The Box

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The Box

PG-13

2009

1h 53m

Horror

Sci-Fi

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

42%

Tomatometer

152 Reviews

24%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

A suburban couple, Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur (James Marsden), face a moral dilemma when they receive a gift that bears irrevocable consequences. With the press of a button, their simple wooden box will bestow $1 million; however, a stranger somewhere else will die, at the same time. The box will be theirs for only 24 hours, and as time ticks away, Norma and Arthur confront the depth of their humanity as they consider their choices.

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Critics Consensus

Imaginative but often preposterous, The Box features some thrills but largely feels too piecemeal.

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Ann Hornaday

Washington Post

Kelly treats what is essentially a Stanford University psychology experiment with inflated somberness.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 24, 2011

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Laremy Legel

Film.com

Is it an odd film? Certainly. Will it creep you out more than it engages you? Probably. Should we be rewarding folks who are willing to step out of bounds and make us think? Definitely.

Rated: B

May 6, 2011

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Perri Nemiroff

CinemaBlend

Think twice about giving into foolish curiosity and leave The Box's button untouched.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 14, 2010

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Paul Lê

Bloody Disgusting

The Box‘s overstated approach is enticingly strange.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 8, 2024

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Richard Kelly’s The Box spins a suspenseful yarn that’s enigmatic as it is entertaining.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 30, 2023

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...this lush, intelligent, frustrating film is probably better for keeping the precise nature of its mystery intact; thats what makes The Boxs central metaphor sing...

Rated: 4/5

Mar 31, 2022

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Liam D

based on Richard Matheson’s short story Button Button. It starts out interesting with an talented cast but writer and director Richard Kelly takes the story off the rails in the third act with ideas that works in Donnie Darko and Southland Tales but are terrible here

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/09/25

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Irene M

Definitely showed its age. Of course it reminded me of Donnie Darko, it was only until after I watched it did I realize the same director made both. Disliked the gendered-ness of the women always taking on the "Eve" like role of "eating the proverbial apple". But it does make provocative points about our treatment of other humans, which is a timeless question.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/20/25

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Gareth v

The Box is a fascinating but flawed experiment. Creepy, intriguing, and ambitious, but weighed down by narrative bloat.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/07/25

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Julian Rex M

The Box's few interesting ideas are largely wasted on a thinly-plotted, heartless "philosophical" pontification from the fallen Richard Kelly that insults the Spielbergian classics to which it attempts to pay homage and thoroughly warps Richard Matheson's simplistic solid short story beyond recognition.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/07/25

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John S

What would you do if offered the chance to gain a fortune for a stranger's ill fate? As far as trippy, episodic style "Twilight Zone" stories go, although it's not a Rod Serling vehicle, this is a good film. I know people weren't big on it but I've watched it more than once & plan on watching again. I love Cameron Diaz & Frank Langela so call me biased but on a sci-fi/thriller scale of 1-10, it gets a 7.5 plus if you're curious & IMHO, it is worth seeing.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/25/24

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Mark B

Maybe would have worked as a 45 minute twilight zone episode but this just goes on and on and when it should be wrapped up it goes on some more.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/25/24

Full Review

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Richard Kelly

Director

Cameron Diaz

Norma Lewis

James Marsden

Arthur Lewis

Frank Langella

Arlington Steward

James Rebhorn

Norm Cahill

Holmes Osborne

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Synopsis

A suburban couple, Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur (James Marsden), face a moral dilemma when they receive a gift that bears irrevocable consequences. With the press of a button, their simple wooden box will bestow $1 million; however, a stranger somewhere else will die, at the same time. The box will be theirs for only 24 hours, and as time ticks away, Norma and Arthur confront the depth of their humanity as they consider their choices.

Director: Richard Kelly
Producer: Sean McKittrick, Richard Kelly, Dan Lin
Screenwriter: Richard Kelly
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Darko Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Some Violence|Disturbing Images|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 6, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.0M
Runtime: 1h 53m

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