School of Rock

This article is about the film. For the television series based on the film, see School of Rock (TV series). For the educational video series, see Schoolhouse Rock! For other uses, see School of Rock (disambiguation).

School of Rock
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Linklater
Written byMike White
Produced byScott Rudin
Starring
CinematographyRogier Stoffers
Edited bySandra Adair
Music byCraig Wedren
Production
company
Scott Rudin Productions
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03)
Running time
109 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United States
  • Germany[2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million
Box office$131.3 million[3]

School of Rock (titled onscreen as The School of Rock) is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin, and written by Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah Silverman. Black plays struggling rock guitarist Dewey Finn, who is fired from his band and subsequently poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. After witnessing the musical talent of the students, Dewey forms a band of fourth-graders to attempt to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands and use his winnings to pay his rent.

School of Rock was released on October 3, 2003, by Paramount Pictures, grossing $131 million worldwide on a $35 million budget. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Black's performance and humor. It was the highest-grossing music-themed comedy of all time until the release of Pitch Perfect 2 in 2015.[4] A stage musical adaptation opened on Broadway in December 2015,[5] and a television adaptation aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon from March 2016 to April 2018.

  1. ^ "SCHOOL OF ROCK (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. October 8, 2003. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  2. ^ "The School of Rock (EN)". Lumiere. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  3. ^ "School of Rock (2003)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  4. ^ "List of Top Grossing Music Comedy Films, 1984-Present". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  5. ^ "'School of Rock' musical opening on Broadway in 2015". Los Angeles Times. December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2015.