The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Change one thing. Change everything.
A young man struggles to access sublimated childhood memories. He finds a technique that allows him to travel back into the past, to occupy his childhood body and change history. However, he soon finds that every change he makes has unexpected consequences.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 17 January 2004 |
| Genre | Science Fiction, Thriller |
| Director | Eric Bress |
| Starring | Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart and Melora Walters |
| Runtime | 113 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 4.8/10 · Metacritic 30/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 34% · TMDB users 7.6/10 |
Where to watch The Butterfly Effect
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You can rent or buy The Butterfly Effect on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch The Butterfly Effect in 55 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Andorra | Netflix , Prime Video |
| Antigua & Barbuda | Netflix about , Max |
| Argentina | Netflix $8999 ARS, Max $9590 ARS |
| Australia | ARD/ZDF |
| Austria | Max €11.99 |
| Bahamas | Netflix about , Max |
| Barbados | Netflix about , Max |
| Belgium | Max €10.99 |
| Belize | Netflix about , Max |
| Bermuda | Netflix about |
| Bolivia | Netflix about , Max |
| Brazil | Netflix R$51.90, Max R$34.90, Globoplay R$24.90 |
| Canada | Netflix $18.99 CAD |
| Chile | Netflix $7190 CLP, Max $9590 CLP |
| Colombia | Netflix $18900 COP, Max $24900 COP |
| Costa Rica | Netflix about , Max |
| Cyprus | Netflix €8.99 |
| Denmark | Netflix 109 kr DKK |
| Dominican Republic | Netflix about , Max |
| Ecuador | Netflix $5.99, Max $8.29 |
| El Salvador | Netflix , Max |
| Finland | Netflix €10.99 |
| France | Netflix €14.99, Max €10.99 |
| French Guiana | Netflix |
| French Polynesia | Netflix about |
| Germany | Max €11.99 |
| Greece | Netflix €8.99 |
| Guatemala | Netflix about , Max |
| Guernsey | Prime Video |
| Guyana | Max |
| Honduras | Netflix about , Max |
| Ireland | Max |
| Jamaica | Netflix about , Max |
| Liechtenstein | Max |
| Luxembourg | Max |
| Mexico | Netflix $269 MXN, Max $149 MXN |
| Monaco | Netflix , Max |
| New Zealand | Max |
| Nicaragua | Netflix about , Max |
| Norway | Netflix 119 kr NOK |
| Panama | Netflix $5.99, Max $8.29 |
| Paraguay | Netflix about , Max |
| Peru | Netflix S/28.90, Max S/35.90 |
| Portugal | Netflix €8.99 |
| South Korea | Netflix ₩13500 |
| Spain | Netflix €14.99, Prime Video €4.99 |
| St. Lucia | Netflix about , Max |
| Sweden | Netflix 129 kr SEK |
| Switzerland | Netflix CHF14.90, Max CHF16.90 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Netflix about , Max |
| Turks & Caicos Islands | Netflix , Max |
| Türkiye | Netflix ₺259.99 |
| United Kingdom | Prime Video £8.99 GBP, Max £9.99 GBP, Tubi |
| Uruguay | Netflix about $U481, Max $U399 |
| Venezuela | Netflix about , Max |
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What kind of watch this is
The Butterfly Effect is a 2004 sci-fi thriller directed by Eric Bress. It runs 113 minutes, a duration that feels shorter than the chaos it unpacks. Evan Treborn discovers he can step back into his childhood body to fix mistakes. Each fix creates a new, worse problem. The film trades the clean logic of time travel for the messy, painful logic of regret. It is not a fun ride. It is a warning about how much weight a single decision carries. You will leave thinking about every choice you ever made, which is exactly the point.
What the critics said
Critics found the premise intriguing but the execution overwrought. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 34% as of August 2024, with an average score of 4.8/10. Metacritic is less generous, landing on 30/100 as of February 2024, which it files under generally unfavorable. Sean Axmaker of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer called the mechanics "fuzzy at best." Roger Ebert enjoyed the film "up to a point," though he noted the science was used inconsistently. Some dissent exists, though. Matt Soergel of The Florida Times-Union called it a "solidly entertaining B-movie.
What came next for the cast
Ashton Kutcher moved from Two and a Half Men to a string of rom-coms like Valentine's Day. Melora Walters stepped away from indie dramas like Magnolia toward blockbusters like Venom. Elden Henson went from She's All That to The Hunger Games. Amy Smart swapped Road Trip for the gritty action of Crank. The credits list what followed. They cannot prove this film caused it.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Butterfly Effect.
Sources
- The Butterfly Effect on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q221109 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Butterfly Effect” 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
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