# Mickey 17
**Mickey 17** is a 2025 science-fiction comedy-drama film written and directed by Bong Joon Ho, based on the 2022 novel *Mickey7* by Edward Ashton. [Robert Pattinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-pattinson) stars as Mickey Barnes, an "expendable" laborer on a space colonization mission who is killed on dangerous assignments and repeatedly reprinted as a new copy of himself with his memories restored. The cast also includes [Naomi Ackie](https://www.edgepedia.org/naomi-ackie), Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and [Mark Ruffalo](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-ruffalo), and the film was distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.[1](https://apnews.com/article/a3c17ec594736f156a1c52ac708c32c0) • [2](https://www.mickey17movie.com/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and source | Written and directed by Bong Joon Ho, his first feature since the Oscar-winning *Parasite* (2019); adapted from Edward Ashton's novel *Mickey7*[1](https://apnews.com/article/a3c17ec594736f156a1c52ac708c32c0) • [2](https://www.mickey17movie.com/) |
| Release | United States, March 7, 2025; internationally from March 5, 2025; South Korea, February 28, 2025[2](https://www.mickey17movie.com/) • [3](https://amslaurea.unibo.it/id/eprint/39040/1/L%E2%80%99EVOLUZIONE%20DELL%E2%80%99INDUSTRIA%20CINEMATOGRAFICA%20SUDCOREANA%20ATTRAVERSO%20LA%20FILMOGRAFIA%20DI%20BONG%20JOON-HO.pdf) |
| Premise | Mickey Barnes signs up as an "expendable," dying on missions and being reprinted from a human-size tissue printer with backed-up memories; the story is set in 2054 on the ice planet Niflheim[4](https://time.com/7264871/mickey-17-ending-explained/) • [5](https://www.mpi.nl/blog/inscience-film-festival-can-we-talk-non-terrestrial-species-science-behind-dark-sci-fi-comedy) |
| Budget and gross | $118 million production budget plus about $80 million in marketing; $19.1 million opening weekend; $133.3 million worldwide ($46.0 million domestic, $87.3 million international)[6](https://au.variety.com/2025/film/box-office/mickey-17-box-office-opening-weekend-flop-production-budget-20907/) • [7](https://simkl.com/movies/1329336/mickey-17/reviews/) |
| Reception | 77% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 363 reviews; Metascore 72 on Metacritic; "B" CinemaScore[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mickey_17) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mickey-17/) • [6](https://au.variety.com/2025/film/box-office/mickey-17-box-office-opening-weekend-flop-production-budget-20907/) |
| Key crew | Music by Jung Jaeil, cinematography by Darius Khondji, production design by Fiona Crombie, editing by Yang Jinmo[2](https://www.mickey17movie.com/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
The story opens in 2054. Mickey Barnes, a down-on-his-luck man fleeing a loan shark, joins an intergalactic colonizing expedition to the distant ice planet Niflheim. His business partner Timo ([Steven Yeun](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-yeun)) becomes a pilot, while Mickey volunteers as the ship's "expendable," a position no one else wants: he is assigned lethal missions and scientific tests, and each time he dies he is thrown into a waste incinerator called the "cycler," reprinted from a human-size tissue printer, and sent back to work with his memories artificially restored from regular backups.[4](https://time.com/7264871/mickey-17-ending-explained/) • [5](https://www.mpi.nl/blog/inscience-film-festival-can-we-talk-non-terrestrial-species-science-behind-dark-sci-fi-comedy)
The expedition is led by Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), a failed politician, and his wife Ylfa ([Toni Collette](https://www.edgepedia.org/toni-collette)), who intend to establish a colony under their despotic rule. During the four-year journey Mickey finds solace in a romance with security agent Nasha (Naomi Ackie), the only crew member who treats every version of him as a person.[4](https://time.com/7264871/mickey-17-ending-explained/)
**The multiples problem.** The 17th Mickey survives what should have been a lethal exploration mission on Niflheim, saved by the planet's native species of shaggy, pill bug-like "creepers." Because a replacement, Mickey 18, has already been printed, two copies of the same person now exist, a forbidden condition known as "multiples." The pair are drawn into the [Marshalls](https://www.edgepedia.org/marshalls)' campaign to exterminate the creepers, and the film ends with the colony choosing to live peacefully with the native species and destroying the printing technology, with Mickey himself triggering the demolition.[4](https://time.com/7264871/mickey-17-ending-explained/)
## Adaptation from the novel
Bong's adaptation changes the source material in several ways. The number of Mickey's deaths rises from seven in the novel to 17, and the protagonist's profession is altered; in the novel Mickey is a historian, while Bong brought the characters down to earth and moved the timeline closer to the present. The character of Ylfa is Bong's invention, added because, as he put it, dictators historically move as couples, which makes them feel more ridiculous and more horrifying.[10](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250120005900315) • [11](https://nationalboardofreview.org/2025/03/qa-with-bong-joon-ho/)
Bong has said he was drawn to the concept of "human printing" before thinking of the story as science fiction at all, describing it as a very human story full of emotional and ethical issues. He also designed the ship around class: most of the vessel resembles the staff-only areas of a luxury hotel, with exposed pipes and dingy rooms, while only Marshall and Ylfa's quarters are opulent.[11](https://nationalboardofreview.org/2025/03/qa-with-bong-joon-ho/)
## Themes and satire
Reviewers and the director himself read the film as a satire of exploitation and political authoritarianism. Bong described the expendable's situation as the next evolutionary step of capitalism, and the Yonhap review noted themes of political ineptitude, corruption, social inequality, colonization, and capitalist greed running through his career from *Barking Dogs Never Bite* (2000) to *Parasite* (2019).[12](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/03/mickey-17-bong-joon-ho-interview/682017/) • [13](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250219004600315) Marshall's mannerisms and followers drew comparisons to Donald Trump in commentary, though Bong has said the character was not inspired by Trump.[4](https://time.com/7264871/mickey-17-ending-explained/)
The film also engages with the science of its premise. Commentators at the Max Planck Institute noted that printing organs from human cells is an active field, but that restoring memories and personality into a fresh brain remains far beyond current science; the film itself acknowledges this by giving the different reprinted Mickeys somewhat varying personalities, with Mickey 17 a pushover and Mickey 18 aggressive.[5](https://www.mpi.nl/blog/inscience-film-festival-can-we-talk-non-terrestrial-species-science-behind-dark-sci-fi-comedy)
## Production and release
Filming wrapped in January 2023 with an eye toward a 2024 release, but the 2023 Hollywood strikes and studio shuffling pushed the release to 2025; Bong attributed the delays to extenuating circumstances around the strikes. The film premiered in competition at the 75th [Berlin International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/berlin-international-film-festival) on February 15, 2025, opened in South Korea on February 28, 2025, a week ahead of most of the world, and opened in the United States on March 7, 2025.[14](https://www.whattowatch.com/news/how-to-watch-mickey-17) • [15](https://elpais.com/cultura/2025-02-15/bong-joon-ho-el-director-de-parasitos-vuelve-con-mickey-17-una-delirante-comedia-de-ciencia-ficcion.html) • [3](https://amslaurea.unibo.it/id/eprint/39040/1/L%E2%80%99EVOLUZIONE%20DELL%E2%80%99INDUSTRIA%20CINEMATOGRAFICA%20SUDCOREANA%20ATTRAVERSO%20LA%20FILMOGRAFIA%20DI%20BONG%20JOON-HO.pdf) It is Bong Joon Ho's eighth feature film, following *Barking Dogs Never Bite*, *Memories of Murder*, *The Host*, *Mother*, *Snowpiercer*, *Okja*, and *Parasite*.[16](https://marrakech-festival.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/FIFM2025_CP_BONG-JOON-HO_PRESIDENT-OF-THE-JURY_VENG.pdf)
## Reception and box office
**Critical response.** The film received generally favorable reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 77% Tomatometer from 363 reviews with a 73% audience score; the critics consensus calls it Bong returning to daffy sci-fi with a withering social critique at its core. Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 72 based on 60 critic reviews, with 44 positive, 15 mixed, and 1 negative.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mickey_17) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mickey-17/) Reviewers praised Pattinson's dual-role performance and the film's satire and visuals, while some critics found the tonal mix uneven or the two intertwined stories underdeveloped.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mickey_17)
**Box office.** *Mickey 17* opened at No. 1 domestically with $19.1 million from 3,807 theaters, dethroning *Captain America: Brave New World*, and had earned $34.2 million overseas for a $53.3 million worldwide total in its first weekend. Against a reported $118 million production budget and roughly $80 million in marketing, trade estimates put the break-even threshold at $275 million to $300 million globally; the film finished with $133.3 million worldwide ($46.0 million domestic, $87.3 million international) and was widely reported as a theatrical loss for Warner Bros.[1](https://apnews.com/article/a3c17ec594736f156a1c52ac708c32c0) • [6](https://au.variety.com/2025/film/box-office/mickey-17-box-office-opening-weekend-flop-production-budget-20907/) • [7](https://simkl.com/movies/1329336/mickey-17/reviews/) In South Korea, its strongest international market with an estimated $14.6 million early in the run, it did not surpass 3 million admissions but still placed in the country's top ten for the year.[1](https://apnews.com/article/a3c17ec594736f156a1c52ac708c32c0) • [3](https://amslaurea.unibo.it/id/eprint/39040/1/L%E2%80%99EVOLUZIONE%20DELL%E2%80%99INDUSTRIA%20CINEMATOGRAFICA%20SUDCOREANA%20ATTRAVERSO%20LA%20FILMOGRAFIA%20DI%20BONG%20JOON-HO.pdf)
The film later became available to stream on [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) in the United States and on digital rental and purchase platforms.[14](https://www.whattowatch.com/news/how-to-watch-mickey-17)
## References
1. [Robert Pattinson sci-fi 'Mickey 17' opens in first place, but profitability is a long way off, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/a3c17ec594736f156a1c52ac708c32c0)
2. [Mickey 17 | Official Movie Site, Warner Bros.](https://www.mickey17movie.com/)
3. [L'evoluzione dell'industria cinematografica sudcoreana attraverso la filmografia di Bong Joon-ho, AlmaLaurea (University of Bologna thesis)](https://amslaurea.unibo.it/id/eprint/39040/1/L%E2%80%99EVOLUZIONE%20DELL%E2%80%99INDUSTRIA%20CINEMATOGRAFICA%20SUDCOREANA%20ATTRAVERSO%20LA%20FILMOGRAFIA%20DI%20BONG%20JOON-HO.pdf)
4. [The Ending of Mickey 17 Finds Something to Hope for in a Dystopian Capitalist Hellscape, TIME](https://time.com/7264871/mickey-17-ending-explained/)
5. [Can we talk to non-terrestrial species? The science behind dark sci-fi comedy Mickey 17, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics](https://www.mpi.nl/blog/inscience-film-festival-can-we-talk-non-terrestrial-species-science-behind-dark-sci-fi-comedy)
6. ['Mickey 17' Leads Box Office With $19 Million But $118 Million Budget Spells Trouble, Variety](https://au.variety.com/2025/film/box-office/mickey-17-box-office-opening-weekend-flop-production-budget-20907/)
7. [Mickey 17 reviews (2025), Simkl](https://simkl.com/movies/1329336/mickey-17/reviews/)
8. [Mickey 17, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mickey_17)
9. [Mickey 17 Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mickey-17/)
10. [Bong Joon-ho introduces 'Mickey 17' as sci-fi film that 'feels deeply human', Yonhap News Agency](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250120005900315)
11. [Mickey 17 – Q&A with Bong Joon Ho, National Board of Review](https://nationalboardofreview.org/2025/03/qa-with-bong-joon-ho/)
12. [Bong Joon Ho's 'Mickey 17' Takes the Working Class to Space, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/03/mickey-17-bong-joon-ho-interview/682017/)
13. [(Movie Review) 'Mickey 17': Bong Joon-ho's eerie yet hopeful satire on dystopian cloning future, Yonhap News Agency](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250219004600315)
14. [How to watch Mickey 17, What to Watch](https://www.whattowatch.com/news/how-to-watch-mickey-17)
15. [Bong Joon-ho, el director de 'Parásitos', vuelve con 'Mickey 17', El País](https://elpais.com/cultura/2025-02-15/bong-joon-ho-el-director-de-parasitos-vuelve-con-mickey-17-una-delirante-comedia-de-ciencia-ficcion.html)
16. [FIFM2025 press release: Bong Joon-Ho, President of the Jury, Marrakech International Film Festival](https://marrakech-festival.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/FIFM2025_CP_BONG-JOON-HO_PRESIDENT-OF-THE-JURY_VENG.pdf)
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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 › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2020s › Science fiction films of the 2020s › Titles M to X*
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