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ERA
Did you know
Released 16 years ago.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Daybreakers
"In 2019, the most precious natural resource... is us."
2010 1h 38m EN
😐
6.3
MID
★6.3TMDB · 2,277
ActionFantasyScience Fiction
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
In the year 2019, a plague has transformed almost every human into a vampire. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher works with a covert band of vampires on a way to save humankind.
“In 2019, the most precious natural resource... is us.”
Cast
Ethan Hawke
Edward Dalton
Sam Neill
Charles Bromley
Willem Dafoe
Lionel 'Elvis' Cormac
Claudia Karvan
Audrey Bennett
Isabel Lucas
Alison Bromley
Vince Colosimo
Christopher Caruso
Jay Laga'aia
Senator Turner
Michael Dorman
Frankie Dalton
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Michael Spierig
- Writers
- Peter Spierig, Michael Spierig, Graeme Callander
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America, Australia
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
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WORLD
Did you know
International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Australia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
CAST
Did you know
218+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Michael Spierig, shot by Ben Nott. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Christopher Gordon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Matt Villa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Ethan Hawke and Sam Neill and Willem Dafoe carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "In 2019, the most precious natural resource... is us.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Michael Spierig directs. Ben Nott behind the camera. Christopher Gordon scores. Matt Villa cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Australia. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Released 16 years ago.
- 2International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Australia.
- 3218+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
- 4Directed by Michael Spierig, shot by Ben Nott. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 5Original score by Christopher Gordon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 6Editor Matt Villa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 7Ethan Hawke and Sam Neill and Willem Dafoe carry the top of the cast.
- 8Marketing tagline: "In 2019, the most precious natural resource... is us.".
- 9IMDB entry: tt0433362 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 10Classified under 15 themes, including "experiment", "sunrise", "waitress", "vampire".
- 11Released under 15 different titles around the world.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Ben Nott
- Original score
- Christopher Gordon
- Editing
- Matt Villa
- Production design
- George Liddle
- Costume design
- George Liddle
- Makeup / hair
- Vivienne Boo Fox
- VFX supervisor
- Rangi Sutton
- Sound
- Nick Breslin
- Stunt coordinator
- Chris Anderson
- Runtime
- 98 min · 1h 38m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $20,000,000
- Box office
- $51,417,188
- Return
- 257% of budget
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- R
Awards
- AACTA Award for Best Visual Effects
Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.
Also by
Michael Spierig
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- JPV852★ 7/10
Not great but still entertaining vampire movie with a fun twist at the end. I'm not usually the biggest fan of vampire films, or zombie ones for that matter (I'm more a fan of classic slashers like Halloween and Friday the 13th) but this one wasn't too bad, aside from the occasional terrible CGI blood. Also helped that the film has Willem Dafoe in it, who I wish was the central character (though Hawke was by no means bad).
- Dr Nostromo★ 6/10
62/100 Ten years after an outbreak that turned most of the human race into vampires, a blood doctor is trying to develop substitute blood to prevent the extinction of humans, and, in turn, the vampires food supply. This was acted well and quite entertaining but it had its problems. It didn't have the final emotional oomph that it needed to get me fully engaged. The so-called 'cure' logically would have been figured out by now, considering 10 years had elapsed, and can you really call it a cure? The implications are staggering. Great blood bath ending, though. -- DrNostromo.com
Production companies
Who made it
Lionsgate
US
- PI
Pictures in Paradise
AU
- PA
Pacific Film and Television Commission
AU
- FU
Furst Films
US
Australian Film Finance Corporation
AU
Key crew
- Dialogue EditorLibby Villa
- Dialogue EditorJenny T. Ward
- Property MasterLenny Holmdahl
- Dialogue EditorDerryn Pasquill
- EditorMatt Villa
- Executive ProducerJason Constantine
- ProducerSean Furst
- ProducerBryan Furst
- ProducerTodd Fellman
- Production DesignGeorge Liddle
- Executive ProducerPeter Block
- Line ProducerStuart Wood
- CastingNikki Barrett
- Foley RecordistJason Hancock
- Sound AssistantDan McMahon
- ADR MixerMartin Oswin
- Foley ArtistJohn Simpson
- ADR RecordistRich Macar
- Sound RecordistCraig Walmsley
- Dolby ConsultantBruce Emery
- Supervising Dialogue EditorSonal Joshi
- Additional First Assistant CameraChris Healy
- Best Boy ElectricStephen Head
- Dolly GripMichael Rich
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- experiment
- sunrise
- waitress
- vampire
- dystopia
- rain
- sunlight
- undead
- scientist
- epidemic
- death
- dead
- urban gothic
- brutal deaths
- hopeful
Release history · US
When it landed
- Premiere2009-10-01· Austin Fantastic Fest
- Theatrical2010-01-08R
- Physical2025-09-16R· 4K Ultra HD SteelBook
Also known as
International titles
- Daybreakers - L'Ultimo VampiroIT
- Daybreakers - ŚwitPL
- Vampir İmparatorluğuTR
- 破晓者CN
- 2019猎血都市CN
- L'Aube des survivantsCA
- Daybreakers 3DUS
- 血世紀TW
- Vampiros del díaAR
- Daybreakers - O Último VampiroPT
- デイブレイカーJP
- Vampiros del DiaSV
- La hermandadMX
- 2019獵血都市HK
- 嗜血破晓CN
