Good Boy’s director explains the ending and the movie’s meaning

Good Boy has become one of 2025’s most unexpected small-scale hits. The haunted-house movie from first-time director Ben Leonberg, starring his own Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Indy, earned more than $2.25 million in its opening weekend on a $2.3 million budget, and opened to widely positive reviews. But part of the word of mouth that’s making it a solid indie release may be due to the lingering questions about its cliffhanger ending.