June 28, 2005 (Kuwait)
June 29, 2005 (United States)
War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction action film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp, based on H. G. Wells' 1898 novel, The War of the Worlds. It stars Tom Cruise in the main role, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto and Tim Robbins, with narration by Morgan Freeman. The film follows an American dock worker who is forced to look after his children, from whom he lives separately, as he struggles to protect them and reunite them with their mother when extraterrestrials invade Earth and devastate cities with giant war machines.
The film was shot in 73 days, using five different sound stages as well as locations in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. The film was surrounded by a secrecy campaign so few details would be leaked before its release. Tie-in promotions were made with several companies, including Hitachi. It's visual effects were done at Industrial Light & Magic, while post production sound services were provided by Skywalker Sound designer, Randy Thom.
War of the Worlds was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures on June 29, 2005. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising the performances (particularly those of Cruise and Fanning), Spielberg's direction, the screenplay, the dark and realistic tone, the action sequences, the sound design, and the visual effects. The film achieved massive success, grossing over $603 million worldwide, making it the fourth most successful film of 2005. The film also earned three Academy Awards nominations: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing, but lost them all to King Kong.