Pitch Black (film)

Pitch Black
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Twohy
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Ken Wheat
  • Jim Wheat
Produced byTom Engelman
Starring
CinematographyDavid Eggby
Edited byRick Shaine
Music byGraeme Revell
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • February 18, 2000 (2000-02-18)
Running time
108 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$23 million[3][4]
Box office$53.2 million[3]

Pitch Black (titled The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black on later re-releases) is a 2000 American science fiction action horror film[5][6] directed by David Twohy and co-written by Twohy and brothers Ken and Jim Wheat from a story conceived by the latter. The film stars Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, and Keith David. Dangerous criminal Riddick (Diesel) is being transported to prison in a spacecraft, and escapes when the spaceship is damaged by comet debris and crash lands on an empty desert planet. When predatory creatures begin attacking the survivors, Riddick joins forces with them to escape the planet.

Pitch Black was the final film credit of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, which merged with Universal Pictures during production.[7] It was shot on a modest budget of US$23 million. Pitch Black was released on February 18, 2000, by USA Films and received mixed reviews from critics, who praised some inventive elements, the film's visual style, and Diesel's performance, but criticized a failure to fully expand on the core premise and some cliched characterizations. It was a sleeper hit, grossing over $53 million worldwide, and started a franchise centered on the antihero Riddick. A sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick, was released in 2004 by Universal, with Diesel back as the title character and Twohy returning as writer and director. A third film, titled Riddick, was released in 2013, with Diesel and Twohy reuniting again.

  1. ^ a b "Pitch Black". American Film Institute. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "Pitch Black (1999)". BBFC. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  3. ^ a b "Pitch Black (2000)". Box Office Mojo.
  4. ^ "Pitch Black (2000) - Financial Information".
  5. ^ "Pitch Black". AFI Film Catalog. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  6. ^ Eschberger, Tyler (2022-05-04). "Pitch Black 22 Years Later — Revisiting Our Introduction to Vin Diesel". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  7. ^ Brady, Erin (2022-08-13). "How Universal Saved Vin Diesel's Pitch Black From A Straight-To-Video Fate". /Film. Retrieved 2022-10-22.