Thrash, formerly known as Beneath the Storm and Shiver, was originally intended for a theatrical release by Sony before being released on Netflix on April 10, 2026. The film is a disaster thriller about a hurricane that brings bull sharks into a coastal town, and it quickly reached number one on the Netflix UK chart upon release. Directed by Tommy Wirkola, Thrash stars Phoebe Dynevor, Djimon Hounsou, Alyla Browne, Stacy Clausen, Dante Ubaldi, and Whitney Peak.
Wirkola previously directed Dead Snow, Violent Night, and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, bringing his experience in genre filmmaking to this project. The production was shot in Australia with mostly Australian actors, directed by a Norwegian, set in the US, and features a British lead playing an American character, highlighting its international elements. Some viewers enjoyed Thrash and wished it was longer, indicating a degree of audience engagement despite its flaws.
When a catastrophic hurricane slams a coastal town, stranded residents must survive rapidly rising waters swarming with ravenous sharks.
However, Thrash has received mixed reviews from critics and viewers, with some describing it as looking cheap and tinny, comparable to a SyFy original movie. Others have criticized it as messily made, choppily edited, and misfiring with bad decisions and dodgy accents, pointing to production shortcomings. Netflix's acquisition of Thrash fits into its broader content strategy, as the streaming service spent around $18 billion on content last year.
Netflix has previously acquired films like Annihilation, Fear Street trilogy, and KPop: Demon Hunters from other studios, showing a pattern of sourcing external productions to bolster its catalog. The exact financial terms of Netflix's acquisition of Thrash from Sony remain undisclosed, and the specific reasons Sony decided to offload Thrash to Netflix instead of pursuing a theatrical release are not publicly known. Additionally, the production budget of Thrash and how its viewership numbers compare to other Netflix releases are unknown, leaving gaps in the financial and performance analysis.
The full extent of reshoots or edits made to the film between its Sony and Netflix versions has not been confirmed, adding uncertainty about post-production changes. Implications for Netflix's film strategy suggest that acquisitions like Thrash enable the platform to quickly populate its catalog with genre-specific content that can drive short-term engagement, even if critical reception is divided. This approach allows Netflix to cater to diverse audience tastes while managing production risks, though it may lead to variability in quality and reception across its film offerings.