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Killer Whale

Play trailer 2:08 Poster for Killer Whale R Jan 2026 1h 29m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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20% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 22% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Hold your breath as you witness revenge rise from the deep. After a life-shattering tragedy, Trish tries to comfort her best friend, Maddie, by taking her on a spectacular adventure in a private lagoon halfway across the world. Their peaceful retreat soon becomes a terrifying fight to stay alive when the ocean's most bloodthirsty predator seeks vengeance for a brutal life in captivity. Virginia Garner and Mel Jarnson star in a thrill ride of a movie that will leave you breathless.
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Killer Whale

Killer Whale

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Critics Consensus

Larded up with too much blubber and not enough bite to justify the tedium, this disappointing survival thriller is beached upon arrival.

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Critics Reviews

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Meagan Navarro Bloody Disgusting Jan 15
1.5/5
If you’ve seen 47 Meters Down or Lionsgate’s Fall, which also stars Virginia Gardner, this straightforward aquatic thriller adheres to the exact same formula with very little in the way of deviation. Go to Full Review
William Bibbiani TheWrap Jan 14
Almost nothing [Brechin] could do would spin this everyday hay into gold, but she can remind us why we keep hay around in the first place. Go to Full Review
Grant Watson Fiction Machine Feb 17
5/10
One knows what they are getting with Killer Whale, and what the film promises is precisely what it delivers – no more, no less. Go to Full Review
Jeffrey M. Anderson Common Sense Media Feb 7
1/5
After a slew of awful shark movies, this bloody B-movie tries to mix things up by using a whale; unfortunately, it doesn't make much difference. Go to Full Review
Joel Copling Spectrum Culture Jan 22
The incompetence on display in Killer Whale, an alleged thriller about surviving a potential orca attack, is occasionally breathtaking. Go to Full Review
Josh Bell Crooked Marquee Jan 20
C-
The actual attacks are brief, and the effects are unconvincing, but Brechin spends far more time on the maudlin reconciliation between the former besties. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Slick R @SlickReviewer 20h Hard to believe Lionsgate would make a movie so cheap and budget made. One of the worst killer fish movies ever made by a major studio. Not only because it's a horrible idea to have two people stranded on a rock in the middle of the ocean, the acting is bad. And most importantly, the entire rock scene stuck on the water is on a movie set in a pool. They couldn't even bother to film it on the real ocean. It's a budget version of The Shallows(Blake Lively). Do not waste your time! See more Rich L. @turnerfan77 Mar 14 Killer Whale had my interest because I love a good creature feature movie. Even with low expectations I was hoping it would be mildly entertaining. So was it? NO! IT WAS TERRIBLE! When this was over I was left thinking why Rich why?! This had worse acting than the movie Primate. CGI was terrible. There is no suspense in this at all. It’s very boring. It feels like a two and half hour movie when it’s only an hour and twenty nine minutes. If you like creature feature movies like I do this one is a huge miss. Don’t waste your time with this one. By The Numbers breakdown: Cast-2 Acting-2 Trailer-5 Ending-3 Story-3 Visuals-1 Direction-3 Sound-2 Genre-1 Sub Genre-1 The Faces For Radio score - 23 See more Johnwil B @Johnwil123 Mar 14 this is the highest that I can give. the storyline is stagnant and simple to the point it doesn't have any twist and somehow predictable. the ending is simple to understand but it was a lackluster to end the movie. See more James P @Jamespppp Mar 3 My god this movie is bad. The horrific dialogue, they set up things by telling you they’re setting them up "is that phone water proof?!". The damn AI or whatever, when in the water the rock is suddenly right beside the raft then it’s like a 5 min swim away. So bad See more TheMovieSearch R @TheMovieSearch Mar 1 Killer Whale sets up a promising twist on the usual ocean predator formula by swapping sharks for an orca shaped by captivity. The story follows a whale released into the wild after turning violent, only to target three stranded swimmers as if it still believes it is trapped. The premise hints at psychological depth, but the execution rarely rises to meet it. Some suspenseful moments work, and the idea of an intelligent predator adds intrigue. However, exaggerated attack scenes, especially when the whale lunges onto land, stretch credibility too far. The screenplay feels underdeveloped, and uneven performances weaken the tension. While the concept had potential, the film ultimately drifts more than it devastates. With stronger character development and tighter direction, this could have been a standout survival thriller instead of a missed opportunity that never fully surfaces. See more Kate M @Gnome2 Feb 23 Despite the very low budget, the craft and technical achievements should be commended. The central friendship drama and high stakes helps sustain the tension and suspense throughout. Orcas are technically the ocean's apex predator so a creature feature centering on one makes sense, and the filmmakers are clearly pointing the finger at human greed and keeping orcas in captivity as being a catalyst for disaster. Excellent performances, the actors really give it their all. See more Read all reviews
Killer Whale

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Killer Whale

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Movie Info

Synopsis Hold your breath as you witness revenge rise from the deep. After a life-shattering tragedy, Trish tries to comfort her best friend, Maddie, by taking her on a spectacular adventure in a private lagoon halfway across the world. Their peaceful retreat soon becomes a terrifying fight to stay alive when the ocean's most bloodthirsty predator seeks vengeance for a brutal life in captivity. Virginia Garner and Mel Jarnson star in a thrill ride of a movie that will leave you breathless.
Director
Jo-Anne Brechin
Producer
Steve Jaggi, Kylie Pascoe, Lionel Hicks
Screenwriter
Katharine E. McPhee, Jo-Anne Brechin
Distributor
Lionsgate
Production Co
Jaggi Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Australian English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 16, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 16, 2026
Runtime
1h 29m
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