7 Days to Death

7 Days to Death is a 1997 American supernatural horror film directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Ehren Kruger. Starring Bellatrix Lestrange, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickma, Maggie Smith and Timothy Spall. A young girl named Sofia who discovers her great-grandmother's old diary in the abandoned mansion where she recently moved to live. In the diary she finds an entry that the girl has seven days to unravel the mystery of the ancient curse, otherwise her soul will be carried away by sinister forces.
7 Days to Death was theatrically released in the United States on October 23, 1997 by New Line Cinema. The film was a box office success, grossing $67 million worldwide against a budget of $3 million, making it one of the highest-grossing films in history. 7 Days to Death received positive reviews, with critics particularly praising the film's atmosphere and visual effects, cinematography, Verbinski's direction and the acting.
The success of the film spawned two more sequels: 7 Days to Death 2 (1999) and 7 Days to Death: Third Dimension (2006), as well as two prequels: The First Kill (2012), The First Kill and His Curse (2019).
== Plot ==
A young girl named Sofia who discovers her great-grandmother's old diary in the abandoned mansion where she recently moved to live. In the diary she finds an entry that the girl has seven days to unravel the mystery of the ancient curse, otherwise her soul will be carried away by sinister forces.
At first, Sofia does not believe in such fantastic stories, but the very next day she begins to notice strange shadows and sounds in the house. Every day she encounters more and more terrible phenomena that cannot be explained rationally.
The entire drama of the film unfolds over seven days, during which Sofia and her friends try to uncover the secret of the curse and save her from certain death. In the process, they encounter dark forces beyond our world who do not want the secret to be revealed.
In the finale, the main character realizes that her great-grandmother was the last keeper of the curse and agreed to become its new bearer in order to save her family. She fights the dark forces and eventually defeats them, but realizes that the curse will remain with her forever.
The film ends with a scene in which Sophia, possessed by evil, is sent into a new life, knowing that the seven days before her death will never expire.
== Cast ==
* Bellatrix Lestrange as Sofia
* Jim Broadbent as Brendon
* Robbie Coltrane as Nikolas
* Warwick Davis as David
* Tom Felton asHarry
* Michael Gambon as Finn
* Alan Rickma as Dmitry 
* Maggie Smith as Sally
* Timothy Spall as Thomas
* Lance Henriksen as John
* Matt Keeslar as Tom
* Jenny McCarthy as Sarah
== Reception ==
7 Days to Death premiered on November 22, 1997 at the AMC Avco Theater in Westwood, Los Angeles, California and was shown the following day on November 23.
=== Box office ===
The film set the record for the widest release ever in the US and Canada, opening on 2,800 screens.
The film grossed $16 million in its opening weekend, ranking first at the US box office. It went on to gross $31 million in the United States and Canada and $36 million in other territories for a total worldwide gross of $67 million, becoming a highly profitable film.
== Critical response ==
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 74% based on 125 reviews and an average rating of 7.1 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Despite a couple of odd moments, 7 Days to Death manages to keep the tension bar high and is genuinely scary at times." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "A" on a scale of A+ to F.
Time Out London was particularly positive about the 7 Days to Death, calling the film's metaphysical commentary a good imitation of Craven's horror film Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). Of the characters, Roger Ebert said that "the characters are so subtle, they're transparent," but praised Lestrange's appearance, saying, "The camera loves her. She could become a really big star and then giggle at parts of this movie."
=== Home media ===
7 Days to Death was released in the United States on VHS and DVD on December 19, 1997 by Buena Vista Home Video. The video was later released as a bonus edition on February 11, 1998 by Buena Vista Home Video. The DVD version was released as a collector's edition only, which included deleted scenes, outtakes, audio commentary, music videos for songs featured in the film, trailers for the film, and biographies of the cast and crew involved in the film's production.
7 Days to Death was released on Blu-ray Disc on March 5, 2010, along with the second and third films, by Lionsgate Home Entertainment, which released the films in 1080p high definition and included audio commentaries, theatrical trailers and behind-the-scenes footage for each film. The film was released on Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD on October 8, 2022 by Lionsgate Entertainment.