Underworld (2003 film)

Underworld
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLen Wiseman
Screenplay byDanny McBride
Story by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTony Pierce-Roberts
Edited byMartin Hunter
Music byPaul Haslinger
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 15, 2003 (2003-09-15) (Grauman's Chinese Theatre)
  • September 19, 2003 (2003-09-19) (United States and United Kingdom)
  • January 29, 2004 (2004-01-29) (Germany)
  • April 22, 2004 (2004-04-22) (Hungary)
Running time
121 minutes[2]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$22 million[3]
Box office$95.7 million[3]

Underworld is a 2003 action horror film directed by Len Wiseman in his feature film directorial debut, from a screenplay by Danny McBride, based on a story by Kevin Grevioux, Wiseman, and McBride. The film stars Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Michael Sheen, Shane Brolly, and Bill Nighy. The plot centers on the secret history of vampires and lycans (an abbreviated form of lycanthrope, which means werewolf). The main plot revolves around Selene (Beckinsale), a vampire Death Dealer hunting Lycans. She finds herself attracted to a human, Michael Corvin (Speedman), who is being targeted by the Lycans. After Michael is bitten by a Lycan, Selene must decide whether to do her duty and kill him or go against her clan and save him.

Underworld premiered at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California on September 15, 2003, and was released in the United States on September 19, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, but a smaller number of reviewers praised elements such as the film's Gothic visuals, Kate Beckinsale's performance, and the extensively worked-out vampire–werewolf mythology that serves as the film's backstory. A surprise hit, the film grossed over $95 million worldwide against a production budget of $22 million and originated a franchise.

The film was followed by Underworld: Evolution in 2006.

  1. ^ "Underworld (2003)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Underworld (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 2, 2003. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c "Underworld (2003)". Lumiere. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d "Underworld (2003)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on November 13, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.