# Prey (2024 film)
**Prey** (working title *Kalahari*) is a 2024 American survival thriller directed and written by Mukunda Michael Dewil, in which a young couple fleeing their Christian missionary post in the [Kalahari Desert](https://www.edgepedia.org/kalahari-desert) crash-lands in an animal preserve populated by lions, leopards, and hyenas while being tracked by extremist militants.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) It stars [Ryan Phillippe](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-phillippe), Emile Hirsch, and [Mena Suvari](https://www.edgepedia.org/mena-suvari), and was released on March 15, 2024 in limited theaters and on streaming through the distributor Vertical.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Mukunda Michael Dewil, who also produced[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) |
| Lead cast | Ryan Phillippe as Andrew, Emile Hirsch as Grun, Mena Suvari as Sue, with Dylan Flashner as Tyler and Michaela Sasner as Chrissy[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) |
| Release | March 15, 2024, limited theatrical and streaming; distributed by Vertical[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) |
| Runtime and rating | 1h 26m (86 minutes); TV-MA in the United States[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) • [2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/prey-2024) |
| Budget and box office | Estimated budget $10,000,000; gross US and Canada $5,336; gross worldwide $51,163[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27682129/) |
| Critical reception | Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 46% from 5 reviews; IMDb rating 3.7 from about 4,200 votes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) • [2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/prey-2024) |
| Where to watch | Streaming on Hulu and Disney+; rent or buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Fandango At Home[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/prey-2024) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Andrew (Ryan Phillippe) and Sue (Mena Suvari) run a [Christian mission](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-mission) in the Kalahari Desert. When an extremist militant group threatens to kill them, they travel to a remote airfield, where a small plane waits to carry passengers out of the region; after negotiating a fee, they board without most of their belongings. The plane is piloted by Grun ([Emile Hirsch](https://www.edgepedia.org/emile-hirsch)), a corrupt smuggler.[4](https://www.netflixmovies.com/prey-2024) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024)
The aircraft loses power and crash-lands in an animal preserve populated by man-eaters. Injured and tracked by the extremists, the passengers must fight for survival against both human and animal threats.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) The British Board of Film Classification describes the film as a survival thriller in which a group fights for their lives against lions and extremist militants after their plane crashes over a game reserve, with content including people shot at close range, lions stalking people during suspenseful sequences, and a plane that nosedives and crash-lands.[5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/prey-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdiwmty4)
## Cast and production
The cast includes Ryan Phillippe as Andrew, a doctor; Emile Hirsch as Grun, the smuggler pilot; Mena Suvari as Sue; Dylan Flashner as Tyler; [Tristan Thompson](https://www.edgepedia.org/tristan-thompson) as Max; Michaela Sasner as Chrissy; Jeremy Tardy as Thabo; Mohamed Hakeemshady as Scar; and Theo Bongani Ndyalvane as Ak.[4](https://www.netflixmovies.com/prey-2024) The crew includes composer Andries Smit, cinematographer Farhad Ahmed Dehlvi, and editor Miriam Arndt.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/prey/cast/2000551905/)
**Production companies** were The Barnum Picture Company, Voltage Pictures, Green Light Pictures, and Vertical Entertainment, with producers Christian Ackerman, Robert Ogden Barnum, Mukunda Michael Dewil, and Lucas Jarach.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) IMDb lists a filming location at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park in [Agua Dulce, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/agua-dulce-california), and an estimated budget of $10,000,000.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27682129/)
In an interview around the release, Phillippe said a large share of the budget went into the plane crash sequence, which was shot in a fuselage mounted on a hydraulic gimbal at a soundstage. He also described the shoot as very difficult, with behind-the-scenes and weather problems, and said director Dewil, whom he had worked with once before, is an author and spent seven years as a monk in India.[7](https://comicbookmovie.com/action/prey-interview-ryan-phillippe-on-stunts-a-different-type-of-action-role-and-biggest-challenges-exclusive-a209890)
## Reception
The film received largely negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a Tomatometer score of 46% based on 5 critic reviews.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) reports a 41% rating and an IMDb score of 3.7 from about 4,200 votes.[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/prey-2024)
Critics singled out the film's low-budget approach. Jeffrey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media, rating it 2/5, wrote that the best thing about the film is its African nature footage, which appears to come from a stock footage library, while the human story goes off the rails.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) John Serba of Decider called the plot logic-deprived, the characters wispy-thin, and the situation predictable.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) Jennie Kermode of Eye for Film, rating it 3/5, was more positive, writing that Hirsch dominates most of the film and gets to remind audiences what he is capable of.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024) The Dutch site Cinemagazine rated it 2 out of 10, noting that no lion attack was filmed directly and that the lions used appear to come from stock footage, with victims dying off screen.[8](https://cinemagazine.nl/prey-2024-recensie/)
At the box office, the film grossed $5,336 in the United States and Canada, with an opening weekend of $2,274, and $51,163 worldwide against an estimated $10,000,000 budget.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27682129/)
## Distribution and related titles
The film streams on Hulu and Disney+ in the United States and can be rented or bought on Amazon Video, the Apple TV Store, and Fandango At Home, with DVD and Blu-ray editions also available.[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/prey-2024) It carries a TV-MA rating in the United States; international age ratings include 15 in the United Kingdom and 16 in Germany and Spain.[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/prey-2024) • [9](https://cinegraph.org/movies/prey-2024)
The title *Prey* is shared with several unrelated works, most prominently the 2022 Predator-franchise film *Prey* directed by [Dan Trachtenberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-trachtenberg), as well as a 2019 Blumhouse horror film and a 2006 and 2017 video game of the same name. The 2024 film discussed here is the Kalahari survival thriller, originally titled *Kalahari*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27682129/)
## References
1. [Prey (2024) | Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2024)
2. [Prey streaming: where to watch movie online? | JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/prey-2024)
3. [Prey (2024) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27682129/)
4. [Prey (2024) on Netflix | NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/prey-2024)
5. [Prey! | BBFC](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/prey-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdiwmty4)
6. [Prey - Full Cast & Crew | TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/prey/cast/2000551905/)
7. [PREY Interview: Ryan Phillippe On Stunts, A Different Type Of Action Role, And Biggest Challenges | ComicBookMovie](https://comicbookmovie.com/action/prey-interview-ryan-phillippe-on-stunts-a-different-type-of-action-role-and-biggest-challenges-exclusive-a209890)
8. [Prey (2024) recensie | Cinemagazine](https://cinemagazine.nl/prey-2024-recensie/)
9. [Prey · Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/movies/prey-2024)
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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 › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2010s › Survival and disaster thrillers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 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