The Omen

This article is about the 1976 film. For the remake, see The Omen (2006 film). For the franchise, see The Omen (franchise). For other uses, see Omen (disambiguation).
The Omen
Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung
Directed byRichard Donner
Written byDavid Seltzer
Produced byHarvey Bernhard
Starring
CinematographyGilbert Taylor
Edited byStuart Baird
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century-Fox
(United States)
Fox-Rank Distributors
(United Kingdom)
Release dates
  • June 6, 1976 (1976-06-06) (United Kingdom)
  • June 25, 1976 (1976-06-25) (United States)
Running time
111 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom[1]
  • United States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.8 million[2]
Box office$60.9 million (United States and Canada)[3]

The Omen is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer Stephens (in his film debut), Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Troughton, Martin Benson, and Leo McKern. The film's plot follows Damien Thorn, a young child replaced at birth by his father, unbeknownst to his wife, after their biological child dies shortly after birth. As a series of mysterious events and violent deaths occur around the family and Damien enters childhood, they come to learn he is in fact the prophesied Antichrist.

Released theatrically by 20th Century-Fox in June 1976, The Omen received mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success, grossing over $60 million at the U.S. box office and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 1976. Retrospective reviews of the film have been more favorable, and the film earned two Oscar nominations, including a win for Jerry Goldsmith's musical score. The film spawned the Omen franchise, with Damien - Omen II released two years later, followed by The Final Conflict (1981) and Omen IV: The Awakening (1991), as well as a 2006 remake and 2024 prequel. It also spawned a 2016 television series that ran for one season on A&E.

  1. ^ a b "The Omen (1976)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  2. ^ Fishgall 2002, p. 290.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference bom was invoked but never defined (see the help page).