Bad Times at the El Royale

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Bad Times at the El Royale

R

Released Oct 12, 2018

2h 21m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

260 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

The El Royale is run-down hotel that sits on the border between California and Nevada. It soon becomes a seedy battleground when seven strangers -- a cleric, a soul singer, a traveling salesman, two sisters, the manager and the mysterious Billy Lee -- converge on a fateful night for one last shot at redemption before everything goes wrong.

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Critics Consensus

Smart, stylish, and packed with solid performances, Bad Times at the El Royale delivers pure popcorn fun with the salty tang of social subtext.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Perhaps the most insufferable Tarantino knockoff since the 90s.

Mar 3, 2020

Full Review

Manohla Dargis

New York Times

At some point during this logy 2-hour-and-21-minute exercise you want something more substantial than even Hemsworth's admittedly mesmerizing snaky hips.

Apr 18, 2019

Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

An extremely well-directed film.

Rated: B+

Nov 20, 2018

Full Review

Yehuda Siegel

Loud and Clear Reviews

At its core, Bad Times is a film about duality. California, Nevada. Glamour, abandonment. The song, the food. The money, the film. The sins of the past, the consequences of the present.

Rated: 5/5

Nov 18, 2024

Full Review

Ankit Ojha

Cinema Elite

It’s almost like Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorcese doped up on Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock’s contained storytelling before picking up Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” to remix.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 9, 2024

Full Review

Nyle Coleman

InSession Film

Jeff Bridges as Father Daniel Flynn was outstanding and will go down as one of my favorites from him.

Rated: B+

May 9, 2024

Full Review

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Ralph C

Pacing was a bit irregular - lagged a third to halfway into it. Strong performances all around. Nostalgic (attention to detail is amazing) yet still felt fresh. Not for everyone - you know who you are.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/21

Full Review

Daniel C

If I'm being honest, the pacing is slow in the beginning but as the movie goes it's fun and great. Lewis Pullman is great here tho...

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/10/25

Full Review

Alejandro A

The first thirty minutes are incredibly well written to get you involved in the film and to increase your intrigue about what's going to happen. Really good "tension" scenes and an amazing ambience. Maybe the film becames a little to "crazy" about itself during the last hour but it'll never became predictable for sure. I really enjoyed watching.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/25/25

Full Review

Faiz D

Only good times seeing Bad Times.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

Full Review

Peter G

Not a perfect film (what really is?) but still very very good!! I wish the history of the hotel was explored more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/12/25

Full Review

Ferdinand B

Made me a fan of Cynthia Erivo. If you like the noir genre, give it a watch!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/14/25

Full Review

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Drew Goddard

Director

Jeff Bridges

Father Daniel Flynn

Cynthia Erivo

Darlene Sweet

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Bad Times at the El Royale: Trailer 2

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Bad Times at the El Royale: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The El Royale is run-down hotel that sits on the border between California and Nevada. It soon becomes a seedy battleground when seven strangers -- a cleric, a soul singer, a traveling salesman, two sisters, the manager and the mysterious Billy Lee -- converge on a fateful night for one last shot at redemption before everything goes wrong.

Director: Drew Goddard
Producer: Jeremy Latcham, Drew Goddard
Screenwriter: Drew Goddard
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox, Goddard Textiles, TSG Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Brief Nudity|Some Drug Content|Strong Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 18, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.8M
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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