Bad Times at the El Royale

In 1959 a man hides a bag of money under the floorboards of a hotel room, but afterward, another man arrives and kills him.

Ten years later, Catholic priest Daniel Flynn, singer Darlene Sweet, salesman Laramie Seymour Sullivan, and hippie Emily Summerspring arrive at the El Royale hotel that straddles the California-Nevada border, popular with the wealthy until losing its gambling license. They meet the hotel's only remaining employee, Miles Miller. Upon checking into the honeymoon suite, Sullivan begins removing wiretaps but unexpectedly finds a second set as well. He then discovers a secret corridor from which guest's rooms can be observed via two-way mirrors and filmed with a movie camera. From the corridor, Sullivan sees Emily committing an apparent kidnapping. He calls into the FBI, where he identifies as Special Agent Dwight Broadbeck. J. Edgar Hoover instructs him to ignore the kidnapping, and prevent the guests from leaving until the FBI materials are secured, so Dwight disables all the cars.

Flynn invites Sweet to join him for dinner. She sees him spiking her drink and knocks him unconscious with a bottle. Miller finds and revives Flynn, then shows him the secret passageway, explaining that "management" regularly had him film guests' intimate encounters, and send the footage to them. Miller admits having withheld one incriminating film of a deceased public figure who had been kind to him. When Flynn leaves to evaluate the film, Miller witnesses through the two-way mirror Agent Broadbeck attempting to rescue Emily's hostage, who is revealed to be Emily's younger sister, Rose. Emily kills Broadbeck with a shotgun, which also shoots out the mirror and brutalizes half of Miller's face.

Emily had forcibly removed her sister from a murderous cult in California led by Billy Lee, in order to keep her until she is “clear.” Billy is a lecherous, sadistic, and charismatic leader, and during the failed rescue Rose is able to call Billy to tell him where she is.

Sweet, who has witnessed Broadbeck's murder from the parking lot, attempts to escape, but her car won’t start. Flynn arrives and reveals to her that he is Dock O'Kelly, imprisoned since the robbery in 1959. Recently paroled, he came here in disguise to retrieve the money hidden by his brother. Due to O'Kelly's failing memory, he picked the wrong room, and the money was not there. Believing it to be in Sweet's room, he had attempted to drug her simply to gain access. Withholding knowledge that he is in possession of the film, O'Kelly offers to split the cash with Sweet. O'Kelly pulls up the floor of Sweet’s room, as she sings and claps to cover the noise, as Emily watches them through the mirror.

As O'Kelly and Sweet attempt to leave with the money, Lee and his cult arrive and take them, Emily, and Miller hostage. Lee finds the money and the film, which he realizes is worth more than the money. Beginning to terrorize the group, Lee kills Emily by playing a life-or-death game of roulette between her and Miller. Before Lee completes another roulette round between O'Kelly and Sweet, O'Kelly attacks Lee and a melee ensues. When Sweet implores Miller to pick up a gun and help, he reveals that he served in Vietnam as a sniper and killed 123 people. A defiant Miller kills Lee and his followers to save O'Kelly. A distraught Rose stabs Miller and is shot by O'Kelly. Before Miller dies, Sweet tells "Father Flynn" to absolve Miller of the guilt over his actions in Vietnam. O'Kelly complies. O'Kelly and Sweet retrieve the money, Sweet tosses the film into the fire, and the pair leave.

Sometime later in Reno, O'Kelly attends Sweet's jazz performance at a nightclub. The two smile warmly at each other before she begins to sing.

On March 8, 2017, it was announced that 20th Century Fox had bought the spec script Bad Times at the El Royale, written by Drew Goddard, who would also direct and produce the film.[6] On August 23, 2017, Chris Hemsworth and Jeff Bridges were cast in the 1960s-set film, to play two among the several characters who collide at the El Royale hotel, near California's Lake Tahoe.[7] That same day, it was also reported that Tom Holland had passed on a role, and that Beyoncé was being courted for the role of a black vocalist. It was also revealed that main roles in the ensemble would include a vacuum cleaner salesman, two female criminals, a male cult leader, and a desk clerk.[8] Later in August 2017, newcomer Cailee Spaeny was added to the cast to play an impressionable Southern girl brought to the hotel,[9] while Cynthia Erivo was cast as the black singer who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.[10] In January 2018, Dakota Johnson and Russell Crowe joined the cast (though Crowe did not appear in the film).[11] In February 2018, Jon Hamm, Nick Offerman, and Mark O'Brien joined the cast,[12][13] and in May 2018, Lewis Pullman was also confirmed for a role.[14]

Principal photography on the film began on January 29, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia. In February, it was being shot in Burnaby.[15]

The El Royale is quite similar in appearance and characteristics to the Cal Neva Lodge & Casino, closed in 2013.

The first trailer was released on June 7, 2018.[21] The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 27, 2018 and also screened at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.[22][23] It was theatrically released in the United States on October 12, 2018.

The film received a digital release on December 18, 2018, and received a 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD release on January 1, 2019.[24]

• Official website
• Bad Times at the El Royale on IMDb
• Bad Times at the El Royale at AllMovie
• Bad Times at the El Royale at Metacritic
• Bad Times at the El Royale at Rotten Tomatoes