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Civil War is a 2024 dystopian film written and directed by Alex Garland. Set in the near future, it follows a team of journalists traveling across the United States during a civil war which has engulfed the nation. The ensemble cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, and Jesse Plemons. Civil War premiered at South by Southwest on March 14, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States by A24 and in the United Kingdom by Entertainment Film Distributors on April 12, 2024. It received positive reviews from critics and has grossed $38 million worldwide. Plot A civil war has erupted between an authoritarian United States government and various regional factions. The president, who is serving a third term, claims that victory is close at hand. Renowned war photographer Lee Smith saves aspiring photojournalist Jessie from a suicide bombing in Brooklyn. Lee and her colleague Joel intend to travel to Washington, D.C., to interview and photograph the president before the city falls. Lee's mentor Sammy asks to accompany them as far as Charlottesville, where the Western Forces ("WF") of Texas and California are assembling. Despite Lee's hesitance, she and Joel agree. Unbeknownst to Lee, Jessie convinces Joel to take her with them as well. After departing the city, the group stops at a rural gas station protected by armed men. Lee successfully negotiates a purchase of fuel with Canadian dollars. Meanwhile, Jessie wanders off to a nearby car wash she saw from the road. There she finds two men being tortured by the owners, who claim that the men are looters. One owner follows Jessie, but Lee defuses the situation by taking a photo of the man posed with his victims. After leaving, Jessie berates herself for being too scared to take photos. Following an overnight stop close to ongoing fighting, the group document the combat the next day as militiamen assault a building held by loyalists. Lee sees Jessie's potential as a war photographer while Jessie photographs the militia executing captured loyalist soldiers. Continuing on, the group spend the night at a refugee camp before passing through a small town where, under watchful guard, residents attempt to live in blissful ignorance. Lee and Jessie grow closer, trying on clothes at a local shop. Later, they are pinned down in a sniper battle amid the remains of a Christmas fair. The snipers they are with mock Joel’s attempts to ascertain which party they’re fighting for or against, telling Joel that they and the sniper in a nearby house are simply engaged in a struggle for survival. Jessie's nerve builds and her photography skills improve as she witnesses several deaths, and she develops a mentorship under Lee. Jessie asks if Lee would photograph Jessie being killed, and Lee implies she might. While driving, the foursome encounter two other reporters they know, Tony and Bohai. Tony and Jessie playfully switch vehicles, only for Bohai and Jessie to be captured by militants who are dumping civilian corpses in a mass grave. The rest of the group tries to intervene, but a xenophobic militant kills Bohai and asks where the others are from, killing Tony when he says Hong Kong. Sammy saves the group by running over two of the militants, but is shot by a third and dies as they flee. Arriving at the Western Forces military camp in Charlottesville, the group grieves in different ways. Lee takes a photo of Sammy's corpse, but deletes it shortly after. Joel gets drunk and begins to become hysterical. Jessie floats around the campsite. Two fellow reporters inform the group that the government's defenders have mostly surrendered, leaving Washington largely unprotected. They follow the WF as Jessie's photography becomes increasingly risky, while Lee has a brief post-traumatic stress disorder episode and is unable to take pictures. In the besieged capital, the president's limousine unsuccessfully attempts to flee the White House grounds with escort, but Lee intuits that the president is still in the building and leads her group inside. The WF follow, and face off with the remaining Secret Service. When Jessie exposes herself to gunfire to get a photo of the ensuing gunfight in the West Wing, Lee pushes her to safety. Jessie photographs her mentor as she is killed in the crossfire. The WF soldiers capture the president in the Oval Office. Joel tells them to stop so that he can get a quote. The president begs Joel for mercy, "Please, don't let them kill me", a quote with which Joel is satisfied. Jessie takes a photo of the president's summary execution. During the credits, a developing photo of smiling WF soldiers posing with the president's corpse appears. Cast Production Development and casting In January 2022, it was reported that Alex Garland had signed on to write and direct the film for A24 with DNA Films co-produce. Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Cailee Spaeny were confirmed to star. In April, Karl Glusman was announced as part of the cast. In a May interview with The Daily Telegraph, Garland described the film as a companion piece to his 2022 film Men, and said it is "set at an indeterminate point in the future—just far enough ahead for me to add a conceit—and serves as a sci-fi allegory for our currently polarized predicament". In the same interview, Sonoya Mizuno was revealed as part of the cast, having appeared in all of Garland's previous films. Jesse Plemons, Dunst's husband, was quickly cast in the uncredited role at Dunst's suggestion after the originally cast actor became unavailable a few days before shooting began. Garland called Plemons' availability "a stunning bit of good luck." Filming Principal photography began in Atlanta on March 15, 2022. By May, production had moved to London. The production budget for Civil War was $50 million, making it A24's most expensive film. The movie was shot on the prosumer DJI Ronin 4D camera. In a March 2024 interview with The Guardian, Garland stated that after Civil War, he intends to step back from directing and focus only on writing. Release Civil War had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 14, 2024, with favourable reactions from the audience and to positive reviews from the critics. The film was previously scheduled to be released on April 26, 2024. It was released on April 12, 2024, in the United States by A24 and in the United Kingdom by Entertainment Film, with engagements in IMAX and Dolby Cinema. Reception Box office In the United States and Canada, the film was projected to gross $18–24 million from 3,838 theaters (the widest-ever R-rated release by an independent studio) in its opening weekend. The film made $10.8 million on its first day, including $2.9 million from Thursday night previews (a record for an A24 release). It went on to debut to $25.7 million, surpassing Hereditary as the biggest opening weekend in A24's history as well as the .... Discover the Jessie Donovan popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jessie Donovan books.