---
title: "A Quiet Place: Day One"
year: 2024
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-quiet-place-day-one"
fi1m_id: "a-quiet-place-day-one"
imdb_id: "tt13433802"
tmdb_id: 762441
wikidata_id: "Q112183404"
fi1m_score: 70
critics_score: 72
critics_reviews: 18
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:58.985320+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Directed by Michael Sarnoski · 1h 40m · MPA PG-13 · Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller

## Identity

A Quiet Place: Day One

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/a-quiet-place-day-one
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** a-quiet-place-day-one
- **IMDb ID:** tt13433802
- **TMDB ID:** 762441
- **Wikidata ID:** Q112183404
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13433802/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/762441, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112183404

**Fi1m score: 70** · Critics 72 from 18 reviews

*In a sentence:* New York turns out to be far too loud for the end of the world, which anyone who has lived there could have said

> Michael Sarnoski’s prequel is the smallest film in the series and the best, a sad and tender two-hander carried by Lupita Nyong’o. The monster sequences are the least of it, and by the second half they have started to repeat themselves.

## Synopsis

Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) has terminal cancer and a cat. She agrees to a day trip into Manhattan with the other patients from her hospice and their nurse Reuben (Alex Wolff), on the understanding that there will be pizza afterwards. While they are in the city, something falls from the sky. The creatures that come out of it hunt by sound, New York is the loudest place they could have landed, and within an hour the streets are ash and silence. Samira sets off uptown with the cat, and a frightened stranger, Eric (Joseph Quinn), attaches himself to her. Djimon Hounsou plays Henri. Michael Sarnoski directs and writes.

## Review

Michael Sarnoski’s prequel goes back to the first day of the invasion and puts it in New York, the loudest city it could have chosen. Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) is dying of cancer and living in a hospice; she agrees to a trip into Manhattan with the other patients, her cat in a bag, on condition that there is pizza afterwards. There is no pizza. Things fall from the sky, the bridges are blown to keep the creatures on the island, and the film’s 100 minutes become a walk uptown with a stranger. It is the smallest of the three films and the best, and its faults are the ones the series has always had.

The first attack is the strongest thing in it. Pat Scola shoots the street at midday in flat, ordinary light, and then the ash comes down and the light goes with it, so that for a long stretch we are watching grey figures move through grey air. Sound is where this series lives and Sarnoski understands the trick: the noise of the city, crowds and horns and a helicopter overhead, cuts out, and what is left is breathing and a cat’s bell. We flinched at the first kill and then held still for ten minutes, and we were not the only ones in the cinema doing it.

Nyong’o plays Samira as someone who has already done her grieving and is irritated to be asked to do more. She is impatient, funny in a way the script barely allows, and every so often the pain arrives and her face closes. It moved us more than we expected, and not the dying, which the film handles quietly and mostly off screen. What got us was the smallness of what she wants, one thing from before, on a day when everyone else is running for the river. Joseph Quinn’s Eric is soaked and frightened and useful, and Quinn plays the fear without the film having to write it for him. Alex Wolff, as the nurse Reuben, is warm for the time he is given. Djimon Hounsou, as Henri, is there to point at boats.

The cat is on screen for most of the film and never once does anything that would get everyone killed, which is either good training or a screenplay that needed him alive. He is also, plainly, the reason half the audience is there, and Sarnoski knows it and uses him for most of the laughs.

The trouble is the middle. Once the shape is set, the film needs the creatures to turn up every fifteen minutes, and each arrival goes the same way: a noise, a chase, a hiding place, a near miss. Gregory Plotkin and Andrew Mondshein cut these fast and close, and in the darker sequences, an escape through a flooded underground passage in particular, we lost track of where anyone was and which direction was safe. We were not frightened in these stretches; we were waiting for them to end so the two people could talk again. Simon Bowles’s wrecked city, dust-coated shopfronts and a church full of people not speaking, is better than the action staged in front of it. Alexis Grapsas’s score knows when to stop, which is rarer than it sounds, and when it is allowed to play it is mostly strings, low and sad.

John Krasinski’s *A Quiet Place* (2018) was a family film in disguise, with a farmhouse and a cornfield and the rules written on a whiteboard. *A Quiet Place Part II* (2021) opened with a first-day sequence in a small town that was the best thing in it, and this film is that sequence stretched to feature length and given a better lead. Sarnoski, whose first film was *Pig* (2021), cares more about the people than the creatures, and it shows both ways. The aliens are still dull to look at, and the film tells us nothing new about them.

Michael Bay is one of the producers, which is the sort of fact that explains the helicopters. Watch it at home with the volume up and the lights off; it is a film about listening, and it does not outstay its welcome. It runs 100 minutes and carries a 15.

*Fi1m score 70, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like this prequel more than they expected to, and almost all of them for the same reason: Lupita Nyong’o. Her performance as a terminally ill woman crossing a ruined New York is praised in nearly every review, with Joseph Quinn’s a close second, and several reviewers single out the cat. The consensus is that Michael Sarnoski has made a smaller, sadder, more patient film than the earlier entries, and that this is to its credit; a few, including The Times, call it the best in the series.

The reservations cluster around familiarity. Some find the alien set pieces routine, others say the film adds little to what we know of the invasion, and a strand of reviews finds the emotional arc sentimental rather than earned. The spread is wide. Variety thinks the feeling comes at the expense of suspense, and Film Comment goes further, faulting murky visuals and sound that undercut the franchise’s main strengths. Even the doubters keep Nyong’o out of it.

## Straight answers

**Is A Quiet Place: Day One worth watching?**

*A Quiet Place: Day One* is worth watching, and we scored it 70. It is the smallest film in the series and the best, a sad two-hander carried by Lupita Nyong'o as a dying woman walking uptown with a stranger and a cat. The creature sequences repeat themselves by the second half, so come for the people rather than the monsters.

**How long is A Quiet Place: Day One, and what is it rated?**

*A Quiet Place: Day One* runs 1h 40m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a horror and science fiction film.

**Where can I watch A Quiet Place: Day One in the US?**

*A Quiet Place: Day One* is streaming on Paramount+, Netflix, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is A Quiet Place: Day One, and is it suitable for children?**

*A Quiet Place: Day One* carries a 15 in the UK and is not suitable for children. The opening attack is the most frightening thing in it, ash falling on grey streets and a sudden first kill, and the later chases are fast and dark. The dying is handled quietly and mostly off screen, which makes it sadder than it is gruesome.

**How does A Quiet Place: Day One compare to A Quiet Place?**

*A Quiet Place: Day One* is the sadder and more intimate of the two, and we prefer it slightly. The 2018 original is a family thriller with a farmhouse and rules on a whiteboard, and its silence was new; the prequel puts the first day in New York and cares more about its two leads than its creatures. Choose the original for scares, this for the performances.

**What should I watch after A Quiet Place: Day One?**

After *A Quiet Place: Day One*, try [*A Quiet Place*](https://film.one/film/a-quiet-place) (2018, Fi1m 82): The farmhouse original, where the silence rule was new and the family was the point. Then [*Pig*](https://film.one/film/pig) (2021, Fi1m 82): Sarnoski’s first film, Nicolas Cage and a stolen truffle pig, quieter and stranger than it sounds; and [*Ikiru*](https://film.one/film/ikiru) (1952, Fi1m 92): Kurosawa’s dying clerk decides what one last thing to do with the time left.

**What order should I watch the A Quiet Place films in?**

Release order is the safe choice for A Quiet Place, and it is the order [our collection page](https://film.one/collections/a-quiet-place) lists them in. *A Quiet Place: Day One* is the most recent of the 3 A Quiet Place titles on Fi1m; before it comes [*A Quiet Place Part II*](https://film.one/film/a-quiet-place-part-ii). [The full order.](https://film.one/collections/a-quiet-place.md)

### Reviews we read (29)

- **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★★): The best entry yet in the franchise, original, inventive and emotionally complex thanks to Lupita Nyong’o’s transfixing lead performance as a woman with terminal cancer facing the invasion. It is moving, structurally perfect and exquisitely complete. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-the-beasties-are-back-and-better-than-ever-msr8lkx3h)
- **Slant Magazine**, Justin Clark (85/100, inferred): The critic highlights how the film morphs into a bittersweet tale of living with a death sentence, praising Sarnoski's patient hand and focus on existential themes of mortality and meaning, making it lonelier, sadder, and more powerful than prior entries through Nyong'o's performance. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-lupita-nyongo-michael-sarnoski/)
- **The AV Club**, Jesse Hassenger (B+): The review commends the intimate, character-centric approach in this New York-set prequel, praising Michael Sarnoski's handling of quiet and Nyong'o's nuanced performance in a well-wrought genre exercise with low-key passion. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-intimate-new-york-disast-1851563707)
- **Radio Times**, Patrick Cremona (4/5): The film offers an intimate, poignant take on the franchise with strong leads forming a new bond amid the invasion. Sarnoski handles the sombre mood and themes of meaning amid destruction effectively in this understated entry. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/quiet-place-day-one-review/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the taut, consistently terrifying prequel for its intense New York setting and emotional depth, highlighting Lupita Nyong'o's riveting performance and the director's control, restraint, and compassion in balancing thriller elements with a melancholy quest narrative. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-lupita-nyongo-joseph-quinn-1235933652/)
- **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin (80/100, inferred): The prequel keeps the franchise’s silence-is-golden premise fresh with a bold, innovative and heart-in-throat approach to the alien invasion. It works best experienced with an audience. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-lupita-nyongo/)
- **IndieWire**, Kate Erbland (75/100, inferred): The critic notes that Michael Sarnoski brings deep emotion to this mostly satisfying prequel, which takes us back to the start of the alien invasion, with Lupita Nyong'o and an astonishing cat performance adding new levels to the apocalyptic franchise. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-sequel-1235019869/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (75/100, inferred): The prequel is a bleak but curiously life-affirming disaster movie set in noisy New York, boosted by Lupita Nyong’o’s textured performance as a terminally ill poet. It is stylish and satisfying overall, despite some underdeveloped elements and over-reliance on a cat. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jun/30/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-lupita-nyongo)
- **Financial Times**, Leslie Felperin (65/100, inferred): A predictable prequel that still delivers well-timed tension and suspense, with imagery recalling 9/11 chaos. It stands out for its emphasis on the bond between humans and animals, handled with humour and feeling. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/689944d9-6741-4fbf-8d5e-6f12cd64d944)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Brian Tallerico (65/100, inferred): The film has interesting ideas and strong performances from Nyong’o and Quinn but feels like a first draft, with imprecise action setpieces and insufficient tension or character development. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-quiet-place-day-one-movie-review-2024)
- **Time Out**, Ian Freer (3/5): Strong performances from Nyong’o and Quinn cannot fully overcome a sense of déjà vu in this prequel. The intimate two-hander relationship and intense opening sequences provide some appeal amid familiar franchise elements. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-2024)
- **Vulture** (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a reiteration of the franchise formula that does not fully exploit its fresh New York setting or premise, though it appreciates the welcome silence, Nyong'o's emoting, and the therapeutic arc centered on the protagonist's personal quest. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-same-old-same-old.html)
- **Film Comment**, Nathan Lee (20/100, inferred): The critic faults the murky, indistinct visuals and sound design that undermine the franchise's core strengths, along with an overly sentimental character arc and questionable racial politics in the ending. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/everything-is-terrible-a-quiet-place-maxxine-longlegs-review/)
- **Empire**, Ben Travis: The prequel succeeds as an intimate character drama thanks to strong performances from Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn, focusing on two strangers navigating the alien invasion in New York. The alien set pieces feel familiar, but the emotional core of facing mortality amid the apocalypse stands out as unexpectedly moving. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/a-quiet-place-day-one/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Joshua Rothkopf: This rare prequel outclasses the originals for its moody, intimate human drama and bleak tone centered on a terminally ill woman’s quiet quest, with strong performances and personal moments standing out. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-06-28/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-lupita-nyongo-joseph-quinn-postapocalyptic)
- **Screen Daily**: A modest but effectively melancholy prequel that preserves franchise tension while introducing new characters and themes of caring for one another. Nyong’o and Quinn are compelling, though it does not reach the heights of prior entries. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/a-quiet-place-day-one-review/5194935.article)
- **Sight and Sound**: The critic finds the prequel gimmicky and thin despite Lupita Nyong’o’s affecting performance and some strong action sequences. It lacks meaningful symbolic resonance beyond its survival premise centered on a cat and a terminally ill woman. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/quiet-place-day-one-gimmicky-prequel-has-little-say)
- **The i Paper**, Christina Newland: This prequel bucks diminishing returns in horror franchises with its fresh vision, new cast, and relentless scares that keep the tension high. Director Michael Sarnoski balances intense chase sequences with human tenderness and psychological realism, making it one of the more intelligent survival stories. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-3134731)
- **The New York Times**, Elisabeth Vincentelli: The chills work better than the thrills in this prequel; the story is dominated by Nyong’o’s character and her cat, with Sarnoski adding little new information about the aliens. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/27/movies/a-quiet-place-day-one-review.html)
- **Total Film**, Anna Smith: Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn deliver excellent performances in this gripping spin-off that expands the franchise effectively. The film maintains tension through its horror elements while highlighting the leads' chemistry in the chaotic New York setting. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/a-quiet-place-day-one-review/)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge: The prequel prioritizes sentimentality over suspense, delivering a sappy Hallmark-like story with too little action or answers about the invasion, despite a few tense setpieces and Nyong’o’s committed performance. [Read](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-1236050222/)
- **Polygon**, Siddhant Adlakha (85/100, inferred): The critic views it as a riveting drama that explores emotional territory differently from the originals, praising its focus on human stories, New York setting, and performances by Nyong'o and Quinn. They single out the emotional resonance and character-driven approach for praise. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/24187509/quiet-place-day-one-review-prequel/)
- **Digital Spy**, Ian Sandwell (80/100, inferred): The critic praises it as an excellent, emotionally resonant prequel with strong tense set pieces, effective sound design, and standout performances from Nyong'o and Quinn (plus the cat), which add heart without feeling forced. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a61417304/a-quiet-place-day-one-review/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (8/10): The critic calls it the best film in the series, a surprisingly meditative character drama rather than a straightforward monster movie. Sarnoski is praised for his eye for haunting, vivid imagery of a ruined New York and the quiet bonding moments between characters. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1611067/a-quiet-place-day-one-review/)
- **Collider**, Emma Kiely (7/10): The critic praises the film as a touching character-driven action film that justifies its existence through brilliant performances by Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn, focusing on personal stories rather than just horror. They single out the cast and character development for praise, while noting it is less horrifying than predecessors. [Read](https://collider.com/a-quiet-place-day-one-review/)
- **NME**, Jordan Bassett (70/100, inferred): The critic describes a smaller-scale, intimate prequel that delivers white-knuckle terror and shocking visuals of a devastated New York, anchored by Nyong'o's magnificent performance, though the screenplay is sometimes ponderous. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/quiet-place-day-1-review-lupita-nyongo-3768910)
- **Deadline**, Damon Wise: The critic finds the film a melancholy prequel that stands out due to Lupita Nyong’o’s spiky yet vulnerable performance, but notes its downbeat tone makes it feel more like an ambitious indie than a summer blockbuster. [Read](https://deadline.com/2024/06/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-lupita-nyongo-stands-out-in-melancholy-action-horror-requel-1235984567/)
- **Paste**, Hafsah Abbasi (4.6): The critic finds the film a cloying, perfunctory commercial for the franchise, criticizing simplistic character arcs and lack of depth despite strong performances. They complain about maudlin storytelling and failure to make characters resonate. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/a-quiet-place/a-quiet-place-day-one-review)
- **The Wrap**: The review describes it as a serviceable sci-fi prequel that keeps its mouth shut but offers little new to series fans, praising the cat and Nyong’o and Quinn’s performances while noting repetitive elements. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/a-quiet-place-day-one-review-lupita-nyongo/)

## Details

- **Director:** Michael Sarnoski
- **Director:** Michael Sarnoski
- **Screenplay:** Michael Sarnoski
- **Story:** Michael Sarnoski, John Krasinski
- **Cinematography:** Pat Scola
- **Editor:** Andrew Mondshein, Gregory Plotkin
- **Music:** Alexis Grapsas
- **Production design:** Simon Bowles
- **Costume design:** Bex Crofton-Atkins
- **Producer:** John Krasinski, Michael Bay, Andrew Form
- **Cast:** Lupita Nyong'o as Samira; Joseph Quinn as Eric; Alex Wolff as Reuben; Djimon Hounsou as Henri; Eliane Umuhire as Zena; Takunda Khumalo as Osahar; Alfie Todd as Max; Avy-Berry Worrall as Young Sister
- **Runtime:** 1h 40m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 28 June 2024
- **Genres:** Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
- **Part of:** [A Quiet Place](https://film.one/collections/a-quiet-place.md) · 3 of 3
- **Budget:** $67 million
- **Box office:** $262 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-WIb4ATfT8

## Where to watch in the US

- Paramount+: streaming
- Netflix: streaming
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $16.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, UA, US, VN. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *A Quiet Place* (2018), Fi1m 82: The farmhouse original, where the silence rule was new and the family was the point. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-quiet-place.md)
- *Pig* (2021), Fi1m 82: Sarnoski’s first film, Nicolas Cage and a stolen truffle pig, quieter and stranger than it sounds. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/pig.md)
- *Cloverfield* (2008): Manhattan comes down around a handful of frightened people who never see the whole monster.
- *Ikiru* (1952), Fi1m 92: Kurosawa’s dying clerk decides what one last thing to do with the time left. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md)
- *Miracle Mile* (1988): One night in Los Angeles, one phone call, and a city with an hour to live.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/a-quiet-place-day-one