Anaconda
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tom Gormican
Written by
  • Tom Gormican
  • Kevin Etten
Based on
Anaconda
by
  • Hans Bauer
  • Jim Cash
  • Jack Epps Jr.
Produced by
  • Brad Fuller
  • Andrew Form
  • Kevin Etten
  • Tom Gormican
Starring
  • Paul Rudd
  • Jack Black
Cinematography Nigel Bluck
Edited by
  • Craig Alpert
  • Gregory Plotkin
Music by David Fleming
Production
companies
  • Columbia Pictures
  • Fully Formed Entertainment
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Release dates
  • December 13, 2025 (2025-12-13) (The United Theater on Broadway)
  • December 25, 2025 (2025-12-25) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $45 million[2][3]
Box office $135 million[3][4]

Anaconda is a 2025 American action-adventure comedy horror film[5] that serves as a meta-reboot of Anaconda (1997) and is the seventh installment in the Anaconda film series. The film was directed by Tom Gormican, who co-wrote it with Kevin Etten, and stars Paul Rudd and Jack Black. The story follows a group of childhood friends trying to remake the 1997 film, only to be attacked by a giant and murderous anaconda.

Anaconda had its premiere at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles, California on December 13, 2025, and was released by Sony Pictures Releasing in the United States on December 25. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and has grossed $135 million worldwide.

Plot

Childhood friends Doug McCallister, Ronald "Griff" Griffin, Kenny Trent, and Claire Simons are all dissatisfied with the way their lives have gone. When Griff, a television actor struggling to find work at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, reveals that he has obtained the rights to one of their favorite films, Anaconda, the group secures a loan and travels to the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil to make a low-budget indie version of the film.

The group are joined by Ana Almeida, a woman who claims to be the daughter of the boat rental operator they've been working with. While shooting, Griff accidentally kills Heitor, the semi-tame snake they were using. Griff and their snake handler Santiago Braga venture into the jungle to find a replacement, but Santiago is attacked by a massive anaconda that terrorizes the jungle.

Doug decides to add Ana as a character in their film and begins focusing mainly on her, creating friction with Griff. A Sony film crew, which also claims to be remaking Anaconda, passes by. Doug angrily confronts Griff, who admits that he lied about buying the legal rights to the franchise. After an argument, Griff leaves to join the other crew, but arrives there after the anaconda has left the set in ruins and abandoned, having killed many of the cast and crew.

Meanwhile, Ana reveals herself to be an illegal gold miner on the run from police. She is apprehended by a police officer who has been tracking her, but Griff reappears and shoots the officer in the leg, assuming him to be a villain. Ana kills the officer, holds the friends at gunpoint, and demands that they gather gold for her until Claire successfully defeats her and takes the gun away from her, but then the anaconda drags Ana underwater, killing her and allowing the friends to escape.

As the friends try to make their way home, Doug is swallowed whole by the anaconda. Kenny, Griff, and Claire later discover his lifeless body, which they use as bait to distract it, presuming him to be dead. Doug suddenly awakens as the anaconda is approaching him and narrowly escapes.

The friends return to the wrecked film set and encounter Ice Cube, one of the Sony actors, who helps to hold off the snake and equips the team with weapons before heading out to rescue any surviving crew members. The friends attempt to kill the snake with pyrotechnics, but when that fails, Griff shoots propane tanks with a flare gun to blow up the anaconda's body, and Doug delivers the final blow to its head.

The group finishes their film, but cannot secure theatrical distribution as Sony sends them a cease-and-desist letter. Griff later re-lands a role in the S.W.A.T. TV series and marries Claire. Doug is visited by Jennifer Lopez, who liked his film and invites him to direct an actual reboot. Meanwhile, Santiago is revealed to be alive.

Cast

  • Jack Black as Doug McCallister, a wedding videographer
  • Paul Rudd as Ronald "Griff" Griffen Jr., a background actor
  • Steve Zahn as Kenny Trent, Doug and Griff's friend
  • Thandiwe Newton as Claire Simons, Doug and Griff's friend
  • Daniela Melchior as Ana Almeida
  • Selton Mello as Carlos Santiago Braga, a snake handler
  • Ice Cube as himself
  • Ione Skye as Malie McCallister, Doug's wife
  • Ben Lawson as TV MD - Brant Markham
  • Rui Ricardo Diaz as João
  • John Billingsley as Jerry
  • Cheree Cassidy as Donna, Makeup Artist
  • Dan Silveira as Timo

Additionally, Jennifer Lopez, who appeared in the original Anaconda film, has an uncredited cameo appearance as herself.

Production

On January 24, 2020, it was announced that Columbia Pictures was developing a reboot of the 1997 cult film Anaconda, with Evan Daugherty attached to write the screenplay.[6] In March 2023, Tom Gormican was announced as the director of the film.[7] In August 2024, Jack Black and Paul Rudd were cast in the leading roles, with Gormican scribing with frequent collaborator Kevin Etten.[8] Rudd was initially cast in Black's role, but when Black came aboard later the two actors swapped parts upon Black's insistence.[9] In September 2024, Daniela Melchior joined the cast.[10] In January 2025, Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn, Selton Mello, and Ione Skye joined the cast, with principal photography beginning that month in Queensland, Australia.[11] Filming concluded in late February 2025.[12] The "pee-shy" scene was shot during reshoots; shooting of the Jennifer Lopez mid-credits scene occurred much later, on November 17, 2025.[9] A week before the film's release, Ice Cube, who starred in the original like Lopez, revealed his involvement.[13]

Music

Main article: Anaconda (soundtrack)

The film score for Anaconda was composed and produced by American composer David Fleming, who was announced as the project's composer in late 2025.[14] Fleming's score was released digitally by Madison Gate Records on December 25, 2025, alongside the film, and spans approximately 42 minutes across multiple cues that align with key narrative moments, from the opening jungle adventure to humorous character themes.[14]

Release

Theatrical

Anaconda had its world premiere in Los Angeles on December 13, 2025.[15] It was released in the United States on December 25, 2025, by Sony Pictures Releasing.[16]

Home media

The film was released on VOD on January 27, 2026, and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 17, 2026.[17] Anaconda was released to streaming on Netflix on March 25, 2026.[18]

Reception

Box office

Anaconda grossed $65.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $69.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $135 million.[3][4]

In the United States and Canada, Anaconda was released alongside Marty Supreme and Song Sung Blue, and was projected to gross around $20 million from 3,509 theaters over its four-day opening weekend.[2] The film made $9.1 million on its first day (which included $2.1 million from Christmas Eve previews).[19][20] It went on to debut to $14.6 million in its opening weekend, and to a total of $23.7 million over the first four days, finishing in fifth.[21]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 48% of 155 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "The premise might be ripe for a raucous action-comedy, but this meta reboot of Anaconda can't detach its jaws wide enough to swallow so many conflicting tones."[22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 43 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[23] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[20]

Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post gave the film a three stars rating out of four and wrote: "Whenever there's a lull here, a big laugh soon comes along with the force of a boa constrictor that conceals the flaws."[24] Ethan Anderton of /Film wrote: "Anaconda taps into a sweet spot that's just edgy enough to make adults laugh and just family friendly enough to let kids have a good time with their parents too. It's hilarious, harmless, and puts a fun spin on a familiar formula, even if the snake still looks fake as hell."[25]

In a more mixed review, Peter Debruge of Variety wrote: "The only risk taken here was asking Sony — plus any surviving members of the original cast — to poke fun at themselves, which only goes so far when the film has no fangs."[26]

See also

  • List of killer snake films

References

  1. ^ "Anaconda [M]". Australian Classification Board. November 27, 2025. Archived from the original on December 26, 2025. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (December 23, 2025). "'Avatar 3' to Rule Over Christmas Box Office; 'Anaconda' to Top Fellow New Holiday Releases 'Marty Supreme' and 'Song Sung Blue'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 26, 2025. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Anaconda (2025)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Archived from the original on January 12, 2026. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Anaconda (2025)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on February 2, 2026. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  5. ^ VanHoose, Benjamin (September 16, 2025). "Anaconda First Photos: Jack Black and Paul Rudd Spearhead a Clever Snake Reboot (Exclusive)". People.com. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  6. ^ Kit, Borys (January 24, 2020). "'Anaconda' Reboot in the Works With 'Snow White and the Huntsman' Writer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  7. ^ Kamal, Nathan (March 11, 2023). "Exclusive: Anaconda Reboot In Development From Massive Talent Director". Giant Freakin Robot. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  8. ^ Kit, Borys (August 21, 2024). "Jack Black, Paul Rudd Circling Reimagining of Horror Movie 'Anaconda'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Anaconda’ Director Tom Gormican Explains How That Very Last-Minute Franchise Cameo Transpired
  10. ^ Kroll, Justin (September 30, 2024). "Daniela Melchior Joins Paul Rudd And Jack Black In Sony's New 'Anaconda' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  11. ^ Kit, Borys (January 17, 2025). "New 'Anaconda' Movie Ensnares Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  12. ^ Freitag, Lee (March 3, 2025). "'An Unforgettable Experience': Anaconda Reboot Star Wraps Filming, Shares BTS Image With Jack Black and Paul Rudd". CBR. Archived from the original on March 6, 2025. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
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  14. ^ a b "David Fleming Scoring Tom Gormican's 'Anaconda' | Film Music Reporter". Archived from the original on November 21, 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  15. ^ Cramer, Alex (December 14, 2025). "Paul Rudd Says Ice Cube's Approval of New 'Anaconda' Is Like "Being Blessed by the Pope"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 16, 2025. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  16. ^ Gajewski, Ryan (December 20, 2024). "Paul Rudd, Jack Black's 'Anaconda' Comedy Lands 2025 Holiday Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  17. ^ Lammers, Tim. "Jack Black And Paul Rudd's 'Anaconda' Gets Streaming Date, Report Says". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 21, 2026. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  18. ^ Behnke, Megan (March 11, 2026). "Jack Black and Paul Rudd Comedy Hits Netflix This Month". PopCulture.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  19. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (December 25, 2025). "Christmas Eve Box Office: 'Avatar 3' Leads With $10.7 Million, 'Marty Supreme' Earns $2 Million in Previews". Variety. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  20. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 26, 2025). "Christmas Box Office Best Post-Covid With $68M+: 'Avatar: Fire And Ash' Leads With $24M; 'Marty Supreme' Wild With $9.5M, More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 27, 2025. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  21. ^ McClintock, Pamela (December 28, 2025). "Box Office: 'Avatar 3' Dominates Christmas With $88M for $760M Global Crown, 'Marty Surpreme' Another Win for Timothée Chalamet". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 29, 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  22. ^ "Anaconda". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 28, 2026. Edit this at Wikidata
  23. ^ "Anaconda". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  24. ^ Oleksinski, Johnny (December 23, 2025). "'Anaconda' review: Jack Black and Paul Rudd remake J.Lo's snake movie in funny, average comedy". New York Post. Archived from the original on December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  25. ^ Anderton, Ethan (December 23, 2025). "'Anaconda' Review: Jack Black & Paul Rudd Are Delightfully Dumb in This Silly Little Reboot". /Film. Archived from the original on December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  26. ^ Debruge, Peter (December 23, 2025). "'Anaconda' Review: High-Concept Cover Version Flips Genres, Revisiting Killer-Snake 'Classic' with Scant Laughs and Zero Scares". Variety. Archived from the original on December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 26, 2025.