Drop (film)

Drop is a 2025 American thriller film^[5] directed by Christopher Landon and written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach. It stars Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, and Jeffery Self. In the film, a widowed mother receives threatening messages during her first date in years, which cause her to question her date and fear for her safety.

Drop had its premiere at the SXSW on March 9, 2025, and was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on April 11, 2025. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised its story and Fahy's performance, and has grossed $11 million worldwide against a budget of $11 million.

Chicago therapist Violet Gates has begun to start dating again following the suicide of her abusive husband Blake. Leaving her young son Toby at home in the care of her sister Jen, Violet arrives at the high-rise restaurant Palate ready for a date with photographer Henry Campbell, whom she has been talking to via a dating app.

As Violet waits for Henry to arrive, she meets bartender Cara, pianist Phil, and fellow diners Connor and Richard, who is on a blind date. Violet soon begins to receive "Digi-Drops" from an unknown user, sending memes to Violet that gradually become more threatening. Henry arrives, and the two are seated and served by new waiter Matt. Violet receives more drops, and Henry attempts to help her find out who it is, theorizing it is someone seated in their section of the restaurant. Despite Violet's attempts to ignore the drops, they continue to escalate, eventually culminating in the user asking Violet to check her security system.

On the cameras, Violet witnesses a masked gunman beat Jen unconscious and lock Toby in his room. Violet is messaged by her tormentor, demanding she not alert anyone or try to leave, otherwise Toby will be killed. Violet realizes the restaurant is bugged and she is being watched via the security cameras. The user instructs Violet to retrieve a camera from Henry's bag and destroy its SD card. Violet obeys and discovers that Henry, who works for the city mayor, has photographed evidence of embezzlement. Henry grows suspicious of Violet's behavior and prepares to leave, but Violet kisses Henry and encourages him to stay, opening up about her trauma from her relationship with Blake. The user then instructs Violet to retrieve a vial of poison from the bathroom and kill Henry.

Suspicious of Connor, Violet confronts him but is unable to prove he did anything. Unwilling to kill Henry, Violet slips a note to Phil informing him of the hostage situation. Phil collapses shortly after and dies from poison while trying to exit the building. The user insults Violet over her failed plan and demands she kill Henry immediately. Violet orders shots and spikes Henry's, but panics as he prepares to drink his and makes a mess trying to stop him. When Henry leaves to clean up, Cara checks on Violet and mentions that Richard has had a similar bad date and has been watching Violet's table all night. Violet visits Richard with the shots and Richard eventually reveals himself as the person tormenting her.

Richard reveals that he is on the mayor's payroll and that he plans to assassinate Henry, who intends to testify against the mayor, while pinning the murder on Violet. Henry arrives and drinks the shot in front of them, but as Richard gloats to Violet, she reveals that she actually poisoned Richard's dessert. A furious Richard orders his henchman to kill Toby and Jen while he attempts to shoot Violet, but Henry pushes her out of the way and is shot instead. A fight ensues, during which Cara is also injured. In the scuffle, the restaurant window shatters, and Violet and Richard fall outside. Richard plummets to his death while Henry saves Violet.

Taking Henry's car, Violet drives to her house while Jen awakens and fights with the henchman. She and Toby flee upstairs and Jen is shot. Violet arrives at the house and stabs the henchman who overpowers and corners Violet. Toby retrieves the gun, and Violet uses it to shoot the henchman dead. Sometime later, Violet visits Henry and Jen in the hospital. The mayor has been exposed for his crimes and is under investigation. Jen sends a drop to prank Violet and Henry before the new couple plans a second date.

• Meghann Fahy as Violet Gates, a widowed single mother
• Brandon Sklenar as Henry Campbell, Violet's date
• Violett Beane as Jen Gates, Violet's younger sister and babysitter of her son
• Jacob Robinson as Toby Gates, Violet's son
• Reed Diamond as Richard
• Gabrielle Ryan Spring as Cara
• Jeffery Self as Matt
• Ed Weeks as Phil
• Travis Nelson as Connor

In February 2024, it was announced Drop was in development with Christopher Landon directing after exiting Scream 7, with Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach writing, and Meghann Fahy as the lead.^[6]

In March, Brandon Sklenar joined the cast of the film.^[7] In April, Jeffery Self, Gabrielle Ryan Spring,^[8] Violett Beane and Jacob Robinson^[9] were added to the cast. In May, Ed Weeks rounded out the cast.^[10]

Principal photography began in Ireland in late April 2024.^[11]

Drop was released in the United States on April 11, 2025.^[12]

As of April 15, 2025, Drop has grossed $8.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $2.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $11.5 million.^[3][4]

In the United States and Canada, Drop was released alongside The Amateur, Warfare, and The King of Kings, and was projected to gross $6–8 million from 3,085 theaters in its opening weekend.^[2][13] The film made $3.3 million on its first day, including $1.14 million from preview screenings throughout the week. It went on to debut to $7.5 million, finishing in fifth.^[14]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 175 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "A Hitchcockian thriller that cleverly utilizes modern technology for its twists and turns, Drop delivers on its pulpy premise while providing a welcome showcase for Meghann Fahy's leading lady chops."^[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.^[14]

Iana Murrey of Empire gave a 4 stars out of 5 rating for the film, and wrote: "Fahy may be familiar to most from her ability to destroy you with a single look in the Sicily-set season of The White Lotus, and while Drop isn’t nearly as subtle, her groundedness is the antidote to the film’s silliness."^[17]

In a negative review, Odie Henderson of The Boston Globe was less enthusiastic, stating: "The absurd plot twists in Drop might be tolerable if the film weren’t so distastefully tethered to domestic violence."^[18]

• Official Website
• Drop at IMDb