Poster © Paramount Pictures. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
|
GenreAction, Adventure & Drama
RatedPG-13
Runtime1 hr 41 mins
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2026
StreamingIn theaters now
DirectorDavid Ayer
StarringBrad Pitt, J. K. Simmons, Anna Lambe
|
Heart of the Beast (2026)
| ▶Stream It | ★The Numbers |
| 🎫Get Tickets | ✎Edit History |
| iIMDb Profile | %Rotten Tomatoes |
| WWikipedia | LLetterboxd |
| TTMDB | +Add to Top 8 |
| Heart of the Beast's Details | |
| Genre | Action, Adventure & Drama |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Released | 09/16/2026 (Franklin); 09/25/2026 (United States) |
| Streaming | In theaters now. |
| Running Time | 1 hr 41 mins |
| Budget | $82M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Heart of the Beast's Interests | |
| General | Bush planes, survival kits, dogs who outrank you. |
| Music | Jared Michael Fry (score). |
| Movies | The Grey, Togo. |
| Television | Alone, but with a dog. |
| Heroes | Odin. Obviously. |
| Heart of the Beast's Crew | |
| Director | David Ayer |
| Writers | Cameron Alexander |
| Producers | David Ayer, Olivia Hamilton, Brad Pitt, Marty Bowen, Richard Raymond, Nick Satriano |
| Cinematography | Mauro Fiore |
| Music | Jared Michael Fry |
| Edited By | Dody Dorn |
| Production | Wild Chickens Productions, Temple Hill Entertainment, Kino World |
| Distributed By | Paramount Pictures |
Heart of the Beast works through Alaska’s greatest hits like it’s checking boxes on a survival app: bear, rickety bridge, river, wolves, swamp. Each one is a new level, and by the third you can call the next. That’s the problem. The draw is the duo. Brad Pitt plays a retired Special Forces guy who talks less than his dog, and the dog, a German Shepherd named Odin, carries the same nightmares he does. David Ayer, a director who usually lives in gunfights, keeps the camera on two tired faces in a lot of empty country. J. K. Simmons drops in early as a chatty stranger and you’ll wish he’d stuck around. The movie.guru score lands at 7.5, with critics and audiences mostly agreeing. $135.2 million worldwide on a reported $82 million budget. A 6.6 because the bond between man and dog is real, but the plot is a list of disasters you can predict from the poster. $4,984 says you pause halfway through to go check on your own dog, who is asleep and completely fine.
What works: The bond between Pitt’s veteran and Odin, and a lean 101 minutes of man, dog and wilderness.
What doesn’t: The survival hazards arrive one after another like a checklist, so the middle of the movie feels predictable instead of tense.
Who it’s for: Dog people, survival story fans, and anyone who wants Brad Pitt quiet and weathered instead of charming.
Spoilers
James makes it past the bear, the river and the wolves, but his injuries catch up with him on a hilltop under the northern lights. He sends Odin toward a road with a letter in his pack, and Amber, a young driver, picks up the dog and gives him a new home.
Retired Special Forces sergeant major James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his combat dog Odin fly a small plane into the Alaskan backcountry, and only one plan survives contact with the wilderness. David Ayer directs. J. K. Simmons and Anna Lambe co-star, and four German Shepherds play one very good boy. One hundred and one minutes of man, dog and bad weather.
Anyone who cried at Marley & Me. Bring tissues and a leash.
| Brad Pitt | James Belmont |
| J. K. Simmons | Watkins |
| Anna Lambe | Amber |
| Uber, Seeka, Ryker, and Hondo | Odin the Dog |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 18 October 2026 DataBot +200 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $135.2M → $136.6M; Domestic box office $53.5M → $54.9M; Profit / loss (est.) -$55.4M → -$54.7M; box office chart updated; IMDb users 7.2 / 10 (26,904 votes) → 7.2 / 10 (27,513 votes).
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +80 Numbers refreshed: IMDb users 7.2 / 10 (26,481 votes) → 7.2 / 10 (26,904 votes); movie.guru score 7.5.
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 16 October 2026 DataBot +40 Numbers refreshed: score credits updated.
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 15 October 2026 DataBot +280 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $134.6M; Domestic box office $52.9M; Opening weekend $20M; Profit / loss (est.) -$55.7M; Rotten Tomatoes 85%; box office chart updated; RT 85% (181 reviews).
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 15 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.