Never Let Go premiered at the Regal Times Square in New York City on September 16, 2024, and was released in the United States by Lionsgate on September 20, 2024.
Plot
Momma and her two young children Nolan and Samuel live in a cabin in a large forest. According to Momma, a supernatural force known as "The Evil" has spread across the world, leaving them the only survivors.
Momma is besieged by visions of supernatural entities that her sons cannot see but believe are real. The family spends their days foraging and hunting for food. To prevent the Evil from touching them, which Momma says ensures possession, the family must have ropes tied when they leave the house, connecting them back to the building. The boys must also chant a daily prayer to the house in thanks for it keeping them safe from the Evil.
While out foraging one day, Samuel and Nolan get into an argument until Nolan intentionally steps on Samuel's rope, causing Samuel to fall, get disconnected from his rope, and break his ankle. Nolan unties himself to try and rescue Samuel. The boys are rescued by Momma, who encounters the Evil in the shape of her mother. As Samuel recovers from his fall, Nolan, who has started to doubt his mother's claims, questions him on what he saw but Samuel dismisses his suspicions.
A brutal winter forces the family to use up a large amount of their stockpiled food, while preventing them from growing or hunting new food. Meanwhile, Momma's visions intensify, including the boys' father and her husband, whom she killed, along with her own mother and father as well as that of a mutilated Nolan. Sensing discontent from her sons, Momma tells them about her old life in the city and shows them an old Polaroid camera with one photo left.
Now fully out of food and forced to eat tree bark, Momma states that they need to kill and eat the family dog. When Momma takes the dog into the greenhouse to kill him, Nolan cuts her rope and locks her inside, hoping she will see the Evil is not real. Momma, encountering the Evil in her mother's form, commits suicide in front of Nolan. Samuel blames Nolan for causing Momma's death. As they continue to starve alone, Samuel's behavior becomes more erratic and threatening.
Using the extra free rope from his mother, Nolan ventures further out and finds an empty road. Returning to the house, he encounters a hiker who has heard his calls for help. As the hiker grows increasingly concerned over Nolan's story and living conditions, Samuel confronts him with a crossbow. Although Nolan and the hiker try to de-escalate the situation, Samuel shoots the hiker. Nolan follows the wounded hiker as he calls 911 and dies, then retrieves his backpack filled with food. That night, a young girl arrives at the property claiming to be the hiker's daughter and confronts Samuel. Noticing that Samuel has her father's flashlight, she flees as he chases after her. The girl reveals herself to be the Evil and manages to touch Samuel.
Back at the house, Samuel, now seemingly possessed and exhibiting the erratic behavior, tries to kill Nolan. Samuel sets the house on fire as Nolan is confronted by the Evil in the form of Momma. Nolan drags Momma into a small crawlspace in the house that gives shelter to the pair of them from the fire. The Evil sheds Momma's skin to reveal a snake-like creature that dissipates as Nolan hugs it. The fire burns the house down and Samuel takes the last photo with the Polaroid. Paramedics arrive and retrieve Nolan from the remains of the house. As he is flown away, Nolan asks where Samuel is and sees that he too has been rescued. The helicopter reaches civilization, revealing that Momma was lying all along. Samuel quietly whispers to Nolan "She loves me more" as the Polaroid he took is shown, revealing the Evil was indeed real and touched him.
In August 2020, KC Coughlin and Ryan Grassby's horror script Mother Land was acquired by Shawn Levy's company 21 Laps Entertainment with Lionsgate Films set to distribute.[7] In April 2021, Mark Romanek was hired to direct the film.[8] In May 2022, it was announced that Romanek left the project and Alexandre Aja was set to direct with Halle Berry joining the cast.[9] The following month, Lionsgate sold the international rights to multiple companies during the Cannes Film Festival.[10] In April 2023, Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins joined the cast of the film, which had been retitled Never Let Go.[11] In May 2024, it was revealed that Matthew Kevin Anderson, Christin Park, and Stephanie Lavigne were added to the cast.[12]Principal photography took place in Vancouver, British Columbia from April 17 to June 2, 2023.[13][14]Robin "Rob" Coudert composed the film's score.[15]
Release
The world premiere of Never Let Go was held at the Regal Times Square theater in New York City on September 16, 2024.[16] It was shown as a gala screening on the opening night of Fantastic Fest on September 19, 2024,[17] and was released theatrically in the United States on September 20.[18] It was originally set for September 27, taking over the original release date for Saw XI.[19]
Reception
Box office
As of October 15, 2024[update], Never Let Go has grossed $10.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $11.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $21.8 million.[5][6]
In the United States and Canada, Never Let Go was released alongside The Substance and Transformers One, and was projected to gross $4–7 million from 2,667 theaters in its opening weekend.[4] The film made $1.6 million on its first day, including $360,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $4.5 million, finishing in fourth.[20]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 56% of 94 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Director Alexandre Aja's latest horror offering boasts anxiety-inducing atmosphere and a committed performance from Halle Berry, although audiences will have to let go of some storytelling expectations to enjoy the ride."[21]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[22] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 67% overall positive score.[20]
Potential future
In September 2024, Berry confirmed the studio's plans to develop the film into a horror franchise. The actress expressed interest in the idea, while confirming that stories for a prequel and sequels had been written.[23]
