Stormbreaker (film)

Stormbreaker
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeoffrey Sax
Screenplay byAnthony Horowitz
Based onStormbreaker
by Anthony Horowitz
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyChris Seager
Edited byAndrew MacRitchie
Music byAlan Parker
Production
companies
Distributed byUnited Kingdom
Entertainment Film Distributors
United States
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Germany
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment[2]
Release date
  • 21 July 2006 (2006-07-21)
Running time
93 minutes[3]
Countries
  • United Kingdom[4]
  • United States[4]
  • Germany[4]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40 million[1]
Box office$20.7–23.9 million[5][1]

Stormbreaker (also known as Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker and Alex Rider: Stormbreaker) is a 2006 action spy film directed by Geoffrey Sax. The screenplay by Anthony Horowitz is based on his 2000 novel Stormbreaker, the first novel in the Alex Rider series. The film stars Alex Pettyfer as Alex Rider, and also stars Mickey Rourke, Bill Nighy, Sophie Okonedo, Alicia Silverstone, Sarah Bolger, Stephen Fry and Ewan McGregor. Stormbreaker was an international co-production between companies and financiers from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany.

The film's plot follows a teenage boy who is recruited by MI6 after his uncle, a secret agent, is killed in action. He is sent on a mission in Cornwall to gather intelligence behind Stormbreaker, an advanced computer system being provided to schools across Britain, and its creator, billionaire Darrius Sayle.

Intended to be the first entry in a film franchise, Stormbreaker grossed between $20.7 and $23.9 million worldwide upon its theatrical release, failing to recoup its $40 million budget and making the film a box office bomb.[1][6][7] According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film was largely criticized for its lack of originality and believability.[8] As a result of these factors, plans to produce further Alex Rider films were dropped.[9] A rebooted TV series, Alex Rider, premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2020.

  1. ^ a b c d "Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  2. ^ "Stormbreaker". filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  3. ^ "STORMBREAKER (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 23 June 2006. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  4. ^ a b c "Stormbreaker (2006)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Alex Rider:Operation Stormbreaker". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006)". Box Office Flops. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Alex Rider author sees 3 more books". Reuters. 14 November 2007. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sequels was invoked but never defined (see the help page).