Warning: Contains SPOILERS for A Quiet Place: Day One!

One major error in A Quiet Place: Day One breaks the franchise timeline. The third A Quiet Place movie is a prequel exploring the first days of the alien invasion. The story revolves around Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) and Eric (Joseph Quinn) as they travel through New York, with Sam wanting a slice of pizza and Eric just wanting to make it away to safety. This builds towards A Quiet Place: Day One‘s ending, where Sam helps Eric get on a boat with Henri (Djimon Hounsou), connecting him to a story mentioned in A Quiet Place Part II.

Since A Quiet Place: Day One is a prequel to the previous two movies and does not feature many returning characters, the franchise connections are rather limited. This should have meant that the prequel fits smoothly into the complete A Quiet Place timeline. There is already an established and consistent history for this world, including the actual day that the aliens invaded, that the prequel could follow. While it mostly does a great job of fitting into the confirmed canon, there is one element of A Quiet Place: Day One‘s timeline that breaks the franchise.

The Boat In A Quiet Place: Day One’s Ending Leaves On The Wrong Day

Henri & Eric Leave New York On Day 4

The climax of A Quiet Place: Day One where Henri and Eric are among the passengers aboard the boat from New York to the island in A Quiet Place Part II is an issue for the timeline. Henri tells the story of his escape to the island during the events of the sequel. He confirmed the boat left New York on Day 3, not Day 4, as shown in the prequel. He also stated that two boats made it away, but Day One shows one. That plot hole is one mistake, but the prequel even gets the timing wrong.

The error in A Quiet Place‘s franchise timeline is clear when running through what happens on each day in Day One. The first day covers everything from the alien invasion to Reuben’s death. Day 2 is when the seaport evacuation plan is announced and ends with Sam and Eric spending the night in her apartment. Day 3 shows them traveling more before Eric finds Sam’s medicine, and they spend the night at a church. A Quiet Place: Day One then shows them getting to Patsy’s and going to the boat on Day 4.

A Quiet Place: Day One’s Timeline Issue Is A Frustrating Mistake

It Could Have Been Avoided

The oversight in A Quiet Place: Day One to the franchise timeline is fairly frustrating considering the circumstances. A clear timeline of events was already established in A Quiet Place Part II. It should have been easy for the prequel to follow what was confirmed before and make the film’s events fit into a three-day structure. Events from Days 2 and 3 or 3 and 4 could have been condensed into a single day. Instead, A Quiet Place: Day One breaks the franchise timeline and makes Henri’s statements about when the boat left in A Quiet Place Part II false.