Homestead (film)

Homestead is a 2024 American post-apocalyptic drama film directed by Ben Smallbone and written by Phillip Abraham, Leah Bateman and Jason Ross. Its stars Neal McDonough, Dawn Olivieri, Currie Graham, Susan Misner, Bailey Chase, Jesse Hutch, Kevin Lawson, Kearran Giovanni, Tyler Lofton, Emmanuel McCord, Olivia Sanabia, Grace Powell and Caden Dragomer. It is based on the book Black Autumn by Jeff Kirkham and Jason Ross.

Homestead
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ben Smallbone
Screenplay by	Harligh Morgan Leah Bateman Jason Ross
Based on	Black Autumn by Jeff Kirkham and Jason Ross
Produced by	Ben Kasica Andrea Royer Ben Smallbone
Starring	Dawn Olivieri Kearran Giovanni Bailey Chase Neal McDonough
Cinematography	Matthew Rivera
Edited by	John Puckett
Music by	Benjamin Backus
Production companies	Radiate Film Studios Skies Fall Media Group 2521 Entertainment 10 Ton Productions Black Autumn Show
Distributed by	Angel Studios
Release date	December 20, 2024 (2024-12-20)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$8 million[1]
Box office	$20.8 million[2]

The film was released in the United States on December 20, 2024.

Plot

A dirty bomb detonates off the coast of Los Angeles, causing widespread chaos and societal collapse across the United States. Families flee their homes, seeking refuge from the devastation. Among them are Evie and her children, and Jeff Eriksson, a former Green Beret, with his family. They are drawn to the Homestead, a fortified compound in the mountains owned by billionaire Ian Ross and his wife Jenna, rumored to be a safe haven.

Upon arrival, the families join a diverse group of survivors. They work to establish a routine, but tensions rise due to the harsh realities of their new existence. Jeff, despite his military background, initially refuses to take a leadership role. The group faces threats from the outside, including other armed groups, while internally, the scarcity of resources leads to conflict.

A critical incident occurs when wood rats destroy a significant portion of their wheat supply, worsening their food situation. Trespassing hunters then pose a direct danger to the Homestead, leading to a violent confrontation. In self-defense, Jeff's son, Abe, kills one of the hunters. The event deepens the challenges facing the group, forcing them to confront the difficult moral decisions of survival in their new world. The residents of the Homestead face an uncertain future, relying on one another while navigating the moral complexities of their situation.

Cast

The official website lists the following cast:^[3]

• Neal McDonough as Ian Ross
• Dawn Olivieri as Jenna Ross
• Bailey Chase as Jeff Eriksson
• Kearran Giovanni as Tara Eriksson
• Susan Misner as Evie McNulty
• Tyler Lofton as Abe Eriksson
• Kevin Lawson as Tick
• Currie Graham as Blake Masterson
• Olivia Sanabia as Claire Ross
• Jesse Hutch as Evan Lee
• Ariel Llinas as Lieutenant Javi Espada
• Grace Powell as Molly McNulty
• Jarrett LeMaster as Rick Baumgartner
• Caden Dragomer as Theo McNulty
• Emmanuel McCord as Bing
• Ivey Lloyd Mitchell as Marta Baumgartner
• Colby Strong as Christian
• Iñigo Pascual as young man who detonated bomb
• Matt Koenig as Malcolm

Production

In January 2024, Angel Studios announced that a post-apocalyptic drama film titled Homestead had completed filming with Ben Smallbone directing, and Phillip Abraham, Leah Bateman and Jason Ross writing the screenplay. Neal McDonough, Dawn Olivieri, Currie Graham, Susan Misner, Bailey Chase, Jesse Hutch, Kevin Lawson, Kearran Giovanni, Tyler Lofton, Olivia Sanabia, Grace Powell and Caden Dragomer round out the main cast.^[4]

Principal photography began on August 7, 2023, in Salt Lake City.^[5]

Release

Homestead was released in the United States on December 20, 2024.^[6]

Reception

Box office

In the United States, the film made $6 million from 1,886 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing fifth in the box office top ten.^[7] It added $3.1 million in its second weekend, and $2 million in its third, dropping to ninth.^[8][9]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 45% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10.^[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 44 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[11] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, and 85% positive on PostTrak.^[12]

Television series

Homestead was released simultaneously with two streaming television episodes of the same name which continue the storyline within the film.^[13] The series is currently slated to be eight episodes and streams exclusively on the Angel Studios website and mobile application.^[13]