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Bad Times at the El Royale 2018

Movie · 141 min · English · September 22, 2018

Directed by Drew GoddardWritten by Drew Goddard

Starring Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Lewis Pullman

A 2018 American neo-noir thriller film, Bad Times at the El Royale was written, directed, and co-produced by Drew Goddard. The movie features Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, and Chris Hemsworth in leading roles. Set along the California–Nevada border, the story centers on an employee and six guests at the El Royale hotel, whose lives become entangled during one night in the late 1960s. Themes of morality, faith, and redemption are explored throughout, with the border setting and visual motifs representing notions of right and wrong.

Drew Goddard started developing the spec script in November 2016, incorporating a curated list of songs into the screenplay. He instructed studios that they must secure music licenses if they wished to purchase the script, which eventually led to its acquisition by 20th Century Fox in March 2017. Principal filming began on January 29, 2018 under the direction of cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, wrapping up on April 6. The El Royale was constructed as a full studio set in Burnaby, overseen by production designer Martin Whist, who intended it to be perfectly symmetrical. Post-production included editing by Lisa Lassek and a musical score composed by Michael Giacchino. Marketing efforts used nostalgic noir styling in posters, trailers, and TV ads to distinguish the film from others in theaters.

The premiere took place at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on September 22, 2018, followed by a general release in the United States on October 12. Despite its artistic elements, the movie underperformed financially, earning $31.8 million against its $32 million production cost. Critics offered mixed-to-positive feedback, highlighting Giacchino's score, the acting, and McGarvey's cinematography, while criticizing pacing, runtime, character development, and Goddard’s writing. At the 45th Saturn Awards, the film earned five nominations: Best Writing for Goddard, Best Actor for Bridges, Best Supporting Actor for Pullman, Best Supporting Actress for Erivo, and a win for Best Thriller Film.