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Panic Room

Panic Room

It was supposed to be the safest room in the house.

2002112 minRMidcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Director
David Fincher
Starring
Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam

Trapped in their New York brownstone's panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins, newly divorced Meg Altman and her young daughter Sarah play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intruders - Burnham, Raoul and Junior - during a brutal home invasion. But the room itself is the focal point because what the intruders really want is inside it.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Panic Room?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Panic Room streaming on Pluto TV (free) and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

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Highlights

What stands out about Panic Room?

Panic Room earns 10 badges, led by Visual feast and Crowd Pleaser.

Show 2 more
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is Panic Room worth watching?

Panic Room's Midcredits score is the 76th percentile of all films, from 711K ratings across 6 sources. 66% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

76th percentile

Better received than 76% of films

79th percentile among Crime74th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)76th
Approval (how many liked it)74th

69 /100

76th percentile of all films

80th percentile among Crime76th percentile among 2000s

Critics 65 · Audience 69

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.9 — solid but not unanimous.

66% liked it

74th percentile of all films

74th percentile among Crime72nd percentile among 2000s
66% rated it 7–1034% rated it 1–6

Critics 76% · Audience 64%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 1 wins / 9 noms overall

98th percentile

711K ratings across platforms

98th percentile among Crime97th percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 27% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$48M
Opening weekend$30M
Domestic gross$96M
Worldwide gross$197M

Returned 4.1× its budget — 98th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A stylishly directed, tense home-invasion thriller that hinges on Fincher's visual bravura and solid acting, but suffers from a conventional, thin script.

Fans praised

  • Fincher's virtuoso camera work, gliding through floors and walls, as a character in itself
  • Forest Whitaker's layered, empathetic turn as the conscience-stricken burglar
  • Relentless, immersive tension generated by the controlled single-location scenario

Detractors panned

  • Predictable, formulaic plot with gaping holes and paper-thin characterization
  • Villains and heroes reduced to cartoonish archetypes, undercutting any real stakes
  • Pretentious style over substance, with camera pyrotechnics distracting from credible suspense

What stands out

Cinematography88

Fincher's signature camera flourishes, swooping through sets and using digital tricks to heighten spatial drama

Acting82

Foster's determined mother and Whitaker's standout turn, though some see Leto's villain as over-the-top

TensionDivisive79

Tense cat-and-mouse set pieces within the panic room, though detractors find the logic gaps undercut suspense

AtmosphereDivisive78

Intimate, oppressive feel of the claustrophobic panic room, with Fincher's moody production design

PacingDivisive58

Taut in stretches but sluggish in the middle, with a drawn-out finale that divides opinion

CharactersDivisive55

Underwritten heroes and cartoonish villains, though Whitaker's layers add depth

Plot and storyDivisive52

Thin and predictable home-invasion setup with several contrivances, though some note it is effective as a simple thriller

Originality45

Derivative home-invasion premise with a gimmick, though executed with Fincher's visual panache

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Men

Men scored it 12 points higher than women.

Critics vs users

Preferred by Critics

Critics scored it 22 points higher than users.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 5 points apart
  • US vs non-US 8 points apart

Watch experience

What is Panic Room like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Tense and gripping: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready to pay close attention and feel heavy feelings, and you want something tense that holds you to the end.

It is intense, never lets up and leaves you wrung out and released. Skip it when you want an easy night or you can only half-watch.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention and room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Tense and gripping.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseDread
Heaviest: middle
Register
Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.Brutal · 7% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.Single location · 5% of films: Confined to essentially one place throughout.
TonePlayed with serious tension and realistic stakes, without irony.
The rideThe film sustains near-constant tension and dread from the moment of the break‑in through the extended standoff, with the emotional pressure peaking in the middle act as escape attempts fail.
StructureThe story unfolds chronologically, almost entirely within the confines of the house and the panic room.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Wrung out and released.

Cathartic · 6% of filmsBittersweet
Why it leaves you this waySurvival brings relief, but the fate of the sympathetic burglar leaves a bittersweet tinge.
How it ends · evidence
Happy ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MonsterInvasion
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% (this title) · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Invasion: An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).

21% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeA mother and daughter trapped in a panic room by burglars turns the home invasion into a siege, with the intruders as the predatory force.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfSurvival
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15% (this title): Survival 17% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Survival

SurvivalFamily bonds
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeA mother fights to protect her diabetic daughter from home invaders, testing her resourcefulness and maternal instinct.
StanceThe film interrogates the idea of security and maternal protection by placing a mother's resourcefulness against a breakdown of home safety, without settling whether vulnerability can ever be fully escaped.

The world

ContemporaryDomesticUrbanRealistic
Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score · Howard Shore
SettingA newly purchased four-story brownstone on Manhattan's Upper West Side, with a fortified panic room at its heart.
MusicHoward Shore's score uses brooding strings and electronic pulses that amplify the claustrophobic tension without overwhelming the action.

Content guide

Is Panic Room okay for kids?

R

Panic Room is rated R: “Rated R for violence and language” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (85/100), sexual content at minimal (14/100), language at severe (87/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (35/100) and frightening material at severe (84/100). Overall it is heavier than 81% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 31 other countries
  • UK15
  • Canada14A
  • AustraliaMA 15+
  • Germany16
  • France12
  • Ireland15
  • New ZealandR16
  • JapanPG12
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil14
  • Argentina+13
  • Czechia12+
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-16
  • Hong KongIIB
  • Hungary18
  • ID17+
  • IndiaUA
  • ItalyT
  • MexicoB
  • Netherlands16
  • Norway15
  • PhilippinesR-18
  • Poland18
  • PortugalM/12
  • RO18
  • Russia16+
  • SingaporeM18
  • Sweden15
  • Switzerland14
  • Taiwan12+
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 89% of all filmsHeavier than 81% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Severe
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 73%
Sex & Nudity
None / Minimal
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 8%
Profanity
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 86%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 32%
Frightening / Intense
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 84%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is language, violence, and frightening material. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Panic Room have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Panic Room?

Cast

1 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Jodie Foster
as Meg Altman
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Kristen Stewart
as Sarah Altman
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Forest Whitaker
as Burnham
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Dwight Yoakam
as Raoul
Jared Leto
as Junior
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
Patrick Bauchau
as Stephen Altman
Ann Magnuson
as Lydia Lynch
Ian Buchanan
as Evan Kurlander
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Andrew Kevin Walker
as Sleepy Neighbor
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Paul Schulze
as Officer Keeney
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Panic Room?

Movies like Panic Room include The Juror (1996), The Caller (2011) and Ransom (1996). Of the 12 closest matches, most are films set in New York, and several are stories about parents and children.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

10 of these 12 share its subject: survival. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Panic Room?

445 other films share the rarest tag below, up against: thief. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.