The Shallows (2016)
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Jaume Collet-Serra's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- The incredible score for The Shallows was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
- Before Blake Lively was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
The Shallows is a 2016 American survival horror thriller directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. Blake Lively stars as Nancy Adams, a medical student surfing alone at a secluded Mexican beach where her late mother once surfed, who is attacked by a great white shark and stranded on a rock formation 200 yards from shore with a badly wounded leg. As the tide rises and threatens to submerge her refuge, Nancy must use her medical knowledge, surfing skills, and sheer willpower to survive against a predator that refuses to leave.
Blake Lively's committed physical performance — she performed many of her own water stunts and conveyed genuine pain and determination throughout — carried a film that was essentially a one-woman show. The confined setting and ticking-clock structure created sustained tension. The Shallows earned $119 million worldwide on a $17 million budget.
The film demonstrated the enduring commercial viability of its franchise and genre to global audiences, solidifying its position in the modern blockbuster landscape.
