47 Meters Down (film series)
Survival horror series set in shark-infested waters.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
The **47 Meters Down** series is an American survival horror franchise made up of standalone films. Each movie, based on characters by Johannes Roberts and Ernest Riera, centers on a group of people trying to survive attacks from large ocean predators while engaging in shark-related tourism. So far, two films have been released in theaters, and a third is currently in post-production.
The first film, **47 Meters Down** (2017), follows Lisa, who is recovering from a breakup and vacations in Mexico with her sister Kate. They decide to be adventurous and, after flirting with two men, agree to go cage diving with great white sharks. Despite the boat’s questionable condition, the captain assumes they are experienced divers based on their booking. Using special communication masks, they initially enjoy seeing the sharks, but disaster strikes when the winch breaks and the cage plunges 47 meters to the ocean floor. Out of contact with the crew, the sisters must stay calm and find a way to survive before their oxygen runs out, facing threats like nitrogen narcosis, the bends, poor visibility, and hungry great whites.
The second film, **47 Meters Down: Uncaged** (2019), centers on stepsisters Mia and Sasha. Mia is bullied at school by Sasha’s friends. Their father Grant, a scuba diver, takes them on a boating trip to see sharks. On the first day, Mia is surprised to find Sasha’s friends—Catherine, Alexa, and Nicole—also on board. After starting to get along, the group visits a lagoon where Alexa reveals a hidden underwater entrance to a cave system leading to a submerged ancient Mayan city. Using scuba gear and communication masks, they descend into the caves. In a sacrificial chamber, Nicole startles a cavefish and hits a stone column, causing collapses that separate the group and fill the water with silt. With the entrance blocked, they must navigate 47 meters deeper through the caves and city before their oxygen runs out, all while evading blind, cave-dwelling sharks that hunt using echolocation in the dark labyrinth.
The third film, **47 Meters Down: The Wreck** (TBA), was first mentioned by Roberts in February 2020 as being in early development. He confirmed it was happening due to the second film’s financial success, though he would not direct. In May 2024, it was officially announced with the title *47 Meters Down: The Wreck*, directed by Patrick Lussier f
- field
- Survival natural-horror film series
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Shark tourism survival plots, cult classic status
- number_of_films
- 2 released, 1 in post-production
- creators
- Johannes Roberts, Ernest Riera
Lore & Background
The series began with 47 Meters Down (2017), in which sisters Lisa and Kate, after a difficult breakup, vacation in Mexico and go cage diving to see great whites. When the winch crane breaks, their cage descends 47 meters to the ocean floor, leaving them to survive limited oxygen, nitrogen narcosis, and hunting sharks. The second film, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019), follows stepsisters Mia and Sasha and their friends who explore a submerged Mayan city through underwater caves, only to be hunted by a fictional species of blind, cave-dwelling sharks that hunt using echolocation in the dark labyrinth. A third film, 47 Meters Down: The Wreck, was announced in May 2024, directed by Patrick Lussier from a script by Roberts and Riera. It centers on a father and his estranged daughter whose deep-sea dive to a shipwreck turns deadly.
Reader's Guide
Though the 47 Meters Down films received mixed critical reception, each was considered a financial success at the box office. Over time, the series accumulated fans and earned status as cult classics within the survival horror sub-genre. Continued critical analyses have ranked the movies among the greatest shark films of all time, with acclaim noted by sources including The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, Collider, Vulture, Entertainment Weekly, IndieWire, Comic Book Resources, Fangoria, Forbes, Screen Rant, Syfy, JoBlo, and Bloody Disgusting. The series' focus on self-preservation against apex predators, combined with its standalone narratives, has contributed to its lasting appeal and recognition in horror cinema.
Did You Know?
- The series consists of American-produced standalone survival natural-horror movies.
- The third film, 47 Meters Down: The Wreck, is in post-production as of May 2025.
- The second film features blind great white sharks that hunt using sound waves due to a genetic mutation.
- The series has been ranked among the greatest shark movies of all time by multiple sources.
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