Final Destination (film)

For the 2009 film, see The Final Destination. For the franchise, see Final Destination.

Final Destination
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJames Wong
Screenplay by
Story byJeffrey Reddick
Produced by
  • Warren Zide
  • Craig Perry
  • Glen Morgan
Starring
CinematographyRobert McLachlan
Edited byJames Coblentz
Music byShirley Walker
Production
companies
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release date
  • March 17, 2000 (2000-03-17)
Running time
98 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States[2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$23 million[3]
Box office$112.9 million[3]

Final Destination is a 2000 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wong, with a screenplay written by Wong, Glen Morgan, and Jeffrey Reddick, based on a story by Reddick. It is the first installment in the Final Destination film series and stars Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, and Tony Todd. Sawa portrays a teenager who cheats death after having a premonition of a catastrophic plane explosion. He and several of his classmates leave the plane before the explosion occurs, but Death later takes the lives of those who were meant to die on the plane.

The film began as a spec script written by Reddick for an episode of The X-Files in order for Reddick to get a TV agent. A colleague at New Line Cinema persuaded Reddick to write it as a feature-length film. Later, Wong and Morgan, The X-Files writing partners, became interested in the script and agreed to rewrite and direct the film, marking Wong's film directing debut. Filming took place in New York City and Vancouver, with additional scenes filmed in Toronto and San Francisco. It was released on March 17, 2000, and became a financial success, making $10 million on its opening weekend.

The film received generally negative reviews from critics but received the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Sawa's performance.[4][5] The film's success spawned a media franchise, encompassing five additional installments, as well as a series of novels and comic books. The first sequel, Final Destination 2, was released on January 31, 2003.

  1. ^ Falk, Ben (February 16, 2001). "Final Destination (2000)". BBC News.
  2. ^ "Final Destination (2000)". Film & TV Database. London: British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Final Destination". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  4. ^ "Past Saturn Awards Winners for Best Horror Film". Saturn Awards. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  5. ^ "Past Saturn Awards Winners for Best Performance by a Younger Actor". Saturn Awards. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2010.