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Bad Times at the El Royale

Play trailer 2:01 Poster for Bad Times at the El Royale R Released Oct 12, 2018 2h 21m Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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Bad Times at the El Royale

Bad Times at the El Royale

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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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Critics Reviews

View All (260) Critics Reviews
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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 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 Anastasiia M I guess this movie totally underrated because no one talks about it from every direction. This is my favorite movie and I review it often. For me El-Royal is thought-provoking story about role of fate and choice. It’s gripping from the start to the end. Action-packed script, magnetic esthetic, jaw-dropping turns, music is outstanding and (quite a few songs from movies was added to my playlists) Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/03/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Bad Times at the El Royale

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Movie Info

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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