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{{Infobox film
| name           = Countdown
| image          = Countdown2019MoviePoster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = Justin Dec
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* John Rickard
* Zack Schiller
* [[Sean Anders]]
* [[John Morris (filmmaker)|John Morris]]
}}
| writer         = Justin Dec
| screenplay     = 
| story          = 
| based_on       = <!-- {{Based on|title of the original work|creator of the original work|additional creator(s), if necessary}} -->
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Elizabeth Lail]]
* [[Jordan Calloway]]
* [[Talitha Bateman]]
* [[Tichina Arnold]]
* [[P.J. Byrne]]
* [[Peter Facinelli]]
}}
| narrator       = 
| music          = {{Plainlist|
* Danny Bensi
* Saunder Jurriaans
}}
| cinematography = [[Maxime Alexandre]]
| editing        = Brad Wilhite
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[STX Entertainment]]
* Boies / Schiller Film Group
* Two Grown Men
* Wrigley Pictures
}}
| distributor    = [[Universal Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|2019|10|25|United States}}
| runtime        = 90 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $6.5 million<ref name="BOM"/>
| gross          = $48 million<ref name="BOM">{{Cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt10039344/ |title=Countdown (2019) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=January 9, 2020 |archive-date=November 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112145647/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt10039344/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NUM">{{Cite web |url= https://the-numbers.com/movie/Countdown-(2019) |title=Countdown (2019) |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=April 1, 2022 }}</ref>
}}

'''''Countdown''''' is a 2019 American [[supernatural horror film]] directed and written by Justin Dec, and starring [[Elizabeth Lail]], [[Jordan Calloway]], [[Talitha Bateman]], [[Tichina Arnold]], [[P.J. Byrne]], [[Peter Facinelli]], [[Anne Winters (actress)|Anne Winters]], and [[Tom Segura]]. The plot follows a group of people who discover a [[mobile app]] that correctly tells its users when they are going to die.

''Countdown'' was theatrically released in the United States on October 25, 2019, by [[Universal Pictures]]. It received negative reviews from critics,<ref name="MetCri">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/countdown|title=Countdown Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=October 31, 2019|archive-date=October 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025190939/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/countdown|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="opening" /><ref name="TheGua">{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Benjamin |date=2019-10-24 |title=Countdown review – hapless haunted app horror should be uninstalled |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/24/countdown-review-halloween-horror-final-destination |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2022-04-16 }}</ref><ref name="Vari">{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Dennis |date=2019-10-24 |title=Film Review: 'Countdown' |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/countdown-review-1203381643/ |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416070351/https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/countdown-review-1203381643/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but grossed $48 million worldwide against a $6.5 million budget, becoming a commercial success.<ref name=VarietyBO>{{cite web |first=Rebecca |last=Rubin |title=Box Office: Villains Face Off Again as 'Joker' and 'Maleficent' Battle for First Place |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/box-office-joker-maleficent-mistress-of-evil-current-war-1203380651/ |date=October 22, 2019 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=October 23, 2019 |archive-date=October 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024002839/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/box-office-joker-maleficent-mistress-of-evil-current-war-1203380651/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="opening">{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/10/joker-maleficent-2-black-and-blue-countdown-halloween-box-office-weekend-1202769043/ |title='Joker' Has The Edge Over 'Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil' With $18.9M In Fierce Slow Pre-Halloween B.O. Battle |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=October 27, 2019 |accessdate=October 27, 2019 |archive-date=October 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025193658/https://deadline.com/2019/10/joker-maleficent-2-black-and-blue-countdown-halloween-box-office-weekend-1202769043/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="DeaLin2">{{cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |title=How 'Terminator: Dark Fate' Conked Out With $27M+ & Why 'The Irishman' Is Not A Missed Strategic Opportunity – Box Office |url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/terminator-dark-fate-linda-hamilton-harriet-motherless-brooklyn-weekend-box-office-1202774477/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=November 3, 2019 |date=November 4, 2019 |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103173532/https://deadline.com/2019/11/terminator-dark-fate-linda-hamilton-harriet-motherless-brooklyn-weekend-box-office-1202774477/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Plot==
At a party, teenager Courtney is convinced by her friends to download Countdown, an app that seemingly predicts how long a user has left to live. Courtney is startled to see it says she only has three hours left to live. After avoiding getting into a car with her drunk boyfriend Evan, Courtney receives a notification stating she has broken the "user agreement". Returning home, she is attacked by an unseen entity and killed as her timer reaches zero. At the same time, Evan crashes his car and a tree branch impales the seat where Courtney would have been sitting.

Quinn Harris, a nurse who works at the hospital where Evan is admitted, dismisses his claims of a supernatural app but subsequently downloads it, only for the app to claim that she has only two days left to live. Evan skips his surgery and is informed he has violated the user agreement. He tries escaping the hospital, but is confronted by an apparition of Courtney in a stairwell before being killed by the entity.

When Quinn finds out that Evan has died, she enters the [[morgue]] and checks his phone, which indicates no time left in the app. Concerned that she will die the next day, Quinn declines to go out with her family to visit her mother's grave. The app informs her that she has violated the user agreement. Shortly afterward, her boss Dr. Sullivan [[Sexual Harassment|sexually harasses]] her and thwarts her attempt to report his offense to her [[supervisor]]. When Quinn researches the app, she finds that similar deaths have supposedly occurred involving other users, but the public generally considers them to be fake. She attempts to buy a new phone but finds that Countdown has downloaded itself onto it.

After being attacked by a demonic figure in the parking lot of the cell phone store, Quinn meets a young man named Matt, whose Countdown states he will die in 18 hours. They learn that the user agreement is broken if the user tries changing their fate: Quinn's trip with her family, and Matt taking a train ride, which they both canceled, should have resulted in their original deaths. At work, Quinn learns Sullivan has tricked the staff into thinking she sexually harassed him, resulting in her suspension. She and Matt consult a priest named Father John, who informs them that the app is linked to a demon named Ozhin, originally summoned by a Roma woman who told a prince when he would die. Cell phone salesman Derek hacks into the app code and identifies that Quinn's younger sister, Jordan, was meant to die shortly before Quinn, then adds several decades to Quinn, Jordan's, and Matt's lives. However, while Matt and Quinn spend the night together, the entity takes the form of Matt and attacks Quinn. To their shock, their countdowns, including Jordan's, reset to their original lifespans.

Jordan receives a notification of her countdown changing to the original lifespan and is then terrorized by a demonic form of her and Quinn's deceased mother. Quinn and Matt rescue her and return to Father John, who theorizes the curse can be broken if someone dies before their countdown ends or lives beyond their countdown. They prepare a warding circle in an attempt to delay Ozhin. The demon arrives and the circle initially wards off the demon, until it suddenly lures them outside, killing Matt and wounding Jordan in the process. While in grief over Matt's fate, Jordan starts having acute abdominal pain. Realizing her sister is seriously hurt, Quinn rushes Jordan to the hospital. Once there, she realizes she can kill Sullivan before his allotted time and break the curse. She attempts to attack him, but he is saved by Ozhin, who simultaneously prepares to kill Jordan. As Ozhin is terrorizing Jordan, Quinn overdoses on drugs before her timer ends and proves the app wrong. With instructions that Quinn gave her, Jordan revives her sister with [[Naloxone]] and their countdown timers stop. Sometime later, while visiting her and Jordan's mother's grave, Quinn receives word of Sullivan's arrest after more nurses have come forward, but discovers that an app called Countdown 2.0 has downloaded itself onto her phone, much to the sisters' horror.

In a [[Post-credits scene|mid credits scene]], Derek is seen on a [[Tinder (app)|Tinder]] date. While his date goes to the restroom, his Countdown app causes the light to go out and Ozhin to attack him.

==Cast==
* [[Elizabeth Lail]] as Quinn Harris, a newly appointed registered nurse and Jordan's older sister.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/countdown-elizabeth-justin-dec-stxfilms-1202576520/|title=Elizabeth Lail To Lead 'Countdown' Horror Pic From STXfilms|last=N'Duka|first=Amanda|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=March 15, 2019|access-date=October 19, 2019|archive-date=March 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190317084209/https://deadline.com/2019/03/countdown-elizabeth-justin-dec-stxfilms-1202576520/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Jordan Calloway]] as Matt Monroe, a young man whom Quinn meets at the phone store and team up to defeat Ozhin.
* [[Talitha Bateman]] as Jordan Harris, Quinn's younger sister who joins Quinn and Matt to fight against the demon, Ozhin.
* [[Tichina Arnold]] as Nurse Amy, the head of the hospital where Quinn works.
* [[P. J. Byrne|PJ Byrne]] as Father John, a demon enthusiast who tries to help Quinn, Matt, and Jordan face Ozhin.
* [[Peter Facinelli]] as Dr. Sullivan, Quinn's boss.
* Dillon Lane as Evan, Courtney's boyfriend.
* [[Matt Letscher]] as Charlie Harris, the widowed father of Quinn and Jordan.
* [[Valente Rodriguez]] as Father David
* [[Tom Segura]] as Derek, a tech worker who can hack apps.
* [[Anne Winters (actress)|Anne Winters]] as Courtney, Evan's girlfriend.
* [[Charlie McDermott]] as Scott
* [[Christina Pazsitzky]] as Krissy
* Jeannie Elise Mai as Allie
* [[Marisela Zumbado]] as Kate

==Production==
[[Elizabeth Lail]] was cast in the film's leading role in March 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/you-elizabeth-lail-countdown-1203164279/|title='You' Star Elizabeth Lail to Lead STX Horror Film 'Countdown' (EXCLUSIVE)|last=Kroll|first=Justin|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=March 15, 2019|access-date=October 19, 2019|archive-date=March 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190315191059/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/you-elizabeth-lail-countdown-1203164279/|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2019, it was announced that [[Talitha Bateman]], [[Peter Facinelli]], [[Jordan Calloway]], [[Tom Segura]], [[P. J. Byrne]], [[Anne Winters (actress)|Anne Winters]] and [[Tichina Arnold]] had also joined the cast.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/04/twilight-star-peter-facinelli-talitha-bateman-stx-horror-movie-countdown-1202595749/|title=Peter Facinelli, Jordan Calloway, P.J. Byrne, Talitha Bateman & More Join STX Horror Pic 'Countdown'|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=April 15, 2019|access-date=October 19, 2019|archive-date=April 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415172909/https://deadline.com/2019/04/twilight-star-peter-facinelli-talitha-bateman-stx-horror-movie-countdown-1202595749/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans composed the film's score. The soundtrack was released by [[Sony Classical Records]].

==Release==
''Countdown'' was theatrically released in the United States on October 25, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3588344/new-countdown-poster-hits-zero-dies/|title=New 'Countdown' Poster Hits Zero and Dies|last=Miska|first=Brad|work=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|date=October 10, 2019|access-date=October 19, 2019|archive-date=October 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010184028/https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3588344/new-countdown-poster-hits-zero-dies/|url-status=live}}</ref> The film's trailer premiered on September 13, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movieweb.com/countdown-trailer-2019/|title=Countdown Trailer: Killer App Knows Exactly When You'll Die|last=Dick|first=Jeremy|work=Movie Web|date=September 13, 2019|access-date=October 19, 2019|archive-date=September 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914001821/https://movieweb.com/countdown-trailer-2019/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29037446/new-horror-countdown-trailer-final-destination-the-ring/|title=New horror Countdown is like Final Destination meets The Ring with an app|last=Anderton|first=Joe|work=Digital Spy|date=September 13, 2019|access-date=October 19, 2019|archive-date=September 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913212438/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29037446/new-horror-countdown-trailer-final-destination-the-ring/|url-status=live}}</ref> STX Entertainment reportedly spent under $15 million promoting the film.<ref name="opening"/> The studio partnered with ''Amp Studios'', run by [[YouTuber]] [[Brent Rivera]], to promote the film on social media apps such as [[TikTok]].{{cn|date=May 2025}}

===Home media===
The film was released on January 7, 2020, by Universal Home Entertainment on [[DVD]], [[Blu-ray]] and [[Digital copy|Digital HD]].<ref name="NUM" />

==Reception==
===Box office===
In the United States and Canada, ''Countdown'' was released alongside ''[[Black and Blue (2019 film)|Black and Blue]]'' and ''[[The Current War]]'', and was projected to gross around $5 million from 2,675 theaters in its opening weekend.<ref name=VarietyBO /> The film made $3.1 million on its first day, including $515,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to over-perform and debut at $9 million, finishing fifth.<ref name="opening"/> In its second weekend the film fell 35% to $5.8 million, finishing seventh.<ref name="DeaLin2" />

===Critical response===
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|26|4.20|72|''Countdown'' may offer a few fleeting jolts for horror fans with barren queues, but it lacks enough wit or creativity to leave a lasting impression.|ref=yes|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}} On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 31 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.<ref name="MetCri"/> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed at [[PostTrak]] gave it 3 out of 5 stars.<ref name=opening/>

Benjamin Lee of ''[[The Guardian]]'' gave the film 1 out of 5 stars, calling it "a Halloween release devoid of tricks, treats and anything even vaguely close to an original idea", and criticized it for its similarities to other horror films, especially ''[[Final Destination (film)|Final Destination]]''.<ref name="TheGua"/> Dennis Harvey of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it a "bombastically dumb new chiller that probably would have been called 'Killer App' if that title hadn't already been used several times."<ref name="Vari"/> ''[[The Verge]]''{{'s}} Charles Bramesco wrote, "The same horror devotees satisfied by the prepackaged premise and grace in execution of ''[[Happy Death Day]]'' will get everything from ''Countdown'' that's there to be gotten. But those in search of more incisive techno-horror that cuts to the core of everything frightening about phone ownership and usage will have to continue waiting."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bramesco |first=Charles |date=2019-10-24 |title=The killer-app horror film Countdown is a shallow look at tech anxiety |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/24/20930485/countdown-movie-review-killer-app-smartphone-urban-legend-horror-elizabeth-lail-justin-dec |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=The Verge |language=en}}</ref> Zaki Hasan of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' gave it 1 out of 5 stars, writing, "The one thing you can say about ''Countdown'' is that the title is entirely accurate. Almost from the moment it starts, you're checking your watch waiting for the closing credits to come up."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hasan |first=Zaki |date=October 24, 2019 |title=Review: 'Countdown' offers killer app not worth the time to download |url=https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/review-countdown-gives-us-a-killer-app-not-worth-the-time-to-download |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref>

Kimber Myers of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' was more positive, writing: "This isn't a subtle, moody film filled with a sense of unease; instead, jump scares are around every corner. If that's all you want from a horror movie, you'll have a very good time - and an elevated heart rate for its speedy 90 minutes."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Myers |first=Kimber |date=2019-10-24 |title=Review: The killer app movie 'Countdown' will make you want to throw out your phone |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-10-24/countdown-review-killer-app |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=2022-04-16 |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416070351/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-10-24/countdown-review-killer-app |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''[[Deseret News]]''' Josh Terry wrote, "If you're looking for a few good scares that push the PG-13 boundary without breaking it, ''Countdown'' has fun with its clever premise."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-10-25 |title=New horror film ‘Countdown’ claims your phone really is trying to kill you. It’s the perfect metaphor for 2019. |url=https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2019/10/24/20930417/countdown-horror-movie-film-smartphone-screen-time/ |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=Deseret News |language=en |archive-date=November 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125001724/https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2019/10/24/20930417/countdown-horror-movie-film-smartphone-screen-time |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[Bedeviled (2016 film)|Bedeviled]]''
* ''[[Final Destination]]''
* ''[[The Ring (2002 film)|The Ring]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title}}

[[Category:2019 American films]]
[[Category:2019 English-language films]]
[[Category:2010s supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:2019 films]]
[[Category:2019 horror films]]
[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Demons in film]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]
[[Category:Films about mobile phones]]
[[Category:Films produced by John Morris (filmmaker)]]
[[Category:Films produced by Zack Schiller]]
[[Category:STX Entertainment films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Countdown (2019 film)|access_date=2026-03-01}}