Short answer
Premiere: Telluride Film Festival, August 30, 2019. US release: November 15, 2019 (A24), limited at first. Budget: $6 million. Box office: $2,665,865 worldwide, $1,658,790 of it in the US. Blu-ray and DVD: February 4, 2020.
Release timeline
Waves (2019) release timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| July 9 to August 24, 2018 | Principal photography in South Florida |
| August 30, 2019 | World premiere, Telluride Film Festival |
| September 10, 2019 | Toronto International Film Festival screening |
| September 18, 2019 | Rated R by the MPA |
| November 15, 2019 | US theatrical release by A24, opening in 4 theaters |
| November 26, 2019 | Score album by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross released |
| December 6, 2019 | Planned wide release |
| February 4, 2020 | Blu-ray and DVD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment |
Sources: Wikipedia, The Numbers.
Money
Waves (2019) budget and box office
| Figure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Budget (reported) | $6 million |
| Opening weekend (4 theaters) | $134,333 |
| Widest release | 570 theaters |
| US box office | $1,658,790 |
| International box office | $1,007,075 |
| Worldwide box office | $2,665,865 |
| US Blu-ray sales (estimate) | $24,061 |
Box office: The Numbers. Budget: Wikipedia.
Who released it
A24 released Waves in the US. Focus Features bought international rights outside Canada, China and Japan (Wikipedia). Today you can rent or buy it digitally or get the Blu-ray.
Questions people ask
Was Waves a box office flop?
In theaters, yes: about $2.7 million worldwide against a reported $6 million budget. Its widest US run was 570 theaters. Like many A24 dramas, it found more viewers later on digital and disc.
When did Waves come out?
November 15, 2019 in the US, after premieres at Telluride (August 30) and the Toronto International Film Festival (September 10).
Sources
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. Streaming catalogs and listings change; check the service before you pay.