Nocturnal Animals (2016)
When you love someone you can't just throw it away.
Susan Morrow receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband – a man she left 20 years earlier – asking for her opinion of his writing. As she reads, she is drawn into the fictional life of Tony Hastings, a mathematics professor whose family vacation turns violent.
Rent on Prime Video $3.99 (opens in a new tab) Buy on Prime Video $4.99 (opens in a new tab)
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 4 November 2016 |
| Genre | Drama, Thriller |
| Director | Tom Ford |
| Starring | Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon |
| Runtime | 116 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 7/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 74% · Metacritic 67/100 · TMDB users 7.4/10 |
| Budget | $23 million |
Where to watch Nocturnal Animals
We could not find Nocturnal Animals on any of the subscription services we track in the US right now. That changes often; open it in Binge Boss and we will show you where it lands.
Rent or buy
You can rent or buy Nocturnal Animals on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch Nocturnal Animals in 128 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Albania | Netflix about |
| Algeria | Netflix about |
| Andorra | Netflix |
| Angola | Netflix about |
| Antigua & Barbuda | Netflix about |
| Argentina | Netflix $8999 ARS |
| Australia | Netflix $20.99 AUD |
| Austria | Netflix €10.99 |
| Azerbaijan | Netflix about |
| Bahamas | Netflix about |
| Bahrain | Netflix about |
| Barbados | Netflix about |
| Belarus | Netflix about |
| Belgium | Netflix €10.99, Max €10.99 |
| Belize | Netflix about |
| Bermuda | Netflix about |
| Bolivia | Netflix about |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | Netflix about |
| Brazil | Netflix R$51.90 |
| Bulgaria | Netflix €5.99 |
| Cameroon | Netflix about |
| Cape Verde | Netflix about |
| Chad | Netflix about |
| Chile | Netflix $7190 CLP |
| Colombia | Netflix $18900 COP |
| Costa Rica | Netflix about |
| Croatia | Netflix €5.99 |
| Cuba | Netflix about |
| Cyprus | Netflix €8.99 |
| Czechia | Netflix 259 Kč |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Netflix about |
| Denmark | Netflix 109 kr DKK |
| Dominican Republic | Netflix about |
| Ecuador | Netflix $5.99 |
| Egypt | Netflix E£110 |
| El Salvador | Netflix |
| Equatorial Guinea | Netflix about |
| Estonia | Netflix €7.99, Max |
| Fiji | Netflix about |
| Finland | Netflix €10.99 |
| France | Netflix €14.99, Max €10.99 |
| French Guiana | Netflix |
| French Polynesia | Netflix about |
| Germany | Netflix €15.99 |
| Ghana | Netflix about |
| Gibraltar | Netflix about , Prime Video |
| Greece | Netflix €8.99 |
| Guatemala | Netflix about |
| Guernsey | Netflix, Prime Video |
| Honduras | Netflix about |
| Hong Kong | Netflix HK$78 |
| Hungary | Netflix 3190 Ft |
| Iceland | Netflix about 1636 kr ISK |
| India | Netflix ₹199, Prime Video ₹299, Jiohotstar |
| Indonesia | Netflix Rp65000 |
| Iraq | Netflix about |
| Ireland | Netflix €11.99, Prime Video €6.99 |
| Israel | Netflix ₪32.90 |
| Italy | Netflix €13.99 |
| Jamaica | Netflix about |
| Japan | Netflix ¥1590 JPY, U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Jordan | Netflix about |
| Kenya | Netflix KSh300 |
| Kuwait | Netflix about |
| Latvia | Netflix €7.99, Max |
| Lebanon | Netflix about |
| Libya | Netflix about |
| Liechtenstein | Netflix |
| Lithuania | Netflix €8.99, Max |
| Luxembourg | Netflix €10.99 |
| Madagascar | Netflix about |
| Malaysia | Netflix RM33.90 |
| Mali | Netflix about |
| Malta | Netflix €8.99 |
| Mauritius | Netflix about |
| Mexico | Netflix $269 MXN |
| Moldova | Netflix about |
| Monaco | Netflix , Max |
| Montenegro | Netflix |
| Morocco | Netflix |
| Mozambique | Netflix about |
| Netherlands | Netflix €9.99 |
| New Zealand | Netflix $17.99 NZD |
| Nicaragua | Netflix about |
| Niger | Netflix about |
| Nigeria | Netflix ₦4000 |
| North Macedonia | Netflix about |
| Norway | Netflix 119 kr NOK |
| Oman | Netflix about |
| Pakistan | Netflix Rs450 |
| Palestinian Territories | Netflix about |
| Panama | Netflix $5.99 |
| Paraguay | Netflix about |
| Peru | Netflix S/28.90 |
| Philippines | Netflix ₱279 |
| Portugal | Netflix €8.99 |
| Qatar | Netflix about QR32.72 |
| Romania | Netflix about 32.08 lei |
| San Marino | Netflix |
| Saudi Arabia | Netflix ﷼35.00 |
| Senegal | Netflix about |
| Serbia | Netflix about 705 din |
| Seychelles | Netflix about |
| Singapore | Netflix $15.98 SGD |
| Slovakia | Netflix €9.49 |
| Slovenia | Netflix €5.99 |
| South Africa | Netflix R99 ZAR |
| South Korea | Netflix ₩13500 |
| Spain | Netflix €14.99 |
| St. Lucia | Netflix about |
| Sweden | Netflix 129 kr SEK |
| Switzerland | Netflix CHF14.90 |
| Taiwan | Netflix NT$290 |
| Tanzania | Netflix about |
| Thailand | Netflix ฿169 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Netflix about |
| Tunisia | Netflix about |
| Turks & Caicos Islands | Netflix |
| Türkiye | Netflix ₺259.99 |
| Uganda | Netflix about |
| Ukraine | Netflix about ₴253 |
| United Arab Emirates | Netflix AED35.00 |
| United Kingdom | Netflix £13.99 GBP, Prime Video £8.99 GBP |
| Uruguay | Netflix about $U481 |
| Venezuela | Netflix about |
| Yemen | Netflix about |
| Zambia | Netflix about |
| Zimbabwe | Netflix |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Tom Ford directs this 116-minute drama-thriller, which operates less like a movie and more like a psychological pressure test. Amy Adams plays a woman reading a manuscript that mirrors her own regrets, while Jake Gyllenhaal splits the role of a victim and a former husband. The structure forces you to decide if the story is fiction or a threat. It is not a comfortable watch. It is a mirror held up to your own choices, and it does not flinch. You will finish it thinking about the people you have actually hurt.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes sits at 74% as of January 2025, with an average rating of 7.0 out of 10. Metacritic follows at 67 out of 100, a score that usually signals generally favorable reception. The consensus leans on Tom Ford’s visual precision. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone found it a "stunning film noir," urging viewers to surrender to its terror rather than overthink the structure. Not everyone bought the hype. Victoria Coren Mitchell of The Guardian asked why the film received "raves and prizes for a piece of gynophobic death-porn," a question that lands harder than most polite disagreements.
How it did with audiences
The budget was $22 million. It grossed $10.7 million in the United States and Canada, then another $21.7 million abroad, for a worldwide total of $32.4 million. That is a modest win in Hollywood math, where the gap between cost and return is often the only thing that matters. On TMDB, users give it a 7.4 rating.
What came next for the cast
Jake Gyllenhaal traded Prisoners for Spider-Man: Far From Home. Michael Shannon moved from Man of Steel to Knives Out. Aaron Taylor-Johnson stepped out of Avengers: Age of Ultron and into Tenet. The cast did not all pivot in the same direction. Some chased bigger franchises. Others drifted toward indie prestige. The film did not cause this. It just happened to be the hinge.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Nocturnal Animals.
Read more: The Whisper Man
Sources
- Nocturnal Animals on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q21527905 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Nocturnal Animals” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
Watch it without paying for the whole year
Binge Boss tracks the movie you are on and tells you which services you need this month, and which you can cancel.
Add Nocturnal Animals to your list