# Baywatch (film)
**Baywatch** is a 2017 American action comedy film directed by [Seth Gordon](https://www.edgepedia.org/seth-gordon), based on the television series of the same name that ran from 1989 to 2001. It stars [Dwayne Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/dwayne-johnson) as lifeguard lieutenant [Mitch Buchannon](https://www.edgepedia.org/mitch-buchannon) and Zac Efron as a disgraced Olympic swimmer who joins his elite squad, and it was released in the United States on May 25, 2017.[1](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/baywatch) • [2](https://www.uspa24.com/bericht-pdf-11408.html) The film was a critical and commercial disappointment, grossing $177.9 million worldwide against a production budget of about $69 million.[3](https://filmdb.co.uk/box-office/movie/baywatch-2017-box-office)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | May 13, 2017 (Miami premiere); May 25, 2017 (United States)[2](https://www.uspa24.com/bericht-pdf-11408.html) |
| Director | Seth Gordon[1](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/baywatch) |
| Rating and runtime | R; 116 minutes[1](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/baywatch) |
| Budget | Approximately $68–69 million[4](https://www.thewrap.com/baywatch-box-office-flop-dwayne-johnson-zac-efron/) • [5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl595559937/news/) |
| Worldwide gross | $177.9 million[3](https://filmdb.co.uk/box-office/movie/baywatch-2017-box-office) |
| Critical scores | 18% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (243 reviews); Metascore 37 on Metacritic[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baywatch_2017) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/baywatch/) |
| Lead cast | Dwayne Johnson (Mitch Buchannon), Zac Efron (Matt Brody), Alexandra Daddario (Summer Quinn), Priyanka Chopra (Victoria Leeds)[1](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/baywatch) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/baywatch/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
When a dangerous crime wave hits the beach, Mitch Buchannon leads his squad of lifeguards on a mission to prove that saving the bay requires no badge. Joined by a trio of recruits including former Olympian Matt Brody, the guards go undercover to take down a ruthless businesswoman, Victoria Leeds, whose plans threaten the future of the bay.[1](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/baywatch) The plot turns on a dead body recovered from the ocean and a mysterious supply of drugs washing ashore, which force Buchannon and Brody to set aside their antagonism and uncover a drug-trafficking operation.[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/movie-review-baywatch/)
The film deliberately reworks the tone of its source material. The television series, which ran from 1989 to 2001, was an early-evening family melodrama built around slow-motion running montages and lifeguards in red swimsuits; the movie converts that material into an R-rated comedy that both skewers and celebrates the show's signature elements.[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/movie-review-baywatch/) • [9](https://businessmirror.com.ph/2017/05/11/how-baywatch-went-from-an-early-belly-flop-to-the-big-screen/) Its first trailer recreated the show's famous slow-motion beach run while getting a joke out of it.[10](https://time.com/4594998/baywatch-movie-trailer-zac-efron-dwayne-johnson/)
## Cast and crew
Dwayne Johnson, who also produced, plays Mitch Buchannon, the role originated on television by [David Hasselhoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-hasselhoff). [Zac Efron](https://www.edgepedia.org/zac-efron) plays Matt Brody, a chip-on-his-shoulder former Olympic swimmer seeking a spot on the team. [Alexandra Daddario](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexandra-daddario) plays Summer Quinn, a role played on television by Nicole Eggert, and Kelly Rohrbach takes over the CJ Parker role made famous by Pamela Anderson.[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/movie-review-baywatch/) • [10](https://time.com/4594998/baywatch-movie-trailer-zac-efron-dwayne-johnson/) The female lifeguards are rounded out by Ilfenesh Hadera as Stephanie Holden, with Jon Bass as Ronnie Greenbaum and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in a supporting role.[11](https://mediafiles.cineplexmedia.com/media-properties/overview/CM_2017-MediaKit_Lo-Res.pdf) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/baywatch/) Hasselhoff and Anderson both turn up in brief cameos.[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/movie-review-baywatch/)
[Priyanka Chopra](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyanka-chopra), then known for the television series *Quantico*, plays the villain Victoria Leeds. She has said the role was originally written for a man, and that a Skype call with director Seth Gordon intended to last 15 minutes ran two hours.[12](https://time.com/4488356/priyanka-chopra-baywatch-character/)
Behind the camera, the screenplay is by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, from a story by Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Thomas Lennon, and [Robert Ben Garant](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-ben-garant), based on the series created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann.[13](https://www.paramount.de/baywatch) Berk, Schwartz, and Bonann produced alongside [Beau Flynn](https://www.edgepedia.org/beau-flynn), with [Ivan Reitman](https://www.edgepedia.org/ivan-reitman) among the executive producers and Christopher Lennertz scoring the film.[1](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/baywatch)
## Development and production
The film took a long path to the screen. It was originally conceived as a parody with comedian [Bill Hader](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-hader) at its center, before resurfacing as an action film with a comedy bent once Dwayne Johnson was cast; the project finally got its green light in 2014, after Johnson had appeared in the $788 million-grossing *Fast & Furious 6*.[14](https://time.com/4167350/meet-the-model-taking-over-pamela-andersons-role-in-the-new-baywatch-movie/) • [9](https://businessmirror.com.ph/2017/05/11/how-baywatch-went-from-an-early-belly-flop-to-the-big-screen/) Seth Gordon, known for *Horrible Bosses* and *Identity Thief*, was in talks to direct as early as 2014.[15](https://www.nme.com/news/film/horrible-bosses-director-seth-gordon-in-talks-to-884208)
[Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) ran from February 25 to May 18, 2016, with Georgia as the primary location and Florida as a secondary one.[16](https://filmla.com/wp-content/uploads/2017_film_study_v3-WEB.pdf) Gordon has described how the project moved from a "serious" action movie toward a comedy that earned its R rating.[17](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-challenges-of-baywatch-and-its-r-rated-comedy/)
## Reception and box office
The film opened well below expectations. Against a budget of approximately $68 million, it took a five-day domestic total of $26 million over [Memorial Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/memorial-day) weekend, well short of the $40–42 million target set by independent trackers, while *Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales* led the holiday weekend.[4](https://www.thewrap.com/baywatch-box-office-flop-dwayne-johnson-zac-efron/) • [18](https://m.thepeninsulaqatar.com/pdf/20170530_1496092092-9788.pdf) It ultimately earned a reported $177.9 million worldwide against its $69.0 million production budget.[3](https://filmdb.co.uk/box-office/movie/baywatch-2017-box-office)
Critics were largely negative. Rotten Tomatoes recorded an 18% Tomatometer from 243 reviews, with a critics consensus that the film takes its source material's appeal to R-rated levels but lacks the original's campy charm; the audience Popcornmeter stood at 55%.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baywatch_2017) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 37, labeled "Generally Unfavorable," based on 47 critic reviews.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/baywatch/) TheWrap attributed the box-office shortfall to heavy competition from established franchises, a raunchy comic tone that put off both fans of the family-friendly series and casual audiences, and marketing that centered on Johnson and Efron rather than the female lifeguards who had defined the show's appeal.[4](https://www.thewrap.com/baywatch-box-office-flop-dwayne-johnson-zac-efron/)
## Aftermath
No sequel followed the film. Instead, the franchise returned to television: in September 2025 Fox gave a straight-to-series order to a reimagined *Baywatch* for the 2026–2027 season, co-produced by Fox Entertainment and [Fremantle](https://www.edgepedia.org/fremantle) with Matt Nix as showrunner, and the new series is written as a continuation of the original show rather than a follow-up to the 2017 movie.[19](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/baywatch-reboot-fox-2026-2027-season-28115/) • [20](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/one-thing-mcg-says-baywatch-reboot-will-not-do) The film remains available on streaming services including Amazon Prime Video.[21](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/baywatch)
## References
1. [Baywatch, Paramount Pictures](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/baywatch)
2. [BAYWATCH – Action Comedy Film based on the Television Series of the Same Name, USPA News](https://www.uspa24.com/bericht-pdf-11408.html)
3. [Baywatch (2017) Box Office: $177.9M Gross, $69.0M Budget, FilmDB](https://filmdb.co.uk/box-office/movie/baywatch-2017-box-office)
4. [3 Reasons Why 'Baywatch' Wiped Out at the Box Office, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/baywatch-box-office-flop-dwayne-johnson-zac-efron/)
5. [Baywatch – Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl595559937/news/)
6. [Baywatch (2017), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baywatch_2017)
7. [Baywatch Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/baywatch/)
8. [Movie Review: Baywatch, CBS Philadelphia](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/movie-review-baywatch/)
9. [How 'Baywatch' went from an early belly flop to the big screen, New York Times News Service via BusinessMirror](https://businessmirror.com.ph/2017/05/11/how-baywatch-went-from-an-early-belly-flop-to-the-big-screen/)
10. [Zac Efron and Dwayne Johnson Report for Duty in First Baywatch Trailer, Time](https://time.com/4594998/baywatch-movie-trailer-zac-efron-dwayne-johnson/)
11. [2017 Movie Preview, Cineplex Media](https://mediafiles.cineplexmedia.com/media-properties/overview/CM_2017-MediaKit_Lo-Res.pdf)
12. [Priyanka Chopra Reveals Her Antagonistic Baywatch Character Was Supposed to Be a Man, Time](https://time.com/4488356/priyanka-chopra-baywatch-character/)
13. [Baywatch, Paramount Pictures Germany](https://www.paramount.de/baywatch)
14. [Meet the Model Taking Over Pamela Anderson's Role in the New Baywatch Movie, Time](https://time.com/4167350/meet-the-model-taking-over-pamela-andersons-role-in-the-new-baywatch-movie/)
15. ['Horrible Bosses' director Seth Gordon in talks to make 'Baywatch' movie starring Dwayne Johnson, NME](https://www.nme.com/news/film/horrible-bosses-director-seth-gordon-in-talks-to-884208)
16. [2017 Film Study, FilmLA](https://filmla.com/wp-content/uploads/2017_film_study_v3-WEB.pdf)
17. [The Challenges of Baywatch and Its R-Rated Comedy, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-challenges-of-baywatch-and-its-r-rated-comedy/)
18. [Tuesday 30 May 2017, The Peninsula Qatar](https://m.thepeninsulaqatar.com/pdf/20170530_1496092092-9788.pdf)
19. ['Baywatch' Reboot Ordered at Fox for 2026-2027 Season, Variety Australia](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/baywatch-reboot-fox-2026-2027-season-28115/)
20. [One Thing McG Says The Baywatch Reboot Absolutely Will Not Do, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/one-thing-mcg-says-baywatch-reboot-will-not-do)
21. [Baywatch streaming: where to watch online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/baywatch)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Television-, game-, and toy-derived film entries › Television series adaptations*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license