Searching (film series)

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Searching
Official film series logo
Based onAn original story
by Aneesh Chaganty & Sev Ohanian
Starring
Distributed by
Release date
2018-present
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8,880,000 (3 films)[1][2][3][4]
Box office$90,616,177 (3 films)[1][2][4]

The Searching film series[5] consists of American mystery-thriller screenlife films, including two theatrical movies, and one theatrical-streaming exclusive film. The plot of each movie centers around parent-child relationships, and depict the use of public records through technology in investigations of true crime.

The films have been well received by critics and audiences alike.[6][7][8] The original film starring John Cho was met with critical and financial success, with praise for its integration of found footage sub-genre "screen life", and its realism.[9][10][11] The 2020 standalone installment starring Sarah Paulson was likewise met with a positive critical reaction, while acknowledging its campy elements praise was directed at the cast and the film's premise.[12][13][14] The standalone sequel which starred Storm Reid, was mostly well received by critics with some comparing it superior the previous installments,[15][16] while criticizing elements of its plot as unbelievable.[17][18] The film series as a whole has also been deemed a financial success at the box office, turning a profit for the associated studios.[1][2][4]

Films[edit]

Film U.S.
release date 		Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s)
Searching August 24, 2018 (2018-08-24) Aneesh Chaganty Aneesh Chaganty & Sev Ohanian Natalie Qasabian, Timur Bekmambetov, Sev Ohanian and Adam Sidman
Run. November 20, 2020 (2020-11-20) Natalie Qasabian and Sev Ohanian
Missing January 20, 2023 (2023-01-20) Nick Johnson & Will Merrick Aneesh Chaganty & Sev Ohanian Natalie Qasabian, Timur Bekmambetov, Sev Ohanian, Aneesh Chaganty and Adam Sidman

Searching (2018)[edit]

Main article: Searching (film)

When high school student Margot Kim goes missing, her father David becomes desperate when the initial police investigation is unsuccessful. Frantically searching her personal laptop for any clues to where she has gone, David sorts through videos and photos, contacts all of her peers, and tries to retrace her digital footprint to assist in locating his daughter. As he starts to solve the mystery, he begins to question everything he thought he knew.[19][9][20][21][22][10][11]

Run. (2020)[edit]

Main article: Run (2020 American film)

Chloe Sherman, a homeschooled student raised in isolation, lives with her protective and doating mother named Diane. Wheelchair-bound, her mother attends to her every need from the time she was born with various undisclosed medical conditions. Now a teenager, she one day discovers some documents which make her begin to question her upbringing and the reality she's been taught to believe. When she discontinues taking the medication that her mother gives her, she plots an escape from the house. When she leaves, she races against time before Diane realizes she is missing, and to find the truth to the questions that she can't be answer from the confines of her home.[12][23][24][25][13][26][14][27]

Missing (2023)[edit]

Main article: Missing (2023 film)

June Allen is a well behaved teenager, who gives support to her widowed mother named Grace. When Grace goes on a trip to Colombia with her new boyfriend, but never comes home, June contacts the police. Due to international red tape, she searches for her mom using the technology that she has access to. Becoming creative in the process of her digital sleuthing, she starts to question the means of Grace's whereabouts. With the information she acquires, she races against time to solve the mystery before it's too late and her mother is lost in a foreign country forever.[15][28][29][30][16][31][32][33][34]

Future[edit]

In January 2023 co-screenwriters/co-directors of Missing, Will Merrick and Nick Johnson, confirmed that the studio has already approached them with development of another movie. The duo stated that while all creatives involved have ideas for the next film, they intend to wait some time before writing the story.[35]

Connections[edit]

The filmmakers of each installment have stated that there are various ways that the movies connect to each other, both directly with continuing plot threads and through a hidden sub-plot within the films.[36][5]

Continuing story[edit]

During the events of Searching, references are made to characters from Run.; something that the filmmakers included to foreshadow the plot of the latter film.[36] In Run., references are made to David and Margot Kim from Searching in the form of in-universe news coverage to the characters, as well as the appearance of Hannah who is a model in the overarching story.[36][5] In Missing, it's shown that the experiences of David and Margot have been detailed in the form of a true crime series, which June is invested in. It is also revealed that following previous events, Diane Sherman has escaped the psych-ward she was admitted to.[5]

Sub-plot[edit]

In 2018 following the release of Searching, Chaganty and Ohanian confirmed an additional story that was presented in the background of the primary plot of the film. Stating that it started off as an inside joke, the filmmaking duo decided to explore an alien invasion sub-plot.[37] The story continued in as a secondary plot of the standalone sequel Missing, where they revealed that following the aftermath of the invasion, someone with abilities that they inherited as a result of the attack from the extraterrestrials, defended communities from the ill intentions of the otherworldly creatures.[35][38][39][36][40]

Main cast and characters[edit]

List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

  • An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  C indicates a cameo role.
  •  P indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs.
  •  V indicates a voice-only role.
Character Films
Searching Run. Missing
Principal cast
David Kim John Cho   John ChoCP[41][42]
Margot Kim Michelle La[a]   Referenced[41][42]
Det. Sgt. Rosemary Vick Debra Messing  
Robert Vick Steven Michael Eich  
Dianne Sherman Referenced[36] Sarah Paulson Referenced
Chloe Sherman Referenced[36] Kiera Allen  
June Allen   Storm Reid[b]
Grace Allen   Nia Long
James "Jimmy" Allen   Tim Griffin
Supporting cast
Pamela Nam Kim Sara Sohn  
Peter Kim Joseph Lee  
Hannah the model
(@fish_n_chips) 		Erica Jenkins[43]  
Mailman Tom   Pat Healy  
Nurse Kammy   Sara Sohn  
Pharm.D. Kathy Bates   Sharon Bajer  
Brooklyn Boy   Tony RevoloriV  
Kevin   Ken Leung
Javier   Joaquim de Almeida
Agent Elijah Park   Daniel Henney
Heather   Amy Landecker

Additional crew and production details[edit]

Film Crew/Detail
Composer Cinematographer Editors Production
companies 		Distributing
companies 		Running time
Searching Torin Borrowdale Juan Sebastian Baron Nick Johnson & Will Merrick Sony Pictures,
Screen Gems,
Stage 6 Films,
Bazelevs Company 		Sony Pictures Releasing 1 hr 42 mins
Run. Hillary Spera Lions Gate Films,
Summit Entertainment,
Search Party Productions,
Hulu Original Films 		Hulu,
Lionsgate 		1 hr 29 mins
Missing Julian Scherle Steven Holleran Austin Keeling & Arielle Zakowski Sony Pictures,
Screen Gems,
Stage 6 Films,
Bazelevs Company,
Search Party Productions 		Sony Pictures Releasing 1 hr 51 mins

Reception[edit]

For more details on the reception of each film, see the "Reception" section on each film's article.

Box office and financial performance[edit]

Film Box office gross Box office ranking Video
sales gross 		Worldwide total
gross income 		Budget Worldwide total
net income 		Ref.
North America Other territories Worldwide All time
North America 		All time
worldwide
Searching $26,020,957 $49,620,898 $75,641,855 #3,170 #1,883 $275,861 $75,917,716 $880,000 $75,037,716 [1][44]
Run. — $5,184,368 $5,184,368 — #9,886 Figures not publicly available >$5,184,368 $1,000,000 >$4,184,368 [2][45][3]
Missing $31,575,974 $5,100,000 $36,675,974 #2,800 #6,163 [to be determined] >$36,675,974 $7,000,000 ≥$29,675,974 [4][46]
Totals $57,596,931 $59,905,266 $117,502,197 x̄ #1,990[c] x̄ #5,977[d] >$275,861 >$117,778,058 $8,880,000 $108,898,058

Critical and public response[edit]

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Searching 92% (261 reviews)[6] 71/100 (34 reviews)[47] A−[48]
Run. 89% (141 reviews)[7] 67/100 (20 reviews)[49] —
Missing 87% (119 reviews)[8] 67/100 (30 reviews)[50] B[51]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The character is portrayed at younger ages of 5, 7, and 9-years old by: Alex Jayne Go, Megan Liu, and Kya Dawn Lau, respectively.
  2. ^ The character is portrayed at younger ages by: Ava Zaria Lee, and Billie JordanP, respectively.
  3. ^ This is an approximate average, based on the three movies.
  4. ^ This is an approximate average, based on the three movies.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Searching (2018)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Run (2020)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Pearson, Ben (January 31, 2019). "'Run', A New Thriller From 'Searching' Director Aneesh Chaganty, Hits Theaters In 2020". Slash Film. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "Missing (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Wurtz, Gina (February 18, 2023). "How The Missing Movie Is A Sequel To Searching & Run". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Searching (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Run (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Missing (2023)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Roman, Julian (August 23, 2018). "Searching Review: A Terrifying Tale for the Digital Era". MovieWeb. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Greenblatt, Leah (August 27, 2018). "Searching gives the psychological thriller a smart digital twist: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Gallagher, Brian (August 22, 2018). "Searching Review - Not just a gimmick movie". IGN. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Debruge, Peter (November 19, 2020). "'Run' Review: A Wheelchair-Using Teen Tries to Escape a Sadistic Caregiver in Wild Sarah Paulson Thriller". Variety. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Greenblatt, Leah (November 18, 2020). "Sarah Paulson is a mom unhinged in Hulu's high-camp thriller Run: Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Navarro, Meagan (October 9, 2020). "[Nightstream Review] Sarah Paulson-Starring 'Run' Brings Hitchcockian Suspense to Familiar Thriller". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Hammond, Pete (January 19, 2023). "'Missing' Review: Followup To 2018's Sleeper Hit 'Searching' Is A Nail-Biting Thriller For The Internet Age". Deadline. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Abele, Robert (January 19, 2023). "'Missing' Review: Stand-Alone 'Searching' Sequel Delivers More Digital Hunt-and-Peck Thrills". The Wrap. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  17. ^ Murthi, Vikram (January 13, 2023). "'Missing' Review: Stand-Alone 'Searching' Sequel Takes Gimmick to Bigger (and Dumber) Places". IndieWire. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Nichols, Tyler (January 20, 2023). "Missing Review". JoBlo. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  19. ^ Aguilar, Carlos (August 23, 2018). "'Searching' Film Review: John Cho Searches the Web for Missing Daughter". The Wrap. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  20. ^ Lemire, Christy (August 24, 2018). "Search". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  21. ^ Richards, Olly (August 29, 2018). "Searching Review". Empire. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  22. ^ Travers, Peter (August 22, 2018). "'Searching' Review: High-Tech Thriller Delivers Old-Fashioned Chills". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  23. ^ Defore, John (October 8, 2020). "'Run': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  24. ^ Lemire, Christy (November 20, 2020). "Run". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  25. ^ Wilhelmi, Jack (November 16, 2020). "Run Review: Sarah Paulson Is One Crazy Mother". ScreenRant. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  26. ^ Adlakha, Siddhant (November 18, 2020). "Run - Review". IGN. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  27. ^ Sandwell, Ian (April 2, 2021). "Run review: American Horror Story star Sarah Paulson's thriller is a wild, twisted ride". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  28. ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (January 13, 2023). "'Missing' Review: Nia Long and Storm Reid in Nerve-Jangling 'Searching' Spinoff". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  29. ^ Gilchrist, Todd (January 13, 2023). "'Missing' Review: Amateur Sleuth Storm Reid Does Her Detective Work by Screens in 'Searching' Sequel". Variety. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  30. ^ Bonaime, Ross (January 13, 2023). "'Missing' Review: Storm Reid Tries to Find Her Mom in Exciting Techno-Mystery". Collider. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  31. ^ Nugent, John (April 17, 2023). "Missing (2023) Review". Empire. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  32. ^ Lemire, Christy (January 20, 2023). "Missing". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  33. ^ Donato, Matt (January 13, 2023). "Missing - Review". IGN. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  34. ^ Sim, Jonathan (January 13, 2023). "Missing Review: An Excellent Successor to Searching". ComingSoon. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  35. ^ a b Pearson, Ben (January 23, 2023). "Missing Filmmakers On Their Searching Sequel, Going International, And The Alien Subplot [Exclusive Interview]". Slash Film. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  36. ^ a b c d e f Lussier, Germain (November 13, 2018). "An Alien Invasion Was Happening in Searching, You Just Didn't Notice It". Gizmodo. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  37. ^ Erbland, Kate (November 13, 2018). "'Searching': John Cho-Starring Sundance Hit Included a Wild Alien Invasion Subplot". IndieWire. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  38. ^ Massoto, Erick (January 17, 2022). "'Missing' Filmmakers Confirm the Alien Invasion Subplot Continues". Collider. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  39. ^ Pearson, Ben (January 18, 2023). "Watch Closely: Searching Sequel Missing Introduces A Superhero Origin Story In The Margins [Exclusive]". Slash Film. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  40. ^ Wurtz, Gina (February 18, 2023). "How The Missing Movie Is A Sequel To Searching & Run". ScreenRant. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  41. ^ a b Topel, Fred (January 19, 2023). "'Missing' filmmakers expand on 'Searching' technology, Easter eggs". United Press International. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  42. ^ a b Abdulbaki, Mae (January 19, 2023). "Missing Ending Explained: Unraveling Kevin's Plan & Those Grace Twists". Screen Rant. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  43. ^ Pearson, Ben (November 20, 2020). "The Biggest 'Run' Easter Eggs And Cameos, And An Update On 'Searching 2'". Slash Film. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  44. ^ "Searching (2018)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  45. ^ "Run (2020)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  46. ^ "Missing (2023)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  47. ^ "Searching (2018)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  48. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 3, 2018). "'Crazy Rich Asians' Raises Box Office Bank Account To $117M – Labor Day Weekend Recap". Deadline. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  49. ^ "Run (2020)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  50. ^ "Missing (2023)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  51. ^ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
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