Open Water (film series)

Open Water is a survival horror thriller film series, inspired by the real-life disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan. The overall plot centers around individuals who are stranded in the ocean and must fight to survive the hours alone.

Initially developed as minimalist oceanic survival films, Lionsgate expanded upon the individual scripts to create the series of films. The first film was a massive financial and critical success, with film critics praising its minimalistic filmmaking. Though developed as a drama which fictionalized adaptation of the disappearance of the Lonergans, the studio marketed the movie with horror genre tactics; something that modern analysis attributes to some of its success, with some calling Open Water "the most terrifying shark movie ever made", and "the scariest horror movie based on a true story". The sequels were met with mixed-at-best and poor respective critical reception, while both fared well overall financially.