Civil War (film)

A civil war has engulfed the United States. An authoritarian federal government, led by a third-term president, is embattled by three secessionist movements. Despite the president claiming victory is imminent, it is widely expected that Washington, D.C., will soon be reached by the "Western Forces" (WF) led by Texas and California. After surviving a suicide bombing in New York City, jaded veteran war photographer Lee Smith and journalist colleague Joel from Reuters meet with their mentor Sammy, a New York Times reporter, to share their plan to interview the isolated president. While trying to dissuade them from heading to the capital, Sammy joins them to reach the front line at Charlottesville, Virginia. The following day, Lee finds Joel has allowed a young aspiring photojournalist whom Lee encountered at the bombing, Jessie Collin, to join them.

After departing the city, the group stops at a gas station protected by armed men. Jessie explores a nearby car wash, where she finds the men torturing two alleged looters. One of the guards follows Jessie, but Lee defuses the situation by taking a photo of the man posing with his victims. Later, Jessie berates herself for being too scared to take photos.

Following an overnight stop near ongoing fighting, the group documents combat the next day as secessionist militiamen successfully assault a loyalist-held building. Lee recognizes Jessie's potential as a war photographer and begins to mentor her, while Jessie photographs the secessionists executing prisoners. The group spends the night at a refugee camp before passing through a small town where, under watchful guard, residents attempt to live in blissful ignorance of the war.

Later, they are caught in a sniper battle amid the remains of a Christmas fair. Nearby snipers mock Joel's questioning of what side they are fighting for or against, instead summarizing the situation as killing those trying to kill them. Jessie's nerve and photography skills improve as she becomes increasingly desensitized to violence. Jessie asks if Lee would photograph Jessie being killed, to which Lee responds in the affirmative.

While driving, the four encounter two foreign reporters they know, Tony and Bohai. Tony and Jessie switch vehicles before Bohai drives off ahead with Jessie in his car. The others catch up to find the pair held at gunpoint by unknown uniformed militia who are burying nonwhite civilians in a mass grave. Sammy stays behind as the other three approach to attempt to negotiate their release, but the leader of the militia executes both Bohai and Tony for not being "American". Sammy saves the others after he rams the group's truck into members of the militia, but is mortally wounded in doing so.

Traumatized, the remaining trio arrive at the Charlottesville WF base and find most of the remaining loyalists have surrendered, leaving Washington, D.C., undefended outside of fanatical remnants of the armed forces and Secret Service. Joel drunkenly lashes out at what he views as Sammy's pointless death, while Lee tries to console Jessie that Sammy would've liked to die on the job. Lee finds herself unable to document Sammy's death, quickly deleting a photo she took of his body.

The trio embed themselves with the WF as they assault D.C., where Jessie repeatedly endangers herself during fighting to capture photographs, while Lee struggles with combat fatigue. When the WF breaches the White House's fortified perimeter, the presidential limousine flees but is quickly intercepted, and its occupants are killed. Understanding it as a distraction, Lee leads the trio inside the White House with five WF soldiers.

Advancing through the primarily abandoned building, an abortive attempt by the few remaining Secret Service agents still guarding the president to negotiate his surrender and safe passage turns into a firefight. Jessie steps into the line of fire while taking photos, capturing Lee's death as she pushes Jessie to safety. Jessie unemotionally continues into the Oval Office, watching soldiers drag the president from under his desk and prepare to summarily execute him. Joel momentarily stops them to get a quote from the president, who replies, "Don't let them kill me." Satisfied, Joel stops delaying the soldiers, before Jessie photographs WF soldiers posing with the president's corpse.

{{Cast listing|

• Kirsten Dunst as Lee Smith, a war photojournalist from Colorado. She is said to be the youngest member of the Magnum Photos cooperative. Her first name is a reference to World War II photojournalist Lee Miller.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/civil-war-lee-miller-war-photography-1234702641/|title=Famed War Photographer Lee Miller Gets a Surprise Shoutout in New Alex Garland Film Civil War|first=Alex|last=Greenberger|magazine=ARTnews|date=April 12, 2024|access-date=April 17, 2024|archive-date=April 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240417063200/https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/civil-war-lee-miller-war-photography-1234702641/|url-status=live}}
• Wagner Moura as Joel, a Reuters journalist from Florida and Lee's colleague
• Cailee Spaeny as Jessie Collin, an aspiring young photographer from Missouri who accompanies Lee and Joel on their journey
• Stephen McKinley Henderson as Sammy, a veteran journalist for The New York Times and Lee's mentor
• Sonoya Mizuno as Anya, an English TV reporter embedded with the Western Forces' advance on the capital
• Jefferson White as Dave, Anya's cameraman
• Nelson Lee as Tony, a reporter from Hong Kong who is good friends with Lee and Joel
• Karl Glusman as a spotter
• Jin Ha as a sniper
• Jonica T. Gibbs as a Western Forces White House sergeant
• Juani Feliz as Joy Butler, a Secret Service agent
• James Yaegashi as a secessionist corporal
• Evan Lai as Bohai, a foreign reporter who is a colleague of Tony
• Greg Hill as Pete, a gas station employee
• Edmund Donovan as Eddie, a gas station employee
• Nick Offerman as the President of the United States

}}

Additional cast members include Jared Shaw, Justin Garza, Brian Philpot, and Tywaun Tornes as the Western Forces soldiers led by the sergeant in storming the White House. Jesse Plemons, Dunst's real-life husband, makes an uncredited appearance as a racist{{cite web |last=Welsh |first=Oli |date=April 20, 2024 |title=Jesse Plemons' Civil War character says the quiet part out loud |url=https://www.polygon.com/24134902/civil-war-jesse-plemons-bodies-scene |access-date=April 21, 2024 |website=Polygon |archive-date=April 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421025344/https://www.polygon.com/24134902/civil-war-jesse-plemons-bodies-scene |url-status=live}} ultranationalist militant.

File:Alex Garland in 2024.jpg wrote Civil War as an allegory for the political climate in the US.]]

In January 2022, Deadline reported that Alex Garland had signed on to write and direct the film for A24 with DNA Films co-producing. Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Cailee Spaeny were confirmed to star.{{cite web |last1=Grobar |first1=Matt |title=Alex Garland Reteams With A24 For Action Epic Civil War; Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura & More Set To Star |url=https://deadline.com/2022/01/civil-war-kirsten-dunst-more-to-star-in-alex-garland-a24-film-1234917411/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=21 January 2022 |date=January 21, 2022 |archive-date=April 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418080027/https://deadline.com/2022/01/civil-war-kirsten-dunst-more-to-star-in-alex-garland-a24-film-1234917411/ |url-status=live}} In April, Karl Glusman was announced{{by whom|date=April 2024}} as part of the cast.{{cite web |last1=Russell |first1=Calum |title=Why Kirsten Dunst feels disillusioned with Hollywood |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/kirsten-dunst-disillusioned-with-hollywood/ |website=Far Out Magazine |access-date=19 June 2022 |date=April 30, 2022 |archive-date=November 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124131256/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/kirsten-dunst-disillusioned-with-hollywood/ |url-status=live}} In a May interview with The Daily Telegraph, Garland described the film as a companion piece to his 2022 film Men, and said it is "set at an indeterminate point in the future—just far enough ahead for me to add a conceit—and serves as a sci-fi allegory for our currently polarized predicament". In the same interview, Sonoya Mizuno was revealed as part of the cast, having appeared in all of Garland's previous films.{{cite web |last1=Collin |first1=Robbie |title=Ex Machina{{'}}s Alex Garland: 'If I did a Marvel movie, it would be a disaster' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/ex-machinas-alex-garland-did-marvel-movie-would-disaster/ |website=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=19 June 2022 |date=28 May 2022 |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619041522/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/ex-machinas-alex-garland-did-marvel-movie-would-disaster/ |url-status=live}} Jesse Plemons, Dunst's husband, was cast in the uncredited role at Dunst's suggestion after the originally cast actor became unavailable a few days before shooting began. Garland called Plemons' availability "a stunning bit of good luck".{{cite web |last1=Mount |first1=Paul |title=Civil War |url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/civil-war/ |website=Starburst |access-date=April 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240415185750/https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/civil-war/ |archive-date=April 15, 2024 |date=April 14, 2024 |url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-04-12/la-et-civil-war-jesse-plemons-kirst-dunst-cailee-spaeny-alex-garland|title=Inside the most unnerving scene in Civil War: 'It was a stunning bit of good luck'|last=Olsen|first=Mark|date=April 12, 2024|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=April 18, 2024|archive-date=April 18, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418005810/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-04-12/la-et-civil-war-jesse-plemons-kirst-dunst-cailee-spaeny-alex-garland|url-status=live}}

Principal photography began in Atlanta on March 15, 2022, under the code name Road Trip.{{cite web |title=Civil War |url=https://productionlist.com/production/civil-war/ |website=Production List |publisher=Film & Television Industry Alliance |date=21 February 2022 |access-date=6 April 2022 |archive-date=February 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215044820/https://productionlist.com/production/civil-war/ |url-status=live}}{{cite instagram|postid=CbbUNKUuQQq|title=Nothing civil in war|first=Rob|last=Hardy|author-link=Rob Hardy (cinematographer)|user=rdhardy|date=March 22, 2022|access-date=May 4, 2022|archive-date=January 3, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103173648/https://www.instagram.com/p/CbbUNKUuQQq/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Wilfon |first1=Justin |title=Explosions, gunfire all night on movie set keeping Stone Mountain neighbors awake |url=https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/dekalb-county/explosions-gunfire-all-night-movie-set-keeping-stone-mountain-neighbors-awake/V3AL5LJ4QRGV5JHAFKHXNRLQGA/ |publisher=WSB-TV |access-date=2 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509234945/https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/dekalb-county/explosions-gunfire-all-night-movie-set-keeping-stone-mountain-neighbors-awake/V3AL5LJ4QRGV5JHAFKHXNRLQGA/ |archive-date=9 May 2024 |language=en-US |date=12 May 2022}} By May, production had moved to London.{{cite web |last1=Lattanzio |first1=Ryan |title=Alex Garland Knows He's Made the Most Inscrutable Movie of His Career with Men |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/05/men-alex-garland-interview-a24-horror-movie-jessie-buckley-1234725238/ |publisher=IndieWire |access-date=June 19, 2022 |date=May 17, 2022 |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619040606/https://www.indiewire.com/2022/05/men-alex-garland-interview-a24-horror-movie-jessie-buckley-1234725238/ |url-status=live}} The production budget for Civil War was $50 million, making it A24's most expensive film at the time.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/breaking-news/alex-garland-civil-war-running-time-not-195-minutes-1234938927/|title=Alex Garland's Civil War Is Not 195 Minutes Long Despite Reports|publisher=IndieWire|first=Brian|last=Welk|date=December 28, 2023|access-date=December 28, 2023|archive-date=December 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228190306/https://www.indiewire.com/news/breaking-news/alex-garland-civil-war-running-time-not-195-minutes-1234938927/|url-status=live}} It was shot partially on the prosumer DJI Ronin 4D camera.{{cite magazine |last=Mendelovich |first=Yossy |date=2024-03-25 |title=Civil War: Filmed for IMAX on the DJI Ronin 4D and Sony VENICE 2 |url=https://ymcinema.com/2024/03/25/civil-war-filmed-for-imax-on-the-dji-ronin-4d/ |access-date=April 12, 2024 |magazine=Y.M.Cinema Magazine |archive-date=April 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408063345/https://ymcinema.com/2024/03/25/civil-war-filmed-for-imax-on-the-dji-ronin-4d/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Alex Garland Talks About Shooting Civil War on the DJI Ronin 4D at SXSW |url=https://nofilmschool.com/civil-war-ronin-4d |access-date=April 12, 2024 |website=No Film School |archive-date=March 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322164303/https://nofilmschool.com/civil-war-ronin-4d |url-status=live}} The film's Washington D.C.–based finale required months of planning, with Alex Garland and cinematographer Rob Hardy holding a series of roundtable discussions with production designer Caty Maxey, VFX supervisor David Simpson,{{cite web |last=Taylor |first=Drew |date=2024-04-23 |title=Civil War: Learn How They Pulled Off the Washington, D.C., Battle |url=https://www.thewrap.com/civil-war-visual-effects-breakdown-a24-interview/ |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US |archive-date=April 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426160848/https://www.thewrap.com/civil-war-visual-effects-breakdown-a24-interview/ |url-status=live}} military supervisor Ray Mendoza and stunt coordinator Jeff Dashnaw.{{cite web |last=Kring-Schreifels |first=Jake |date=2024-04-16 |title=How 'Civil War' Staged an Attack on Washington, D.C. |url=https://www.theringer.com/movies/2024/4/16/24131236/civil-war-movie-ending-washington-dc-attack |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509234830/https://www.theringer.com/movies/2024/4/16/24131236/civil-war-movie-ending-washington-dc-attack |archive-date=May 9, 2024 |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=The Ringer |language=en-US}}{{cite news |last=Zuckerman |first=Esther |date=2024-04-16 |title=How They Pulled Off the Ending to 'Civil War' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/movies/civil-war-ending.html |access-date=2024-04-26 |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430001828/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/movies/civil-war-ending.html |url-status=live}} The scenes in the Washington streets were filmed in Stone Mountain, Georgia, while the White House sequences were filmed at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. In a March 2024 interview with The Guardian, Garland stated that after Civil War, he intends to step back from directing and focus only on writing.{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Ellen E. |date=March 30, 2024 |title=Civil War film-maker Alex Garland: 'In the US and UK there's a lot to be very concerned about' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/30/alex-garland-civil-war-interview |access-date=April 1, 2024 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=April 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401183632/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/30/alex-garland-civil-war-interview |url-status=live}}

Film editor Jake Roberts and sound editor Glenn Freemantle{{cite web |last=Gajewski |first=Ryan |date=2024-04-15 |title='Civil War' Sound Editor on Balancing 'Oppressive' Battle Noise With Abrupt Silence |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/civil-war-sound-editor-glenn-freemantle-movie-interview-1235873854/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509234803/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/civil-war-sound-editor-glenn-freemantle-movie-interview-1235873854/ |archive-date=May 9, 2024 |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} re-team with Alex Garland, as does VFX supervisor David Simpson with Framestore. Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow composed the original score for the film.{{Cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/civil-war-movie-soundtrack-song-guide/ |title=Civil War Soundtrack Guide: Every Song In A24's Movie |website=Screen Rant |first=Lynn |last=Sharpe |date=June 1, 2024 |access-date=October 20, 2024}} Silver Apples' "Lovefingers", Suicide's "Rocket USA", De La Soul's "Say No Go", Skid Row's "Sweet Little Sister", Sturgill Simpson's "Breakers Roar", and Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" were used in the film.{{Cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/civil-war-a24-soundtrack-all-the-songs/ |title=All the Songs in A24's 'Civil War' |website=TheWrap |first=Drew |last=Taylor |date=April 12, 2024 |access-date=October 20, 2024}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/civil-war-soundtrack/ |title=Civil War soundtrack: Full list of songs in the Alex Garland movie |website=Radio Times |first=Toby |last=Saunders |date=April 16, 2024 |access-date=October 20, 2024}}

File:2024-03-14 SXSW Civil-War 08952.jpg

Civil War had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 14, 2024, with favorable reactions from the audience and positive reviews from critics.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/a24-civil-war-kristen-dunst-sxsw-surprise-screening-1235919414/|title=A24's Action Thriller Civil War, Starring Kirsten Dunst, to Premiere at SXSW|website=Variety|first=Rebecca|last=Rubin|date=February 22, 2024|access-date=February 22, 2024|archive-date=February 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240222214336/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/a24-civil-war-kristen-dunst-sxsw-surprise-screening-1235919414/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |first2=James |last2=Hibberd |last1=Galuppo |first1=Mia |date=2024-03-15 |title=Civil War First Reactions From Premiere: 'Scary as Hell Cautionary Tale' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/civil-war-reviews-sxsw-premiere-1235851419/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=March 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315131529/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/civil-war-reviews-sxsw-premiere-1235851419/ |url-status=live}} The film was previously scheduled to be released on April 26, 2024.{{cite web|last=Grobar|first=Matt|title=Civil War Trailer & Release Date: America Becomes A Battleground In Alex Garland's A24 Pic Starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura & Cailee Spaeny|url=https://deadline.com/video/civil-war-movie-trailer-release-date-a24/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=December 13, 2023|access-date=December 13, 2023|archive-date=December 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213140340/https://deadline.com/video/civil-war-movie-trailer-release-date-a24/|url-status=live}}{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/civil-war-imax-preview-hereditary-1235851601/ |author=McClintock, Pamela| title=Civil War: A24 and Imax to Offer Sneak Peek of Alex Garland's Film as Part of New Screening Program | website=The Hollywood Reporter | date=March 13, 2024 | access-date=April 2, 2024 | archive-date=April 2, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402042740/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/civil-war-imax-preview-hereditary-1235851601/ | url-status=live}} It was screened at the BFI IMAX in London on April 11, 2024, and received a wide release on April 12, 2024, in the United States by A24 and in the United Kingdom by Entertainment Film, with engagements in IMAX and Dolby Cinema.{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/kirsten-dunst-alex-garland-civil-war|publisher=British Film Institute|title=Kirsten Dunst and Alex Garland on Civil War: "I don't feel any need to add to the number of films that spell everything out"|access-date=May 3, 2024|date=April 11, 2024|last=Thomas|first=Lou|archive-date=May 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502164224/https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/kirsten-dunst-alex-garland-civil-war|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://filmdistributorsassociation.com/release-schedule/all-future-releases/|title=All Future Releases|publisher=Film Distributors Association|access-date=3 January 2024|archive-date=November 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121164739/https://filmdistributorsassociation.com/release-schedule/all-future-releases/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/civil-war-alex-garland-kirsten-dunst-release-date-new-1235795941/|title=A24's Alex Garland Civil War Shifts Earlier In April|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=January 18, 2024|access-date=January 18, 2024|archive-date=January 21, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121062919/https://deadline.com/2024/01/civil-war-alex-garland-kirsten-dunst-release-date-new-1235795941/|url-status=live}} The film was released in mainland China on June 7, 2024.{{cite web |title='Civil War' Set for Mainland China Theatrical Release |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/civil-war-china-theatrical-release-1236003938/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=Variety |date=2024-05-15 |archive-date=May 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527081635/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/civil-war-china-theatrical-release-1236003938/ |url-status=live|author=Frater, Patrick}} It was released through video on demand on May 24, 2024,{{cite web |last=Earl |first=William |date=2024-05-15 |title=A24's Civil War Sets Digital Release Date After Box Office Success |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/civil-war-how-to-watch-online-1236004513/ |access-date=2024-05-15 |website=Variety |archive-date=May 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515234441/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/civil-war-how-to-watch-online-1236004513/ |url-status=live}} and Blu-ray, DVD, and Ultra HD Blu-ray on July 9, 2024 by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.{{cite web |last=Latchem |first=John |date=2024-07-09 |title=July 9 New Releases Include 'Civil War,' 'Challengers,' 'Abigail' on Disc, 'Apes,' 'Garfield' Digitally |url=https://www.mediaplaynews.com/july-9-new-releases-include-civil-war-challengers-abigail-on-disc-apes-garfield-digitally/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Media Play News |language=en-US}} It was also invited to Open Cinema at the 29th Busan International Film Festival and would be screened at the outdoor theater in October 2024.{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/busan-film-festival-program-funding-cut-1236127897/ |title= Busan Film Festival Sets Park Chan-wook Scripted Netflix Title 'Uprising' as Opener, Expands Program Despite Slashed Funding|author= Patrick Frater |work= Variety|date= 3 September 2024 |access-date= 7 September 2024 |language=en}}

On April 17, 2024, A24 promoted the film on Instagram by posting five images created by artificial intelligence (AI), each showing a different American city in postapocalyptic disarray. The images were criticized for inaccurately depicting certain cityscapes: the AI-generated image of Chicago wrongfully represented the Marina City apartment complex, with its buildings being separated by a non-existent island on the Chicago River. In real life, the buildings are located directly next to each other.{{cite web |last=Vlamis |first=Kelsey |title=The seemingly AI-generated ads for 'Civil War,' A24's most expensive film, are laughable — especially if you're from Chicago |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/a24-ai-generated-ads-civil-war-movie-mocked-backlash-chicago-2024-4 |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US |archive-date=April 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240428052430/https://www.businessinsider.com/a24-ai-generated-ads-civil-war-movie-mocked-backlash-chicago-2024-4 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Roche |first=Barbara |date=2024-04-23 |title=Movie poster for 'Civil War' is being blasted by Chicagoans |url=https://reelchicago.com/article/movie-poster-for-civil-war-is-being-blasted-by-chicagoans/ |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Reel Chicago News |language=en-US |archive-date=May 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509234645/https://reelchicago.com/article/movie-poster-for-civil-war-is-being-blasted-by-chicagoans/ |url-status=live}} A source connected to the film confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that they were "AI images inspired by the movie. The entire movie is a big 'what if' and so we wanted to continue that thought on social — powerful imagery of iconic landmarks with that dystopian realism."{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/a24-ai-civil-war-posters-1234975526/|title=People Aren't Thrilled A24 Made AI-Generated Posters for Civil War|date=April 18, 2024|first=Brian|last=Welk|publisher=IndieWire|access-date=April 22, 2024|archive-date=April 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422081401/https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/a24-ai-civil-war-posters-1234975526/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/a24-civil-war-posters-controversy-1235876340/|title=A24's New AI-Generated Civil War Ads Generate Controversy|date=April 17, 2024|first=James|last=Hibberd|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=April 22, 2024|archive-date=April 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422062403/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/a24-civil-war-posters-controversy-1235876340/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/vip/civil-war-record-opening-a24-competition-abigail-1235976000/|title=Civil War Record Opening Leaves A24 With More to Prove|date=April 19, 2024|first=Kaare|last=Eriksen|website=Variety|access-date=April 22, 2024|archive-date=April 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422132611/https://variety.com/vip/civil-war-record-opening-a24-competition-abigail-1235976000/|url-status=live}}

Civil War grossed $68.7 million in the United States and Canada and $58.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $127.3 million. In the United States and Canada, the film was projected to gross $18–24 million from 3,838 theaters (the widest-ever R-rated release by an independent studio) in its opening weekend.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/03/civil-war-box-office-opening-1235864906/|title=A24's Civil War Plotting $18M-$24M Opening Boosted By Imax – Box Office Preview|date=March 21, 2024|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=March 28, 2024|archive-date=May 9, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509234813/https://deadline.com/2024/03/civil-war-box-office-opening-1235864906/|url-status=live}} The film made $10.8 million on its first day, including $2.9 million from Thursday night previews (a record for an A24 release). It went on to debut to $25.7 million, surpassing Hereditary as the biggest opening weekend in A24's history as well as the studio's first film to top the box office.{{cite web |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |title=Civil War Takes Box Office Spoils With $25.7M Opening, Best Ever For A24 – Sunday AM Update |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/box-office-civil-war-1235882968/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=April 14, 2024 |date=April 14, 2024 |archive-date=April 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413182039/https://deadline.com/2024/04/box-office-civil-war-1235882968/ |url-status=live}} The opening weekend audience skewed male at 63%, while 57% of attendees were between ages 18–34. IMAX contributed over 16% of the opening weekend gross, with the main reasons given for seeing the film being its subject matter, the action, and a general interest in indie films (each grouping made up a third of the audience, with the former narrowly higher).{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/civil-war-red-states-and-blue-states-1235875216/|title=Civil War Unites Audiences from Red and Blue States|date=April 16, 2024|first=Pamela|last=McClintock|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=April 16, 2024|archive-date=April 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416204335/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/civil-war-red-states-and-blue-states-1235875216/|url-status=live}}

In its second weekend the film made $11.1 million (a 56% drop), remaining in first place, before falling to fourth place in its third weekend with $7 million.{{cite web |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |title='Civil War' Brings Audiences Together With $11M+ Second Weekend Win – Sunday AM Box Office Update |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/box-office-abigail-civil-war-ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-1235890123/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=April 21, 2024 |date=April 21, 2024 |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420215228/https://deadline.com/2024/04/box-office-abigail-civil-war-ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-1235890123/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=April 28, 2024 |title='Challengers' Serves Biggest U.S. Opening To Luca Guadagnino At $15M; Best For Zendaya Live-Action Non-IP Pic – Sunday AM Update |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/box-office-challengers-zendaya-1235896116/ |access-date=April 28, 2024 |website=Deadline Hollywood |archive-date=April 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240428011921/https://deadline.com/2024/04/box-office-challengers-zendaya-1235896116/ |url-status=live}} Variety noted that, despite its U.S.-centric subject matter, Civil War performed well in several markets outside the United States. This includes the United Kingdom, where it grossed $7.9 million as of May 19, and the Netherlands, where it reached ticket sales of $750,000. The film additionally opened in first place at the box office in Brazil, Spain, Belgium, Finland, and Portugal.{{cite web |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=2024-04-23 |title=A24's 'Civil War' Crosses $70 Million Globally |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/box-office/a24-civil-war-box-office-70-million-globally-1235979224/ |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=April 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240427183710/https://variety.com/2024/film/box-office/a24-civil-war-box-office-70-million-globally-1235979224/ |url-status=live}}

File:2024-03-14 SXSW Civil-War 1 (cropped).jpg

{{RT data|prose|consensus=Tough and unsettling by design, Civil War is a gripping close-up look at the violent uncertainty of life in a nation in crisis.|ref=yes}} {{MC film|75|64|ref=yes|access-date=2025-01-05}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B-" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 76% overall positive score and a 53% "definite recommend".{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=2024-04-14 |title=‘Civil War’ Takes Box Office Spoils With $25.7M Opening, Best Ever For A24 – Sunday AM Update |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/box-office-civil-war-1235882968/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US}}

Following the SXSW premiere, Rotten Tomatoes noted that critics called the film "a gorgeously shot cautionary tale full of big ideas and a fantastic performance by Kirsten Dunst, but it may surprise some viewers." Critics praised the "beauty and intensity of the dystopian drama" while noting its "potential for controversy and disappointment" due to the effectiveness of its messages.{{cite web |last=Campbell |first=Christopher |title=Civil War First Reviews: Haunting, Thought-Provoking, and Probably Not What You Think It Is |url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/civil-war-first-reviews-haunting-thought-provoking-and-probably-not-what-you-think-it-is/ |access-date=March 15, 2024 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |archive-date=May 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509234800/https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/civil-war-first-reviews-haunting-thought-provoking-and-probably-not-what-you-think-it-is/ |url-status=live}}

In a positive review, Peter Debruge of Variety wrote: "Garland's the last person to suggest a group hug. As statements go, his powerful vision leaves us shaken, effectively repeating the question that quelled the L.A. riots: Can we all get along?"{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/civil-war-review-1235942401/ |title=Civil War Review: Alex Garland Tears America Apart, Counting on Divided Audiences to Prevent His Worst-Case Horror Show |last=Debruge |first=Peter |website=Variety |date=March 14, 2024 |access-date=March 15, 2024 |archive-date=March 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315044005/https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/civil-war-review-1235942401/ |url-status=live}} Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for RogerEbert.com, compared Civil War to films about "Western journalists covering the collapse of foreign countries", such as The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) and Welcome to Sarajevo (1997), ultimately praising the film as "furiously convincing and disturbing".{{cite web |last=Zoller Seitz |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Zoller Seitz |title=Civil War |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/civil-war-movie-review-2024 |website=RogerEbert.com |date=April 10, 2024 |access-date=April 10, 2024 |archive-date=April 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240409163107/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/civil-war-movie-review-2024 |url-status=live}} Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a positive review, writing: "With the precision and length of its violent battle sequences, it's clear Civil War operates as a clarion call. Garland wrote the film in 2020 as he watched cogs on America's self-mythologizing exceptionalist machine turn, propelling the nation into a nightmare. With this latest film, he sounds the alarm, wondering less about how a country walks blindly into its own destruction and more about what happens when it does."{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/civil-war-review-kirsten-dunst-alex-garland-1235852455/ |title=Civil War Review: Alex Garland's Dystopian Thriller Starring Kirsten Dunst Stimulates the Intellect, if Not the Emotions |last=Gyarkye |first=Lovia |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=March 14, 2024 |access-date=March 15, 2024 |archive-date=March 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315045145/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/civil-war-review-kirsten-dunst-alex-garland-1235852455/ |url-status=live}} Manohla Dargis of The New York Times echoed the sentiment, writing: "Rarely have I seen a movie that made me so acutely uncomfortable or watched an actor's face that, like Dunst's, expressed a nation's soul-sickness so vividly that it felt like an X-ray."{{cite news |title=Civil War Review: We Have Met the Enemy and It Is Us. Again. |date=April 11, 2024 |last=Dargis |first=Manohla |author-link=Manohla Dargis |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/movies/civil-war-review.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=April 18, 2024 |archive-date=April 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418180524/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/movies/civil-war-review.html |url-status=live}}

Some critics had mixed reactions. The Washington Post{{'}}s Amy Nicholson described the film as "coldly, deliberately incurious about the combatants and the victims", but also wrote "the film feels poetically, deeply true, even when it's suggesting that humans are more apt to tear one another apart for petty grievances than over a sincere defense of some kind of principles".{{cite news |last=Nicholson |first=Amy |date=April 10, 2024 |title=Civil War beholds the rockets' red glare but not real-world divisions |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/04/10/civil-war-alex-garland-review/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite news |last=Zilberman |first=Alan |title=Civil War, Independence Day, and Hollywood's tradition of blowing up D.C. |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 17, 2024 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/04/17/civil-war-washington-destroyed/ |access-date=April 19, 2024 |archive-date=April 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240417214035/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/04/17/civil-war-washington-destroyed/ |url-status=live}} Valerie Complex of Deadline Hollywood offered negative comments, writing: "The script's utilization of characters of color as conduits for brutality needed to be explored further ... Ultimately, Civil War feels like a missed opportunity. The director's vision of a fractured America, embroiled in conflict, holds the potential for introspection on our current societal divisions. However, the film's execution, hampered by thin characterization, a lackluster narrative and an overreliance on spectacle over substance, left me disengaged."{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2024/03/civil-war-review-alex-garlands-journey-through-desolation-loses-its-way-sxsw-1235859621/ |title=Civil War Review: Alex Garland's Journey Through War's Desolation Loses Its Way – SXSW |last=Complex |first=Valerie |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=March 15, 2024 |access-date=April 12, 2024 |archive-date=April 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240412210922/https://deadline.com/2024/03/civil-war-review-alex-garlands-journey-through-desolation-loses-its-way-sxsw-1235859621/ |url-status=live}}

Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post observed: "Civil War{{'}}s shtick is that it's not specifically political. For instance, as the US devolves into enemy groups of secessionist states, Texas and California have banded together to form the Western Forces. That such an alliance could ever occur is about as likely as [a] Sweetgreen/Kentucky Fried Chicken combo restaurant."{{cite news |url=https://nypost.com/2024/04/12/entertainment/civil-war-review-a-torturous-overrated-movie-without-a-point/ |title=Civil War review: A torturous, overrated movie without a point |last=Oleksinski |first=Johnny |newspaper=New York Post |date=April 12, 2024 |access-date=April 12, 2024 |archive-date=April 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414101009/https://nypost.com/2024/04/12/entertainment/civil-war-review-a-torturous-overrated-movie-without-a-point/ |url-status=live}} Eisa Nefertari Ulen, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, also found that the film, despite being "otherwise solid", was partially missing its point, stating: "Casablanca endures because it spoke to a moment as 'crazy and mixed-up' as this one, and nudged the country away from its isolationist inaction. Civil War does not resonate like that classic, because it does not explicitly address this moment. We as a people cannot fix a problem we cannot name."{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/civil-war-controversy-alex-garland-kirsten-dunst-politics-1235876949/ |title=Critic's Notebook: The Compellingly Packaged Cowardice of Civil War |last=Nefertari Ulen |first=Eisa |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=April 18, 2024 |access-date=April 22, 2024 |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422081804/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/civil-war-controversy-alex-garland-kirsten-dunst-politics-1235876949/ |url-status=live}}

Stephanie Zacharek of Time observed: "Civil War has the vibe of your standard desolate zombie movie with a modern American backdrop, but it's far less effective than your average George A. Romero project: sometimes a B movie with a sense of humor about itself says more about a nation's despair than an overserious, breast-beating one ... Do we really need a movie to invent, and rub our noses in, the possibility of a bleaker future?"{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/6966037/civil-war-review/ |title=Alex Garland's Civil War Works Overtime to Make Its Over-Obvious Points |last=Zacharek |first=Stephanie |author-link=Stephanie Zacharek |magazine=Time |date=April 12, 2024 |access-date=April 12, 2024 |archive-date=April 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240412110133/https://time.com/6966037/civil-war-review/ |url-status=live}} Filmmakers Lena Dunham, Hannah Fidell, William Goldenberg, Matt Johnson, Lance Oppenheim, Daniel Scheinert, Nicholas Stoller, and Nacho Vigalondo all cited Civil War as among their favorite films of 2024, with Goldenberg calling it an "all-too-real look at our possible future".{{cite news |last1=O'Flat |first1=Chris |title=65 Directors Pick Their Favorite Films of 2024 |url=https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/directors-pick-best-films-2024/ |access-date=30 December 2024 |work=IndieWire |date=30 December 2024}} The film received both praise and criticism for its approach to contemporary political themes, including concerns of democratic decline and increased political polarization.{{cite web |last1=Rooney |first1=David |last2=Gyarkye |first2=Lovia |date=April 24, 2024 |title=Critics' Conversation: Civil War and Civic Anxiety |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/civil-war-debate-alex-garland-kirsten-dunst-trump-election-critics-1235879241/ |access-date=April 28, 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=April 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240428064024/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/civil-war-debate-alex-garland-kirsten-dunst-trump-election-critics-1235879241/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Beauchamp |first=Zack |date=April 11, 2024 |title=Civil War has little to say about America — but a lot to say about war |url=https://www.vox.com/politics/24127680/civil-war-review-alex-garland-polarization-violence |access-date=April 28, 2024 |website=Vox |language=en-US |archive-date=April 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240428064024/https://www.vox.com/politics/24127680/civil-war-review-alex-garland-polarization-violence |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Butt |first=Thomas |date=April 18, 2024 |title=Civil War{{'}}s Apolitical Stance is Making People Angry for All the Wrong Reasons |url=https://collider.com/civil-war-movie-politics-alex-garland/ |access-date=April 28, 2024 |website=Collider |language=en-US |archive-date=April 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430115158/https://collider.com/civil-war-movie-politics-alex-garland/ |url-status=live}}

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Category:4DX films

Category:2020s American films

Category:2020s British films

Category:2020s dystopian films

Category:2020s English-language films

Category:2020s road movies

Category:2020s action thriller films

Category:A24 (company) films

Category:Advertising and marketing controversies in film

Category:American dystopian films

Category:American action thriller films

Category:British dystopian films

Category:British thriller films

Category:DNA Films films

Category:Films about fictional presidents of the United States

Category:Films about rebellions

Category:Films about war photographers

Category:Films directed by Alex Garland

Category:Films produced by Andrew Macdonald

Category:Films produced by Gregory Goodman

Category:Films scored by Ben Salisbury

Category:Films scored by Geoff Barrow

Category:Films set in the future

Category:Films set in Virginia

Category:Films set in the White House

Category:Films shot in Atlanta

Category:Films shot in London

Category:Films with screenplays by Alex Garland

Category:IMAX films

Category:Second American Civil War speculative fiction

Category:English-language thriller films

Category:Films about war correspondents

Category:Films about war crimes