparing it to
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...
's ''
Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhame ...
'' (1994) and
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
's '' The Killing'' (1956), and several critics finding its third act failed to deliver the ending it was building towards. From
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, Simon Abrams noted Goddard's directorial style, and how he was able to keep his "hyper-compartmentalized plot moving forward so swiftly" despite its moments of tension and significant plot points. On the other hand,
Glenn Kenny Glenn Kenny (born August 8, 1959) is an American film critic and journalist. He writes for ''The New York Times'' and '' RogerEbert.com''. Biography Kenny attended William Paterson University, where he majored in English literature.RogerEbert.com'' did not enjoy the film's finale, writing that it was "an unfortunately apt demonstration of what can befall a clever filmmaker who gets too clever". Other aspects of the film, such as its soundtrack and cinematography, received praise. Critics agreed that McGarvey's cinematography made the film visually appealing because of its composition and color palette. The film's performances, especially those from Erivo and Bridges, also received praise and were mostly well received. While ''The A.V. Club'' Katie Rife criticized Spaeny's character, she praised Erivo's monologue near the climax of the film. ''Collider'' Adam Chitwood said Erivo's acting made ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' "one of the best films of the year". Writing for ''Entertainment Weekly'', Leah Greenblatt gave praise to Erivo for her "steely charisma and gorgeous powerhouse of a voice". Abrams also gave positive feedback to the film for its ability to give each member of the ensemble cast enough time to act out their "best," with
Manohla Dargis Manohla June Dargis () is an American film critic. She is one of the chief film critics for ''The New York Times''. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Career Before being a film critic for ''The New York Times'', ...
from ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' writing that "the performances and the visual style keep you easily engaged ..Goddard keeps everything smoothly, ebbing and flowing as the characters separate and join together, but at some point ..you want something more substantial".


Accolades

For her performance, Erivo received nominations for the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female, the
London Film Critics' Circle Award for Supporting Actress of the Year The London Film Critics Circle Award for Supporting Actress of the Year is an annual award given by the London Film Critics Circle The London Film Critics' Circle is the name by which the Film Section of The Critics' Circle is known intern ...
, and the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress. A member of the British Society of Cinematographers, McGarvey was nominated by the organization for Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film. The film was also nominated at the
Golden Trailer Awards The Golden Trailer Awards are an American annual award show for film trailers founded in 1999. The awards also honor the best work in all areas of film and video game marketing, including posters, television advertisements and other media, in ...
for Best Home Ent Horror/Thriller and received a
San Diego Film Critics Society The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) is an organization of film reviewers from San Diego-based publications that was founded in 1997. Overview The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) is composed of print, television, radio and digital ...
award nomination for Best Use of Music in a Film. At the 45th Saturn Awards, it received Best Thriller Film and nominations for Best Writing (Goddard), Best Actor (Bridges), Best Supporting Actor (Pullman), and Best Supporting Actress (Erivo).


References


External links

* *
Original screenplay
by
Drew Goddard Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard (born February 26, 1975) is an American filmmaker. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Angel'', ''Alias'', and ''Lost''. After moving into screenwriting in fi ...
{{Saturn Award for Best Thriller Film 2010s American films 2010s English-language films 2010s mystery thriller films 20th Century Fox films American mystery thriller films American neo-noir films American nonlinear narrative films Cultural depictions of J. Edgar Hoover Films about cults Films about death Films about murder Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation Films directed by Drew Goddard Films scored by Michael Giacchino Films set in 1959 Films set in 1969 Films set in California Films set in hotels Films set in Nevada Films set in Reno, Nevada Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in Ontario Films shot in Vancouver Films with screenplays by Drew Goddard TSG Entertainment films