Presence
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Steven Soderbergh
Written by	David Koepp
Produced by	Julie M. Anderson Ken Meyer
Starring	Lucy Liu Chris Sullivan Callina Liang Eddy Maday West Mulholland Julia Fox
Cinematography	Peter Andrews
Edited by	Mary Ann Bernard
Music by	Zack Ryan[1]
Production companies	Sugar23 Extension 765
Distributed by	Neon
Release dates	January 19, 2024 (2024-01-19) (Sundance) January 24, 2025 (2025-01-24) (United States)
Running time	85 minutes[2]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$2 million[3]
Box office	$10.5 million[4][5]

Presence is a 2024 American supernatural thriller drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp. It stars Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, and Callina Liang.

Presence premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024. It was released in U.S. theaters by Neon on January 24, 2025. The film has grossed $10.5 million on a $2 million production budget, and received positive reviews from critics.

The film begins with a prologue in which an unseen Presence roams through a dark, empty suburban house, moving from room to room. It establishes the film's unique perspective. The main story begins as a realtor, Cece, shows the house to a family: Rebekah Payne, her husband Chris and their children, Tyler and Chloe. It becomes apparent that the entire film is going to be presented through the Presence's point of view. Rebekah and Chris discuss the move, as a matter of life or death. Chloe explores the house as the Presence quietly follows her.

The house goes under renovations, and a painter comments to the chief contractor about another unseen co-worker, who refuses to help in one room for unexplained reasons, as the Presence looms. Once the renovations are complete, Tyler is shown arriving, going to his room, unbeknownst slamming the door on the Presence. Rebekah is seen on a phone call, hinting a white-collar crime. She later shares this with Tyler, using emotional appeals and flawed logic to justify her actions. Chloe, is seen crying, sensing the Presence and believes it may be spirit, calling it forward as Nadia. The Presence organizes Chloe’s books and desk, she panics and screams. Chris comes to check on her, but she downplays the incident.

Chris and Rebekah argue about Chloe's recently deceased friend, Nadia. Chris expresses concern and guilt, while Rebekah remains distant. Later, Tyler introduces his friend Ryan to Chloe. From their conversation, it is implied that Ryan may be involved in drug trafficking. The Presence closes Chloe’s door, possibly to shield her from the interaction. Family tensions escalate. Rebekah continues to neglect Chloe, while Chris grows increasingly wary of his wife’s actions. He consults someone for legal advice, asking about the implications of a spouse committing a crime and whether divorce would shield him from liability.

Chloe and Ryan grow closer, in her house she drinks alcohol and offers Ryan some, but he declines. In her room, he gives her an edible. As they talk, Chloe opens up about Nadia and her grief, while Ryan shares his lifelong struggle with control. They kiss and begin a passionate make-out. The Presence interrupts, causing objects to fall from her closet and abruptly ending the moment. During a family dinner, Chloe asks if anyone else has noticed anything unusual in the house. She reveals that she has been sensing a Presence, sometimes strongly. Tyler mocks her, leading to a heated argument. Chris intervenes, shouting at both of them to stop. Later that night, Tyler tells Chris he tried to apologize to Chloe, but she told him to leave her room.

Tyler tries to manipulate his father by claiming he always takes Chloe’s side and questioning her grip on reality. Chris defends her, noting the trauma she’s faced and her connection to both Nadia and another recently deceased girl in their community. On separate occasions, both Chris and Ryan confide in Chloe that there may be something troubling about Tyler, though their reasons for concern may differ. Tyler casually recounts a prank his friends played on a classmate to his family, convincing her to send a nude photo and then mocking her feelings for one of them. Chloe interrupts, showing the photo on her phone and accusing Tyler of posting it online. Tyler is horrified by the revelation, though he initially tries to minimize it. That night, the Presence, now more vicious and possibly vindictive, violently wrecks Tyler’s room, revealing itself to the entire family for the first time.

The family gathers on the porch to discuss whether they’re truly safe in the house. Chloe insists the poltergeist is Nadia and means no harm, but Tyler lashes out angrily. Chris steps in, defending Chloe and telling Tyler to back off and support his sister. Later, inside, Chris contacts Cece, who assures him that no one has died in the house, as she would be legally obligated to disclose such information. However, she suggests her sister-in-law, Lisa, a psychic medium, who might offer some insight. The next day, Lisa visits the Payne's household. She explains that the Presence seems confused, possibly experiencing time in a non-linear way, existing in the past, present, and future at once. It likely doesn’t understand what it is, but appears to be trying to help. Rebekah and Tyler react with fear and skepticism, blaming Chris for involving and paying her. Meanwhile, Chloe and Chris grow closer, finding comfort in their shared sense of understanding.

On another day, after Chloe and Ryan have sex, Ryan secretly adds a white powder to her juice. Before Chloe can drink it, the Presence intervenes by knocking the glass over, preventing her from being drugged. Ryan continues to manipulate Chloe, telling her that it is entirely her decision if they get intimate again. When Chloe expresses concern about her brother, Tyler, Ryan casually reveals that he plans to give Tyler Ambien to keep him asleep. Later, Chloe is startled in her room by what appears to be the Presence, but it turns out to be Chris. The two have a quiet conversation in which Chris reveals that he believes Chloe’s experiences. He admits that, despite having once mocked his highly religious mother, he has become more spiritual with age and is more open to the idea of something beyond the physical world. The medium returns and warns Chris that she believes the Presence is here to prevent a future event, something to do with "the window that doesn't open."

The Presence’s physical influence on the world begins to wane. It attempts to wake Chloe, but fails, retreating once more into her closet. The following day, Rebekah prepares to leave on a business trip, accompanied by Chris. While packing, Chris confides in Rebekah that he had previously considered leaving her, but has since decided to remain committed to their relationship. The two share a moment of reconciliation and announce to their children that they will be gone for a short time. Later, Tyler is seen alone in the house, drinking and listening to loud music. The Presence approaches him, and Tyler appears to sense it, casually greeting it before receiving a phone call from Ryan. He goes to meet Ryan at the door. As planned, Ryan drugs Tyler's drink, leaving him unconscious in the living room. He then brings a second spiked drink to Chloe.

Chloe tells Ryan that she does not want to have sex with him, but he manipulates her into drinking with him. She complies, leaving her incapacitated. Ryan, now revealed to be a serial killer, admits that he was responsible for both Nadia’s death and that of another girl, staging both as overdoses. He then proceeds to suffocate Chloe using plastic wrap, intermittently cutting off her air supply. The Presence, now greatly weakened, is unable to physically intervene. The Presence, exhibiting one final burst of influence on the physical world, manages to wake Tyler. He rushes upstairs and tackles Ryan, sending both of them crashing through Chloe’s bedroom window. The Presence watches from the window, as it had many times before, looking down at the driveway below where Tyler and Ryan now lie dead.

In the aftermath, the family prepares to move out of the house. Before leaving, Rebekah senses the Presence and follows it to the antique mirror. There, the Presence is finally revealed in the reflection. It has been Tyler all along. Rebekah breaks down in grief. As the rest of the family gathers around her, the Presence, now free, ascends and disappears into the sky.

• Lucy Liu as Rebekah Payne
• Chris Sullivan as Chris Payne, the father of Chloe and Tyler
• Callina Liang as Chloe Payne, Rebekah and Chris's daughter and Tyler's younger sister
• Eddy Maday as Tyler Payne, Rebekah and Chris's son and Chloe's older brother
• West Mulholland as Ryan Caldwell, Tyler's new friend
• Julia Fox as Cece, the realtor
• Natalie Woolams-Torres as Lisa, the medium
• Lucas Papaelias as Carl, Lisa's husband

The film, written by David Koepp and directed by Steven Soderbergh, was not announced publicly until December 2023 when it was revealed to be part of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.^[6] Principal photography took place over 11 days in September 2023 with an interim SAG-AFTRA agreement from the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.^[7] The film is shot entirely in the first-person perspective,^[8] and was filmed in a house in Cranford, New Jersey.^[7][9]

The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024.^[10] Shortly after, Neon acquired distribution rights to the film for $5 million.^[11]

The film premiered in New York City on January 16, 2025.^[12] It was released in theaters in the United States on January 24, 2025.^[13]

Presence grossed $6.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $3.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $10.5 million.^[4][5]

In the United States and Canada, Presence was released alongside Flight Risk and Brave the Dark and was projected to gross $2–3 million from 1,750 theaters in its opening weekend.^[14] It made $1.4 million on its first day, including an estimated $385,000 from Thursday night previews.^[15] It went on to debut to $3.3 million, finishing in sixth.^[16]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 231 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "A slow-burning spectral thriller, Presence reaffirms that Soderbergh plays with form as deftly as he flits between genres."^[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[18] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 58% overall positive score, with 33% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.^[14]

• Presence at IMDb