When will Good Boy (2025) premiere? Release date, cast details, first look, and more

Good Boy is an American supernatural horror film directed by Ben Leonberg in his feature directorial debut and co-written with Alex Cannon. The film stars Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, and Larry Fessenden alongside Leonberg’s real-life dog, Indy, who takes on the titular role. The movie is produced independently under Leonberg and Kari Fischer’s company, What’s Wrong With Your Dog?

The film tracks Todd, who moves to his late grandfather's farmhouse with his loyal dog, Indy. Despite the house being said to be haunted by an evil presence, Todd dismisses the advice. But soon, Indy starts to sense eerie beings that are invisible to humans but very much real for his owner to face.

The film first premiered in the Midnighters category at the 2025 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in March 2025. It is slated for a theatrical release on October 3, 2025, distributed by Independent Film Company (IFC) and Shudder.

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Good Boy: Release date

A still from Good Boy (Image via IFC Films)

The film will premiere in theaters on October 3, 2025. Before that, it premiered at SXSW in March 2025, followed by screenings at the Overlook Film Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival on August 8, 2025, and Film at Lincoln Center on August 19, 2025.

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Where to watch Good Boy?

Good Boy will first open in cinemas, beginning with the Philippines on October 1 and the United States on October 3, 2025. Shudder has acquired the distribution rights in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Following its theatrical run, the movie will also stream on Shudder, though no exact streaming date has been announced yet.

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What to expect from Good Boy?

The film blends supernatural horror with an emotional story of loyalty and grief. The official synopsis reads:

''A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner Todd, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.''

In an April 2025 interview with Variety, Ben Leonberg, director of the movie, explained his inspiration for making Indy the Leading man in the movie:

“When I started writing the film, I didn’t intend to make the movie with Indy, but people were reacting to him so strongly and so positively. I do think he legitimately has some quirks that make him uniquely suited to do this. It kind of forced our hand. He became my leading man.”

Leonberg further reflected on the film’s deeper meaning about humans and animals:

''That instinct to retreat into oneself and take comfort with an animal that will unconditionally love you, I think that’s very, very relatable. Animals, as a symbol, dogs especially, are protectors. They’re members of our family who are not human, but they are so crucial to humanity.''

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Cast of Good Boy

The confirmed cast of the movie includes:

• Indy Jensen as Indy
• Shane Jensen as Todd
• Arielle Friedman as Todd’s sister
• Larry Fessenden as Todd’s grandfather
• Stuart Rudin
• Anya Krawcheck

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