Battlefield Earth (film)

Battlefield Earth
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRoger Christian
Screenplay by
Based onBattlefield Earth
by L. Ron Hubbard
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGiles Nuttgens
Edited byRobin Russelle
Music byElia Cmiral
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures[1]
Release dates
Running time
117 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$44 million
Box office$29.7 million[3]

Battlefield Earth (taglined as Take Back the Planet and subtitled on-screen as A Saga of the Year 3000) is a 2000 American science fiction film based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. It was directed by Roger Christian and stars John Travolta, Barry Pepper, and Forest Whitaker. The film follows a rebellion against the alien Psychlos, who have ruled Earth for 1,000 years.

Travolta, a Scientologist, began adapting Battlefield Earth in the mid-1990s. He was unable to obtain major studio funding because of concerns regarding the script and its connections to Scientology. In 1998, it was picked up by the independent production company Franchise Pictures, which specialized in rescuing pet projects. Production began in 1999, largely funded by the German distribution company Intertainment AG. Travolta, as co-producer, also contributed millions of dollars; he envisioned Battlefield Earth as the first in a two-part adaptation of the book, as it only covers the first half of the novel's story.

The film was unanimously panned by critics who criticized nearly every aspect of the film. Released to a critical and commercial failure, it is frequently described as one of the worst films of all time and the worst received film in Travolta's filmography.[4][5][6][7] Audiences were reported to have ridiculed early screenings, and stayed away from the film after its opening weekend. It received eight Golden Raspberry Awards, the most given to any film until 2012 when Jack and Jill received ten. In 2010, it won Worst Picture of the Decade.

In 2004, Franchise Pictures was sued by its investors and went bankrupt after it emerged that it had fraudulently overstated the film's budget by $31 million.[8] This, coupled with the film's poor reception, ended Travolta's plans for a sequel.

  1. ^ a b Battlefield Earth at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. ^ "Battlefield Earth (12) (CUT)". British Board of Film Classification. May 17, 2000. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference duncancampbell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Farache, Emily (October 18, 2000). "Travolta Sets Sights on "Battlefield Earth 2"". E! Online. Archived from the original on July 21, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Staff was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Jeff Giles and Alex Vo. "Moldy Tomatoes: The 10 Worst Movies of the Last 10 Years". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  8. ^ Parish, James Robert (2006). Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops. Wiley. pp. 275–291. ISBN 978-0-470-09829-5.