# I.T. (film)
*I.T.* is a 2016 cyber thriller directed by [John Moore](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-moore), written by Dan Kay and William Wisher, and starring [Pierce Brosnan](https://www.edgepedia.org/pierce-brosnan) as Mike Regan, a wealthy businessman whose life is dismantled by a disgruntled IT consultant, Ed Porter ([James Frecheville](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-frecheville)), who turns the family's smart home and connected devices against them.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2679552/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_2016) It was released in a limited theatrical run in the United States on September 23, 2016, by RLJ Entertainment, with an early simultaneous video-on-demand release.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/I-T-%282016%29)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | John Moore; screenplay by Dan Kay and William Wisher[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2679552/) |
| Lead cast | Pierce Brosnan (Mike Regan), James Frecheville (Ed Porter), Anna Friel (Rose Regan), Stefanie Scott (Kaitlyn Regan), Michael Nyqvist (Henrik)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2679552/) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/it-2016/credits/) |
| Release | Limited US theatrical release September 23, 2016; streaming release March 16, 2017; distributed by RLJ Entertainment[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/I-T-%282016%29) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_2016) |
| Runtime / rating | 95 minutes; Not Rated[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/I-T-%282016%29) |
| Budget / gross | Estimated budget €11,250,379; worldwide gross $2,128,301[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2679552/) |
| Critical reception | Metascore 27 (generally unfavorable, 11 critics); Rotten Tomatoes 9% from 43 reviews; IMDb 5.5/10 from about 18,000 votes[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/it-2016/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_2016) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2679552/) |
| Production | Shot in Dublin, Ireland; produced by Voltage Pictures, Irish DreamTime (Brosnan's company), Friendly Films, and others[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2679552/) • [6](https://www.trustthedice.com/2017/06/it-2016.html) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Mike Regan is a self-made aviation entrepreneur preparing to take his company public on the strength of Omni, an app that lets private jet owners hire out their planes.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_2016) • [7](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/i-t/) He lives with his wife Rose and teenage daughter Kaitlyn in a state-of-the-art smart home whose surveillance and household systems are all networked.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_2016) Regan is himself a technophobe who relies on others to operate his own devices.[7](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/i-t/)
When a technical failure threatens a crucial investor presentation, a young IT temp, Ed Porter, saves the demonstration, and a grateful Regan invites him to the house to fix the Wi-Fi.[7](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/i-t/) Porter, a socially awkward figure with a background at the NSA, begins overstepping boundaries, including an interest in the 17-year-old Kaitlyn, and is eventually fired.[7](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/i-t/) • [8](https://archive.cyprus-mail.com/2016/09/27/film-review-i-t/) Using the access he built into the Regan household, he stalks Kaitlyn, manipulates the family's online accounts, plants false information, and sabotages Mike's business and reputation.[9](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-it-review-20160920-snap-story.html) Regan, unable to fight the attack through ordinary channels, turns to old connections, including a rival hacker, Henrik ([Michael Nyqvist](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-nyqvist)), who concludes that the solution is to make the house dumb and confront Porter directly.[8](https://archive.cyprus-mail.com/2016/09/27/film-review-i-t/)
## Production
The film was shot in Dublin, Ireland, a co-production of companies from Ireland, the United States, and France, including Voltage Pictures, Friendly Films, Irish DreamTime (Brosnan's own production company), Mutressa Movies, 22h22, Canal+, Ciné+, and Fastnet Films.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2679552/) • [6](https://www.trustthedice.com/2017/06/it-2016.html) Producers included Nicolas Chartier, Craig J. Flores, David T. Friendly, and Beau St. Clair.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_2016) Tim Williams composed the score, Ekkehart Pollack was the cinematographer, and Marcus Rowland the production designer.[10](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/it/cast/2000323207/)
## Release and box office
*I.T.* opened in Bulgaria on September 9, 2016, and reached the United States in a limited release on September 23, 2016, the same day as an early video-on-demand release; a video release followed on September 20, 2016, and streaming on March 16, 2017.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/I-T-%282016%29) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_2016) The Numbers records no domestic theatrical gross and an international total of $1,722,515, with China the largest territory at $868,323, followed by Brazil at $493,330.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/I-T-%282016%29) IMDb lists a worldwide gross of $2,128,301 against an estimated budget of €11,250,379.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2679552/)
## Reception
The film was poorly received by critics. Its Metacritic Metascore of 27, based on 11 reviews, falls in the site's "generally unfavorable" band, with 7 of the 11 reviews negative.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/it-2016/) Rotten Tomatoes shows a 9% Tomatometer from 43 reviews and a 25% audience score.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_2016) IMDb users rate it 5.5 out of 10.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2679552/)
Reviewers returned to two recurring criticisms. The first was familiarity: Noel Murray of the *Los Angeles Times* wrote that the film puts "a high-tech gloss" on the old premise that one obsessed individual with the right access can ruin a life, but that generic references to "defragging" and "firewalls" left it feeling dated, "about as state-of-the-art as a Commodore 64."[9](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-it-review-20160920-snap-story.html) Peter Bradshaw of *The Guardian* noted that the hi-tech conceit is eventually abandoned in favor of "low-tech analogue violence and punch-ups."[11](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/mar/12/it-film-review-hi-tech-low-iq-thriller-pierce-brosnan) The second was pacing and tone: Murray criticized Moore's "slow-drip plot-delivery and overheated tone,"[9](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-it-review-20160920-snap-story.html) and the *Cyprus Mail* called the direction "consistently over-emphatic."[8](https://archive.cyprus-mail.com/2016/09/27/film-review-i-t/) Some critics found praise in individual performances: the *South China Morning Post* wrote that Frecheville's "dead-eyed detachment" made the threat credible even when the script undercut him.[12](https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2106734/film-review-it-pierce-brosnan-cant-catch-break-hi-tech-home-invasion?module=inline&pgtype=article)
## References
1. [I.T. (2016), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2679552/)
2. [I.T. (2016), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_2016)
3. [I.T. (2016), Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/I-T-%282016%29)
4. [I.T. credits, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/it-2016/credits/)
5. [I.T. Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/it-2016/)
6. [Trust the Dice: I.T. (2016)](https://www.trustthedice.com/2017/06/it-2016.html)
7. [I.T. Review, Video Librarian (Susan Granger, 2016)](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/i-t/)
8. [Film review: I.T., Cyprus Mail (Preston Wilder, 2016)](https://archive.cyprus-mail.com/2016/09/27/film-review-i-t/)
9. [Review: Techno-thriller 'I.T.' stuck in an 8-bit world, Los Angeles Times (Noel Murray, 2016)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-it-review-20160920-snap-story.html)
10. [I.T. - Full Cast & Crew, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/it/cast/2000323207/)
11. [I.T. review - hi-tech, low IQ thriller, The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw, 2017)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/mar/12/it-film-review-hi-tech-low-iq-thriller-pierce-brosnan)
12. [Film review: I.T., South China Morning Post (James Marsh, 2017)](https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2106734/film-review-it-pierce-brosnan-cant-catch-break-hi-tech-home-invasion?module=inline&pgtype=article)
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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 › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2015–2019 films › Thriller and mystery films › Titles F to N*
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