{ "id": "epq6b5742c", "slug": "damsel-2024-film", "title": "Damsel (2024 film)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.fantasy-films-of-the-2020s", "label": "Fantasy films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.fantasy-films-of-the-2020s" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.fantasy-films-of-the-2020s", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: Fantasy films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.fantasy-films-of-the-2020s", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.fantasy-films-of-the-2020s", "label": "Fantasy films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.fantasy-films-of-the-2020s" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Damsel is a 2024 Netflix dark fantasy film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, starring Millie Bobby Brown as Elodie, a princess sacrificed to a dragon who must save herself; Netflix's most-watched film of 2024.", "snippet": "Damsel is a 2024 Netflix dark fantasy film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, starring Millie Bobby Brown as Elodie, a princess sacrificed to a dragon who must save herself; Netflix's most-watched film of 2024.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.fantasy-films-of-the-2020s", "markdown": "# Damsel (2024 film)\n\n**Damsel** is a 2024 American dark fantasy adventure film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and written by Dan Mazeau, in which a young woman's marriage to a charming prince turns into a fight for survival when she is offered up as a sacrifice to a fire-breathing dragon.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/) It stars [Millie Bobby Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/millie-bobby-brown) as Elodie, supported by [Ray Winstone](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-winstone), Robin Wright, Angela Bassett, Nick Robinson, and [Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://www.edgepedia.org/shohreh-aghdashloo), and was released on Netflix on March 8, 2024.[2](https://www.netflix.com/title/80991090)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | Netflix, March 8, 2024, coinciding with International Women's Day[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/) • [3](https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/688716-rewriting-the-damsels-fate-a-deconstruct-903344a3.pdf) |\n| Director and writer | Juan Carlos Fresnadillo; screenplay by Dan Mazeau[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/) |\n| Lead cast | Millie Bobby Brown (Elodie), Ray Winstone, Robin Wright, Angela Bassett, Nick Robinson, Shohreh Aghdashloo[2](https://www.netflix.com/title/80991090) |\n| Premise | A dutiful damsel agrees to marry a prince, then discovers the royal family recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/) |\n| Budget | About 70 million[4](https://elpais.com/cultura/2025-03-22/millie-bobby-brown-la-estrella-del-algoritmo-de-netflix-que-vive-en-una-granja-lejos-de-hollywood-con-mas-de-45-animales.html) |\n| Viewership | Debuted to 35.3 million views, grew to 50.8 million in its second week and 19.5 million in its third[5](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/netflix-kpop-wrap.pdf) |\n| Reception | Metascore 46 from 28 critic reviews; 56% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 126 reviews and 59% from audiences[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/damsel_2023) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and premise\n\nElodie, a dutiful young woman, agrees to marry a handsome prince. The marriage is a trap: the royal family recruits her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt, and she is thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, where she must rely on her wits and will to survive.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/) Brown described the character as \"a damsel who doesn't need to be saved,\" saying the story subverts the expectation that the prince will rescue her.[7](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/damsel-release-date-photos?inapp=true%2F)\n\nFresnadillo told Netflix's Tudum that he wanted to keep the princess-and-dragon framework while turning it upside down, calling the film \"a beautiful story about a young woman becoming a strong, independent, and empowered adult\" with no support around her, a real survival experience.[7](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/damsel-release-date-photos?inapp=true%2F) The Spanish daily [El País](https://www.edgepedia.org/el-pais) noted that the film's vengeful dragon is an old female dragon who speaks, a choice the reviewer criticized as over-explaining.[8](https://elpais.com/cultura/2024-03-08/damsel-millie-bobby-brown-ni-princesa-ni-dragona.html)\n\n## Production\n\nNetflix announced the project in November 2020, when Millie Bobby Brown, fresh from *Enola Holmes* (2020), signed on to star and executive produce.[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13452446/?lang=en) For Fresnadillo, a [Canary Islands](https://www.edgepedia.org/canary-islands)-born director whose short film *Esposados* was Oscar-nominated in 1997 and whose earlier features include *Intacto* (2001), *[28 Weeks Later](https://www.edgepedia.org/28-weeks-later)* (2007), and *Intruders* (2011), the film marked a return to features after 13 years working in Hollywood television.[8](https://elpais.com/cultura/2024-03-08/damsel-millie-bobby-brown-ni-princesa-ni-dragona.html)\n\n**Portugal shoot.** The film was produced in Portugal through a collaboration between Netflix and the production services company PAGE, described by the company as its most monumental project to that point: a crew of over 300 people shot across three Portuguese regions over 17 days.[10](https://lbbonline.com/news/damsel-in-portugal-netflix-and-page-collaborate-on-new-thriller/) Production designer Patrick Tatopoulos said the royal setting was deliberately \"warmer and more flamboyant than the gloomy castles that are typically used for fantasy stories with dragons.\"[11](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/damsel-release-date-photos?inapp=trueOs) Brown performed much of her own stuntwork, and described the on-set cave system as immersive to the point that \"it was hard to scream, because nobody could hear you.\"[11](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/damsel-release-date-photos?inapp=trueOs) • [7](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/damsel-release-date-photos?inapp=true%2F)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response was mixed. The film scored 46 on Metacritic based on 28 critic reviews, with 8 positive, 14 mixed, and 6 negative.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/) On Rotten Tomatoes it holds 56% from 126 reviews, with the critics consensus crediting Brown's \"gutsy performance\" with balancing an underpowered story and occasionally unconvincing effects; the audience score is 59%.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/damsel_2023) Positive reviews included Paste (79), the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) (75), RogerEbert.com (75), and Variety (70); negative ones included IGN (30), which called the script weak and the action repetitive, and The Telegraph (20).[12](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/critic-reviews/) El País criticized Brown's performance while noting the film is strongest in its physical cave-survival sequences.[8](https://elpais.com/cultura/2024-03-08/damsel-millie-bobby-brown-ni-princesa-ni-dragona.html)\n\nReported running times differ across databases: Metacritic lists 1 hour 25 minutes, Rotten Tomatoes 1 hour 47 minutes, Flicks 107 minutes, and a local review 109 minutes.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/damsel_2023) • [13](https://www.flicks.co.uk/movie/damsel-2024/) • [14](https://www.thebeacher.com/2024/ewExternalFiles/BeacherMar21.pdf) The film is rated PG-13 in the United States.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/damsel_2023)\n\n## Viewership and commercial performance\n\n**A Netflix hit.** According to El País, the film cost about 70 million and became the most-watched Netflix film of 2024 and the ninth best debut in the platform's history, with Brown on screen alone for more than 20 minutes as she fights to escape the dragon's cave.[4](https://elpais.com/cultura/2025-03-22/millie-bobby-brown-la-estrella-del-algoritmo-de-netflix-que-vive-en-una-granja-lejos-de-hollywood-con-mas-de-45-animales.html) Netflix's weekly data show it debuted to 35.3 million views, grew to 50.8 million in its second week, fell to 19.5 million in its third, and left the weekly top 10 movie list after its fifth week.[5](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/netflix-kpop-wrap.pdf) The film earned a win and a nomination at the [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards), UK, plus nominations at the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards and the Golden Trailer Awards.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/)\n\n## Themes\n\nAcademic commentary has read the film as a deconstruction of the damsel-in-distress trope, in which the heroine saves herself rather than waiting for rescue, and as part of a broader feminist retelling tradition in fairy-tale narratives.[3](https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/688716-rewriting-the-damsels-fate-a-deconstruct-903344a3.pdf) Reviewers were divided on how deep that subversion goes: RogerEbert.com praised the \"fresh, female-led take on the traditional tale, including a bit of a sisterhood-is-powerful twist near the end,\" while The New York Times argued that a strong female lead alone does not make a movie good.[12](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/critic-reviews/) • [13](https://www.flicks.co.uk/movie/damsel-2024/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Damsel Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/)\n2. [Watch Damsel, Netflix Official Site](https://www.netflix.com/title/80991090)\n3. [Rewriting the Damsel's Fate: A Deconstructive Feminist Analysis of Damsel (2024), Neliti](https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/688716-rewriting-the-damsels-fate-a-deconstruct-903344a3.pdf)\n4. [Millie Bobby Brown, la estrella del algoritmo de Netflix, El País (March 22, 2025)](https://elpais.com/cultura/2025-03-22/millie-bobby-brown-la-estrella-del-algoritmo-de-netflix-que-vive-en-una-granja-lejos-de-hollywood-con-mas-de-45-animales.html)\n5. [Netflix wrap report, Movistar Plus (PDF)](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/netflix-kpop-wrap.pdf)\n6. [Damsel, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/damsel_2023)\n7. [Damsel: Cast, Release Date, Teaser and Plot, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/damsel-release-date-photos?inapp=true%2F)\n8. ['Damsel': Millie Bobby Brown, ni princesa ni dragona, El País (March 8, 2024)](https://elpais.com/cultura/2024-03-08/damsel-millie-bobby-brown-ni-princesa-ni-dragona.html)\n9. [Damsel (2024), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13452446/?lang=en)\n10. ['Damsel' in Portugal: Netflix and PAGE Collaborate on New Thriller, LBBOnline](https://lbbonline.com/news/damsel-in-portugal-netflix-and-page-collaborate-on-new-thriller/)\n11. [Damsel: Who's in the cast, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/damsel-release-date-photos?inapp=trueOs)\n12. [Damsel critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/damsel-2024/critic-reviews/)\n13. [Damsel (2024), Flicks UK](https://www.flicks.co.uk/movie/damsel-2024/)\n14. [The Beacher, March 21, 2024 (PDF)](https://www.thebeacher.com/2024/ewExternalFiles/BeacherMar21.pdf)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2020s › Fantasy films of the 2020s*\n\n*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/damsel-2024-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/damsel-2024-film.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Damsel (2024 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/damsel-2024-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Damsel (2024 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/damsel-2024-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/damsel-2024-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/damsel-2024-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Damsel (2024 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/damsel-2024-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Damsel is a 2024 Netflix dark fantasy film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, starring Millie Bobby Brown as Elodie, a princess sacrificed to a dragon who must save herself; Netflix's most-watched film of 2024." }