The Searching film series 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. 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. 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. The standalone sequel which starred Storm Reid, was mostly well received by critics with some calling it superior to the previous installments, while others criticized elements of its plot as unbelievable. The film series as a whole has also been deemed a financial success at the box office, turning a profit for the associated studios.
Films Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s) Searching Aneesh Chaganty Aneesh Chaganty & Sev Ohanian Natalie Qasabian, Timur Bekmambetov, Sev Ohanian and Adam Sidman Run. Natalie Qasabian and Sev Ohanian Missing Nick Johnson & Will Merrick Aneesh Chaganty & Sev Ohanian Natalie Qasabian, Timur Bekmambetov, Sev Ohanian, Aneesh Chaganty and Adam Sidman
Searching (2018)
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.
Run. (2020)
Chloe Sherman, a homeschooled student raised in isolation, lives with her protective and doting mother named Diane. Chloe uses a wheelchair, and her mother has attended to her every need from the time she was born with lower-body paralysis and other 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 questions that can't be answered from the confines of her home.
Missing (2023)
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.
Future
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.
Connections 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.
Continuing story 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. 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. 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.
Sub-plot 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. 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.
Main cast and characters
Character Films Searching Run. Missing 2018 2020 2023 David Kim John Cho Margot Kim Michelle La colspan="2" Det. Sgt. Rosemary Vick Debra Messing Robert Vick Steven Michael Eich rowspan="2" Dianne Sherman Sarah Paulson Chloe Sherman Kiera Allen June Allen Storm Reid Grace Allen Nia Long Pamela Nam Kim Sara Sohn Peter Kim Joseph Lee Hannah the model Erica Jenkins Mailman Tom Pat Healy Nurse Kammy Sara Sohn Pharm.D. Kathy Bates Sharon Bajer Brooklyn Boy Tony Revolori Javier Ramos Joaquim de Almeida Kevin Lin Ken Leung Agent Elijah Park Daniel Henney Heather Damore Amy Landecker Veena Megan Suri James "Jimmy" Walker Tim Griffin
Additional crew and production details FilmCrew/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
Box office and financial performance Film Box office gross Box office ranking Video sales gross Worldwide total gross income Budget Worldwide totalnet income 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 Run. $5,184,368 $5,184,368 #9,886 >$5,184,368 $1,000,000 >$4,184,368 Missing $31,575,974 $5,100,000 $36,675,974 #2,800 #6,163 >$36,675,974 $7,000,000 ≥$29,675,974 Totals $57,596,931 $59,905,266 $117,502,197 x̄ #1,990 x̄ #5,977 >$275,861 >$117,778,058 $8,880,000 $108,898,058
Critical and public response Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore Searching 92% (261 reviews) 71/100 (34 reviews) A− Run. 89% (141 reviews) 67/100 (20 reviews) Missing 87% (119 reviews) 67/100 (30 reviews) B
Notes
References