The ’47 Meters Down’ Shark Franchise Has Made Stars Like Mandy Moore and John Corbett Much Wealthier
The 2017 horror survival film 47 Meters Down and its underrated sequel made considerably more than the studio expected. In fact, Dimension Films had such little faith in the first movie that they planned to release it straight to DVD. Fortunately, they sold the rights to Entertainment Studios instead, which gave the horror movie a chance in theaters, where it proved to be a major success.
’47 Meters Down’ stars Mandy Moore and Claire Holt
Unlike typical shark films that attempt to replicate the success of Jaws, 47 Meters Down offers a new perspective to the genre. Starring Mandy Moore and Claire Holt, the film follows two sisters who decide to go shark diving while on vacation in Mexico.
After watching the sharks from a cage for a few minutes, a malfunction plunges them to the bottom of the ocean. Most of the action occurs underwater as the sisters try to figure out how to escape safely. The film provides viewers with suspense, jump scares, and an unexpected twist ending, which according to Variety, earned it the description of “a compact and sturdily crafted B-movie.”
Upon its release, 47 Meters Down made $4.5 million on its first day. As reported by Indie Wire, it earned $44.3 million from sales in the United States and Canada, grossing $61.7 million worldwide. With just a $5.5 million budget, the movie became the second-highest-grossing indie film in 2017, leading to talks of a sequel.
’47 Meters Down: Uncaged’ grossed nearly $47 million
Creators rode the first film’s success with an equally thrilling sequel, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. Released in 2019, it starred Sex and the City’s John Corbett, The Book Thief’s Sophie Nélisse, and the television adaption of Scream’s Brianne Tju. Additionally, nepo babies Corinne Foxx (Jamie Foxx’s daughter) and Sistine Stallone (Sylvester Stallone’s daughter) made their film debuts.
The movie follows four teenagers who encounter an ancient breed of sharks while exploring an underwater Mayan city. While navigating the caves, they bump into Grant (played by Corbett) and his crew, offering them hope of survival.
With a $12 million budget, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged earned $4.5 million on its first day. According to Box Office Mojo, the shark survival sequel grossed $47.6 million worldwide, bringing the franchise’s overall success to over $100 million.
The film’s addition to Netflix led to a resurgence in popularity
Since becoming available to stream, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged has become the number-one horror movie on Netflix. According to Dread Central, some viewers reported experiencing anxiety while watching the intense thriller. However, that’s not what everyone looks for in a horror movie.
Reading some of the reviews, it’s clear that there are mixed opinions on what makes for a successful B-movie. According to split critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the sequel earned an underwhelming 45% on the Tomatometer. Jake Wilson of The Age offered a favorable assessment saying, “The film ups the ante on its predecessor, resulting in a pure, rather beautiful example of genre as ritual.”
An opposing D- rating from Jude Dry of Indie Wire states, “The last gasp of a shark saga that didn’t need to come up for air.” Despite negative reviews, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged made Netflix’s Global Top 10 Films list the week of February 19 and stayed on the list for two weeks in a handful of countries, including the United States, Argentina, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. It’s available to stream on Netflix now.
