In 2039, Earth's resources are nearly depleted by overpopulation, combined with global warming. The United Nations declares that all nations must cut their populations by 5% each year. While some countries kill the elderly and others enforce a one-child policy, the United States implements a policy known as 10-241 or the "Thinning", a standardized test in which those who pass continue to the next grade,and those who fail are executed. Blake Redding, son of the Texas governor Dean Redding, was dating a girl named Ellie Harper, both of whom did not study for the exam. Thus, Ellie failed the exam. Blake calls his father in an attempt to free Ellie, but he refused. Ellie tried to run, but was recaptured, and executed. Blake has become distant towards his father since then. At the day of the last Thinning exam, he makes a video explaining that he will purposefully fail his exam in order to punish his father for what happened to Ellie and to try to get his father to stop supporting the Thinning. Blake drops his tape in the mail, but his father's agent removes it and gives it to him personally. Test manager Mason King is ordered by Redding to pass Blake regardless of his score. Because Blake and genius classmate Laina finish the test at the same time, Mason switches their scores. Laina fails as a result and Blake passes. Teacher Ms. Birch sees Laina and the other walking to the Thinning zone. She tries to convince the guard that Laina can't possibly fail the test, but isn't successful. Ms. Birch secretly hands a key card to Laina so she can unlock the doors and escape. Blake causes a blackout in the school, allowing Laina to escape using Ms. Birch's key card. That, however, becomes impossible as the school goes under lockdown. After using the key card, Laina meets up with Blake. Meanwhile, all of the teachers are taken to a holding room to be investigated. Ms. Birch steals the key card of another teacher, Mr. Glass. She shows it and is allowed to leave, while Mr. Glass is executed as he doesn't know and hence isn't able to reveal Laina's whereabouts. Laina goes to the server room to check the scores. To her horror, she finds out that test scores are shuffled and have resulted in the wrongful deaths of many students with passing scores. Laina sends photos of it to her friend Kellan, who is friends with a news anchor. After the photos are leaked, Governor Redding has no choice but to review the results and execute all of those who actually failed, including Blake. The lockdown is also ended; Laina is reunited with her younger sister Corrine and Ms. Birch, who has been taking care of Corrine since Laina and Corrine's mother's death. Blake and the others are shown in a large elevator deep underground, where many people are working for the test tablet company Assuru. As Blake slowly wakes up from what's actually a sleep drug, he sees a blonde girl working. The girl is Ellie.
Adi Robertson of The Verge gave a negative review of the film, describing it, in comparison to other films about teenagers forced into a deadly competition, as "remarkable simply for being such a bad take on the formula."
Sequel
On November 17, 2017, Logan Paul announced on his YouTube channel that a sequel, titled The Thinning: New World Order was starting production. On January 10, 2018, YouTube announced that production of New World Order was put on hold, as part of repercussions instated upon Paul for posting a controversial video in which he visited Aokigahara, a Japanese forest known for being a common place for suicides to occur, and filmed a dead body. This sparked outrage across social media against Paul, forcing an apology from himself and repercussions from YouTube, including delaying The Thinning: New World Order and his appearance in the upcoming season of YouTube Red series Foursome, but the criticism still continues. On October 16, 2018, Logan Paul released the trailer for The Thinning: New World Order. On October 17, Paul premiered The Thinning: New World Order to the public.
