Summary
The firstA Quiet Placemovie may not have explicitly revealed when the central alien invasion started, but it drops one subtle clue that discloses the exact date of the apocalypse’s inception.Directed by John Krasinski,A Quiet Placepremiered in 2018 and instantly garnered optimistic reviews from viewers and critics. The positive word-of-mouth around the film helped it gross close to $341 million against a relatively meager budget of $17 million. For obvious reasons, the movie’s overwhelming box office success spawned a sequel,A Quiet Place Part II, which was released in 2020.
Even thoughA Quiet Place Part IIcould not match its predecessor’s box office numbers, it effectively expanded the franchise’s lore and worldbuilding by revealing more about the central alien creatures and introducing several new characters. However, despite delving into the details of what likely happened on “Day 1” of the invasion, the movies never reveal the actual date of the invasion’s commencement. The third film,A Quiet Place: Day One, harkens back to the beginning of the invasion, which makes one even more curious about the exact date of the beginning of the end.
A Quiet Place Complete Timeline Explained
As the franchise continues to expand, A Quiet Place’s timeline becomes more explored. We break down the movie’s complete, chronological timeline.
The Aliens Arrived On Earth On August 06, 2025
Almost Two Weeks Before Independence Day
2018’sA Quiet Placefeatures a shot of a calendar that reveals thatOctober 3, 2021, is Day 473 after the inception of the invasion. Going back from there confirms that the aliens first landed on Earth on July 01, 2025. Since the third installment in the franchise,A Quiet Place: Day One, is a prequelthat walks through everything from the origins of the alien invasion to its immediate aftermath, its story begins on July 08, 2025, and explores the chaos and devastation that consumes humanity in the days that follow.
Interestingly, since June 17 falls only two weeks before July 4th, which is celebrated as Independence Day in the United States, people in the central American setting of the film were likely preparing for a joyous celebration. Given how July 4th is also often celebrated with fireworks, many stores in the United States were likely brimming with myriad firecrackers before the alien invasion ensued. This explains why the Abbott family in 2018’sA Quiet Placehad so many fireworks in their fields.
What Happened When The Aliens First Invaded
Humans Were Helpless Against The Violent Creatures
Right after the landing in several major cities on Earth, the aliens started attacking unsuspecting humans. Within the first hours of the invasion, many perished since humans were unaware of the aliens' strengths and weaknesses. Since most humans panicked and generated more noise after watching the aliens slaughter several innocents,the aliens' job of invading Earth only became easier. Only the humans who understood that the aliens had no sight and only hypersensitive hearing survived the initial attack. As Lee’s newspaper clippings in the first film reveal, the U.S. military also struggled to eradicate the alien threat.
Eventually, the human population dwindled, leading to societal collapse and forcing survivors to fend for themselves.
Although the military attempted to wage a war against the creatures,most weapons were likely useless against the aliens' tough armored skin. And before the armed forces could understand what they were up against, it was already too late. The US National Guard tried to send humans to islands after learning that the aliens cannot swim. Unfortunately, even though this action saved a few lives inA Quiet Place’s universe, most humans could not escape to nearby islands on time. Eventually, the human population dwindled, leading to societal collapse and forcing survivors to fend for themselves.
A Quiet Place
A Quiet Place is a film franchise that centers on a post-apocalyptic Earth following an alien invasion by ruthless creatures that are blind but have unparalleled hearing. Beginning with the first film in 2018, the core plot surrounds the Abbott family, who use sign language to communicate with each other in a world where an errant sound can mean death.
