The 13th Warrior

The 13th Warrior
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn McTiernan
Screenplay by
Based onEaters of the Dead
by Michael Crichton
Produced by
  • John McTiernan
  • Michael Crichton
  • Ned Dowd
Starring
CinematographyPeter Menzies Jr.
Edited byJohn Wright
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • August 27, 1999 (1999-08-27)
Running time
103 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$85–160 million[2][3][4]
Box office$61.7 million[2]

The 13th Warrior is a 1999 American historical fiction action film based on Michael Crichton's 1976 novel Eaters of the Dead,[5] which is a loose adaptation of the tale of Beowulf combined with Ahmad ibn Fadlan's historical account of the Volga Vikings.

It stars Antonio Banderas as Ahmad ibn Fadlan, as well as Diane Venora and Omar Sharif. It was directed by John McTiernan; Crichton directed some uncredited reshoots. The film was produced by McTiernan, Crichton, and Ned Dowd, with Andrew G. Vajna, James Biggam and Ethan Dubrow as executive producers.

Production and marketing costs reportedly ranged from $100–$160 million,[6] but it grossed $61 million at the box office worldwide, becoming the biggest box office bomb of 1999, with losses of up to $129 million.[7] Despite its critical and box office failure, the film has since cultivated a devoted cult following, and is credited with pioneering a Muslim hero in Hollywood blockbusters.[8]

  1. ^ "THE 13TH WARRIOR (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 1999-07-30. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Dirks (2010) was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Company Town Film Profit Report". Los Angeles Times. 8 September 1999. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  4. ^ Sklar, Elizabeth S. (2011). The Vikings on Film: Essays on Depictions of the Nordic Middle Ages. McFarland & Company. p. 122. ISBN 9780786460441. Despite a lavish production budget for which estimates range from $100,000,000 to $160,000,000...
  5. ^ "Michael Crichton's Novel, The 13th Warrior". Windofkeltia.com. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  6. ^ Sklar, Elizabeth S. (2011). The Vikings on Film: Essays on Depictions of the Nordic Middle Ages. McFarland & Company. p. 122. ISBN 9780786460441. Despite a lavish production budget for which estimates range from $100 to $160...
  7. ^ Gabbi Shaw (February 27, 2017). "The biggest box office flop from the year you were born". Insider. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  8. ^ "The 13th Warrior: The Hollywood blockbuster that pioneered a Muslim hero". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-09-05.