With the release of The Poseidon Adventure (1972), the Disaster film officially became a movie-going craze.

A disaster film is a movie genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster (such as a damaged airliner, fire, shipwreck or an asteroid collision) as its subject. These films typically feature large casts of well-known actors and multiple plotlines, focusing on the characters' attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath. The genre had its greatest box office success during the 1970s with the release of Airport (1970), followed in quick succession by The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Earthquake (1974) and The Towering Inferno (1974).^[1] This is a copyrighted poster. ... This is a copyrighted poster. ... An Airbus A340 airliner operated by Air Jamaica An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft with the primary function of transporting paying passengers. ... For other uses, see Fire (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Shipwreck (disambiguation). ... Artists impression of a major impact event. ... The Poseidon Adventure is a 1972 action adventure/disaster film based on a novel by Paul Gallico. ... Earthquake is a 1974 action adventure/disaster/thriller film that achieved huge box-office success, inspiring the Disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations. ... The Towering Inferno is a 1974 disaster movie adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson. ...

Origins

Disaster themes are almost as old as the film medium itself. One of the earliest was Fire! (1901) made by James Williamson of England. The silent film portrayed a burning house and the firemen who arrive to quench the flames and rescue the inhabitants.^[2] Origins of the genre can also be found in Night and Ice (1912), about the sinking of the Titanic; Atlantis (1913), also about the Titanic; Noah's Ark (1928), the Biblical story of the great flood; Deluge (1933), about tidal waves devastating New York City; King Kong (1933), with a gigantic gorilla rampaging through New York City; and The Last Days of Pompeii (1935), dealing with the Mount Vesuvius volcanic eruption in 79 A.D.^[3] For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... For other uses, see Titanic (disambiguation). ... Noah’s Ark is a 1929 American early romantic Melodrama disaster film directed by Michael Curtiz and written by Darryl F. Zanuck. ... Deluge (1933) an apocalyptic science fiction film, released by RKO Radio Pictures, about a group of worldwide natural disasters which lead to the destruction of the earth. ... For other uses, see Tsunami (disambiguation). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This is about the original movie and novel. ... Type species Troglodytes gorilla Savage, 1847 distribution of Gorilla Species Gorilla gorilla Gorilla beringei The gorilla, the largest of the living primates, is a ground-dwelling omnivore that inhabits the forests of Africa. ... This article is about the mountain in Italy. ...

A precursor to the 1970's Disaster films was The High and the Mighty (1954) starring John Wayne.

John Ford's The Hurricane (1937) concluded with the striking sequence of a tropical cyclone ripping through a fictional South Pacific island. The drama San Francisco (1936) depicted the historic 1906 San Francisco earthquake, while In Old Chicago (1937) recreated The Great Chicago Fire which burned through the city in 1871.^[4] Carol Reed's 1939 film, The Stars Look Down, examines a catastrophe at a coal mine in North-East England. Image File history File links MOVIES-HighAndMighty. ... Image File history File links MOVIES-HighAndMighty. ... For other persons named John Ford, see John Ford (disambiguation). ... The Hurricane is a 1937 film directed by John Ford about a tropical cyclone in the Pacific Ocean. ... Cyclone Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004 Hurricane and Typhoon redirect here. ... The April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake is the historical background for San Francisco, a 1936 movie romance film between Blackie Norton, a gambling hall tycoon, played by Clark Gable, and a promising but impoverished singer, from Colorado, Mary Blake, portrayed by singer Jeanette MacDonald. ... San Francisco Earthquake redirects here. ... In Old Chicago is a 1937 dramatic film. ... Artists rendering of the fire, by John R Chapin, originally printed in Harpers Weekly The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday October 8 to early Tuesday October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about four square miles in Chicago, Illinois. ... Sir Carol Reed (30 December 1906 – 25 April 1976) was an English film director, winner of an Academy Award for his film version of the musical, Oliver! (1968). ... The Stars Look Down is a novel by A. J. Cronin, initially published in 1935. ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... North East England is one of the regions of England. ...

Inspired by the end of World War II and the beginning of the Atomic Age, Science fiction films of the 1950s, including When Worlds Collide (1953), The War of the Worlds (1953) and Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), routinely used world disasters as plot elements. This trend would continue with The Deadly Mantis (1957), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) and Crack in the World (1965).^[5] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Atomic Age was a phrase used for a time in the 1950s in which it was believed that all power sources in the future would be atomic in nature. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... When Worlds Collide DVD cover This article is about the 1951 film. ... The War of the Worlds (also sometimes known as H.G. Wells The War of the Worlds) is a 1953 science fiction film produced by George Pál and directed by Byron Haskin from a script by Barré Lyndon based on the H. G. Wells novel of the same name. ... Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is a 1956 American black-and-white science fiction film adapted from the 1954 Japanese film Godzilla, which had previously been shown subtitled in the United States in Japanese community theaters only, and was not known in Europe. ... The Deadly Mantis is a 1957 science fiction film from Universal-International. ... The Day the Earth Caught Fire is an British movie from 1961. ... Crack in the World is an American disaster movie filmed in Spain in 1965. ...

As in the silent film era, the sinking of the Titanic would continue to be a popular disaster with filmmakers and audiences alike. Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck starred in the 1953 20th Century Fox production Titanic, followed by the highly-regarded United Kingdom film A Night to Remember in 1958. The British action/adventure film The Last Voyage (1960), while not about the Titanic disaster but a predecessor to The Poseidon Adventure, starred Robert Stack as a man desperately attempting to save his wife (Dorothy Malone) and child trapped in a sinking ocean liner. The film, concluding with the dramatic sinking of the ship, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.^[6][7] For other uses, see Titanic (disambiguation). ... Clifton Webb (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966) was an American actor, dancer and singer. ... Barbara Stanwyck (July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress of film, stage, and screen . ... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... Titanic is a 1953 dramatic movie directed by Jean Negulesco. ... A Night to Remember is a 1958 film adaptation of Walter Lords book of the same name, recounting the final night of the RMS Titanic. ... The Last Voyage (1960) tells the story of an aged ocean liner, SS Claridon that meets destruction in the Pacific Ocean. ... The Poseidon Adventure is a 1972 action adventure/disaster film based on a novel by Paul Gallico. ... Robert Langford Modini Stack (January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American stage and movie actor. ... Promotional photo for Malone Dorothy Malone (born January 30, 1925) is an American actress. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... The Academy Award for Visual Effects is an Oscar given to one film each year that shows highest achievement in visual effects. ...

Additional precursors to the popular Disaster films of the 1970s include The High and the Mighty (1954), starring John Wayne and Robert Stack as pilots of a crippled airplane attempting to cross the ocean; Zero Hour! (1957), written by Arthur Hailey (who also penned the 1968 novel Airport) about an airplane crew that succumbs to food poisoning; and The Doomsday Flight (1966), written by Rod Serling and starring Edmond O'Brien as an airplane passenger with a bomb wired to explode.^[8][9][10] The High and the Mighty is a 1954 disaster film released through Warner Brothers. ... For other persons named John Wayne, see John Wayne (disambiguation). ... Zero Hour! is a 1957 movie written by Arthur Hailey that served as the basis for the much more widely known spoof of it, Airplane!. The rights to the movie were purchased by the makers of Airplane!, and they were able to use the screenplay almost verbatim. ... Arthur Hailey (April 5, 1920 – November 24, 2004) was a British/Canadian novelist. ... Rodman Edward Rod Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, most famous for his science fiction anthology television series, The Twilight Zone. ... Edmond OBrien (September 10, 1915–May 9, 1985) was an American film actor who is perhaps best remembered for his role in D.O.A.. Born in New York, New York, OBrien made his film debut in 1938, and gradually built a career as a highly regarded supporting...

1970s

The Golden Age of the Disaster film began in 1970 with the release of Airport.^[11] A huge financial success earning more than $45 million at the box office, the film was directed by George Seaton and starred Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, George Kennedy and Jacqueline Bisset. While not exclusively focused on a disaster, in this case, an airplane crippled by the explosion of a bomb, the film established the blueprint of multiple plotlines acted out by an all-star cast. Airport was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning Best Supporting Actress for Helen Hayes.^[12] George Seaton (April 17, 1911 - July 28, 1979) was an American playwright, film director and producer. ... Burt Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an Oscar-winning American film actor, noted for his athletic physique (a rare thing for leading men of that time), distinct smile (which he called The Grin) and, later, his willingness to play roles that went against his initial tough guy... Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti, June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, film actor, and comedian. ... George Harris Kennedy, Jr. ... Jacqueline Bisset (born Winifred Jacqueline Fraser-Bisset on 13 September 1944) is an English actress. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ... Best Supporting Actor or Best Supporting Actress is an accolade given by a group of film or theatre professionals in recognition of the work of supporting and character actors. ... Helen Hayes (October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress whose successful and award-winning career spanned almost 70 years. ...

The Disaster film trend reached its zenith in 1974 with the release of The Towering Inferno.

With the 1972 release of The Poseidon Adventure, another huge financial success notching an impressive $42 million in rentals, the Disaster film officially became a movie-going craze. Directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters and Red Buttons, the film detailed survivors' attempts at escaping a sinking ocean liner destroyed by a tidal wave. The Poseidon Adventure was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning for Best Music, Original Song and receiving a Special Achievement Award for visual effects.^[13] Image File history File links Towering_inferno_movie_poster. ... Image File history File links Towering_inferno_movie_poster. ... The Poseidon Adventure is a 1972 action adventure/disaster film based on a novel by Paul Gallico. ... Ronald Neame is a British film cinematographer, producer, screenwriter, and director. ... Eugene Allen Gene Hackman[1] (born January 30, 1930) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actor. ... Ernest Borgnine (born Ermes Effron Borgnino in Hamden, Connecticut on January 24, 1917[1][2] ) is a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award winning American actor. ... Shelley Winters (August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Red Buttons (February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was the stage name of American comedian and actor Aaron Chwatt. ...

The trend reached its zenith in 1974 with the release of The Towering Inferno, Earthquake and Airport 1975 (the first Airport sequel). The competing films enjoyed staggering success at the box office, with The Towering Inferno earning $55 million, Earthquake $36 million and Airport 1975 $25 million.^[14] The Towering Inferno is a 1974 disaster film directed by John Guillermin, adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson, and starring Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. ... Earthquake is a 1974 action adventure/disaster/thriller film that achieved huge box-office success, inspiring the Disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations. ...

Arguably the greatest of the 1970s Disaster films, The Towering Inferno was a joint venture of 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers and was produced by Irwin Allen (eventually known as "The Master of Disaster", as he had previously helmed The Poseidon Adventure and later produced The Swarm, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and When Time Ran Out...). Directed by John Guillermin and starring Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden and Faye Dunaway, the film depicts a huge fire engulfing the tallest building in the world and firefighters' attempts at rescuing occupants trapped on the top floor. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Music, Original Song.^[15] Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... Warner Bros. ... Irwin Allen (June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was a television and film producer nicknamed The Master of Disaster for his work in the disaster film genre. ... Swarm, see Swarm (disambiguation). ... 1979 Sequel to The Poseidon Adventure that follows a salvage crew and a band of terrorists that board the Poseidon looking for gold and a lost shipment of plutonium. ... When Time Ran Out is a film made in 1980. ... John Guillermin (born on November 11, 1925 in London, England), is a film director, writer, and producer who was most active in big budget, action adventure movies throughout his lengthy career. ... This article is about the American actor and race team owner. ... Steve McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an Academy Award-nominated American movie actor, nicknamed The King of Cool.[1] He was one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s due to a popular anti-hero persona. ... William Holden (April 17, 1918 – ca. ... Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941, in Bascom, Florida) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ...

Earthquake (1974) was honored with four Academy Award nominations.

Earthquake was also honored with four Academy Award nominations for its impressive special effects of a massive earthquake leveling the city of Los Angeles, winning for Best Sound and receiving a Special Achievement Award for visual effects. The film was directed by Mark Robson and starred Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy and Lorne Greene. It was noted as the first film to utilize Sensurround, where heavy bass speakers were installed in theaters to recreate the sounds of an earthquake.^[16] Image File history File links Earthquake_movie. ... Image File history File links Earthquake_movie. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... This is a list of films that have received an Oscar for best sound. ... Mark Robson (December 4, 1913 – June 20, 1978) was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood. ... Charlton Heston (born October 4, 1924) is an American film actor, known for playing larger-than-life heroic roles such as Moses in The Ten Commandments, Colonel George Taylor in Planet of the Apes, and Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur. ... Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an Academy Award-nominated American film and television actress. ... Lorne Greene in his role as Ben Cartwright in Bonanza Lorne Greene as Commander Adama in Battlestar Galactica Lorne Greene O.C., LL.D. (February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor best known for two iconic roles on American television. ... Sensurround is an audio process developed in the 1970s by Universal Studios for the presentation of theatrical movies. ...

Airport 1975, directed by Jack Smight and starring Charlton Heston, George Kennedy, Karen Black and Gloria Swanson (in her final film role), essentially discarded the multiple plotlines of Airport in favor of focusing almost exclusively on the disaster itself as a Boeing 747 is crippled by a small plane crashing into the cockpit.^[17] Jack Smight (March 9, 1925 - September 1, 2003) American film director. ... Karen Black (born July 1, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress, screenwriter, singer and songwriter. ... Gloria Swanson (March 27, 1899 - April 4, 1983), was an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning American Hollywood actress. ... The Boeing 747, sometimes nicknamed the Jumbo Jet,[4][5] is a long-haul, widebody commercial airliner manufactured by Boeing in the United States. ...

By 1976, the Disaster film cycle had left its mark on the list of all-time box office champions, with The Towering Inferno ranked 8th, Airport 14th, The Poseidon Adventure 16th and Earthquake 20th.^[18] Such success spawned a flood of similar films throughout the decade.

Roger Corman purchased the 1973 Japanese film Nippon chinbotsu, filmed some additional scenes with actor Lorne Greene, and released it to American theaters in 1975 as Tidal Wave.^[19] The British film Juggernaut, a suspense thriller about the hijacking of an ocean liner, was promoted as a Disaster film when released in 1974.^[20] The 1969 film Krakatoa, East of Java, revolving around a volcanic eruption, was renamed Volcano and re-released to theaters in Europe while playing in America on prime time television.^[21] Several made-for-TV movies also capitalized on the craze including Heat Wave! (1974), The Day the Earth Moved (1974), Hurricane (1974), Flood! (1976) and Fire! (1977).^{[22][23][24][25][26]} Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926), sometimes nicknamed King of the Bs for his output of B-movies (though he himself rejects this appelation as inaccurate), is a prolific American producer and director of low-budget exploitation movies. ... Lorne Greene in his role as Ben Cartwright in Bonanza Lorne Greene as Commander Adama in Battlestar Galactica Lorne Greene O.C., LL.D. (February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor best known for two iconic roles on American television. ... Juggernaut is a rare British entry into the 1970s disaster movie cycle. ... Krakatoa, East of Java (1969) is a movie filmed in Ultra Panavision 70 and starring Maximilian Schell and Brian Keith. ... Prime time is the block of programming on television during the middle of the evening. ...

The trend continued on a larger scale with The Hindenburg (1975) starring George C. Scott; The Cassandra Crossing (1976) starring Burt Lancaster; Two-Minute Warning (1976) starring Charlton Heston; Black Sunday (1977) starring Robert Shaw; Rollercoaster in Sensurround (1977) starring George Segal; Damnation Alley (1977) starring Jan-Michael Vincent; Avalanche (1978) starring Rock Hudson; Gray Lady Down (1978) also starring Charlton Heston; Hurricane (a 1979 remake of John Ford's 1937 film) starring Jason Robards; and City on Fire (1979) starring Henry Fonda. The Hindenburg (1975) is a movie based on the disaster of the German airship Hindenburg. ... George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 - September 22, 1999) was a stage and film actor, director, and producer. ... The Cassandra Crossing is a 1976 British motion picture starring Richard Harris, Ava Gardner, Sophia Loren, Martin Sheen, Burt Lancaster and Lee Strasberg. ... Burt Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an Oscar-winning American film actor, noted for his athletic physique (a rare thing for leading men of that time), distinct smile (which he called The Grin) and, later, his willingness to play roles that went against his initial tough guy... In the National Football League, the two-minute warning is given when two minutes of game time remain on the game clock in each half of a game, i. ... This article is about the 1977 US film. ... Robert Shaw (August 9, 1927 – August 28, 1978) was an English stage and film actor and writer. ... Rollercoaster is a summer 1977 disaster-suspense film directed by James Goldstone. ... George Segal George Segal (born February 13, 1934) is a well-known Jewish American film and stage actor who was born in Great Neck, Long Island, New York. ... This article is about the 1977 film. ... Jan-Michael Vincent (born July 15, 1944) is an American actor most well-known for his role as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the 1980s U.S. television series Airwolf (1984-1986). ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Gray Lady Down is a little-regarded 1978 disaster movie. ... Theatrical release poster. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... City on Fire movie poster. ... Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was a highly acclaimed Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. ...

Skyjacked (1972) was a lessor entry into the Disaster film canon, following on the heels of Airport, though preceding its sequel Airport 1975. The Airport series would continue with Airport '77 (1977) and The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979), with George Kennedy portraying the character Joe Patroni in each sequel. The Poseidon Adventure was followed by the sequel Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979). Skyjacked is a 1972 disaster film starring Charlton Heston, James Brolin, and Yvette Mimieux. ... The Concorde . ... George Harris Kennedy, Jr. ... 1979 Sequel to The Poseidon Adventure that follows a salvage crew and a band of terrorists that board the Poseidon looking for gold and a lost shipment of plutonium. ...

The genre began to burn out by the late-1970s when the big-budget films The Swarm (1978), Meteor (1979) and When Time Ran Out... (1980) performed poorly at the box office signaling declining interest in the Disaster film product.^[27][28][29] Swarm, see Swarm (disambiguation). ... Meteor (1979) is a film in which scientists detect an asteroid on a collision course with Earth and struggle with international, cold war politics in their efforts to prevent disaster. ... When Time Ran Out is a film made in 1980. ...

The end of the trend was marked by the 1980 comedy Airplane! which fondly spoofed the clichés of the genre to surprising box office success, producing a sequel of its own, Airplane II: The Sequel, in 1982.^[30] Airplane! is an American comedy film, first released on 27 June 1980, produced, directed, and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. ...

Genre Revival

Twister (1996) was penned by Michael Crichton.

With the rise of Computer-generated imagery (CGI), the genre revived during the mid-1990s. Applying 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, producers and directors had the ability to create increasingly spectacular disasters in less time. The new digital trend was popularized by James Cameron's science fiction films The Abyss (1989) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Combined with the breathtaking sequences in the 1993 films The Fugitive (train wreck) and Jurassic Park (dinosaur attacks), the motion picture industry was inspired to return to the Disaster film genre. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (556x755, 49 KB) Warner Bros, 1996 This image is of a film poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the film or the studio which produced the film in question. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (556x755, 49 KB) Warner Bros, 1996 This image is of a film poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the film or the studio which produced the film in question. ... Computer-generated imagery (commonly abbreviated as CGI) is the application of the field of computer graphics (or more specifically, 3D computer graphics) to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media. ... Special effects (abbreviated SPFX or SFX) are used in the film, television, and entertainment industry to create effects that cannot be achieved by normal means, such as depicting travel to other star systems. ... For other persons named James Cameron, see James Cameron (disambiguation). ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... The Abyss is a 1989 science fiction film which was written and directed by James Cameron, starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. ... Terminator 2: Judgment Day (commonly abbreviated T2) is a 1991 movie directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Robert Patrick. ... The Fugitive is a 1993 Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winning feature film, based on the television series The Fugitive, starring Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble, and Tommy Lee Jones as Deputy United States Marshal Samuel Gerard. ... Jurassic Park is a 1993 science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. ...

The revival began in 1996 with the release of Executive Decision, an action thriller about the hijacking of an airliner and a team (led by Kurt Russell) attempting to take control of the plane before an onboard bomb can explode over the U.S. This was followed by the Michael Crichton-penned Twister, the science fiction/doomsday thriller Independence Day, and the Sylvester Stallone vehicle Daylight. In 1997, two films about volcanic eruptions debuted, Volcano and Dante's Peak. Executive Decision is a 1996 action film released on Friday, March 15, 1996. ... Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. ... Michael Crichton, pronounced [1], (born October 23, 1942) is an American author, film producer, film director, and television producer. ... Twister is a 1996 disaster film starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton as storm chasers researching tornadoes. ... Independence Day (also known as its promotional abbreviation ID4) is an Academy Award winning science fiction film directed by Roland Emmerich. ... Sylvester Stallone (born Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone on July 6, 1946) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Daylight is an action film, released on Friday, December 6, 1996, starring Sylvester Stallone and directed by Rob Cohen. ... Volcano is a disaster action film starring Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, and Don Cheadle. ... Dantes Peak is a 1997 action-adventure film starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton. ...

Also in 1997, inspired by not only Hollywood's continued fascination with the Titanic disaster but the recent discovery of the ship's remains by Dr. Robert Ballard, James Cameron produced, wrote and directed the most recent version of the epic story Titanic. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane and Kathy Bates, the film skillfully combined romance with dazzling special effects to become the greatest box office success in motion picture history earning $1,845,034,188 worldwide.^[31] The film won 11 Academy Awards (tied with Ben-Hur and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for the most in history), including Best Picture and Best Director.^[32] Dr. Robert D. Ballard Robert Duane Ballard, Ph. ... For other persons named James Cameron, see James Cameron (disambiguation). ... Titanic is a 1997 American romantic drama film directed, written, produced and edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS Titanic. ... Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11, 1974[1]) is a three-time Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor who garnered world wide fame for his role as Jack Dawson in Titanic. ... Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born October 5, 1975) is a five time Academy Award-nominated Emmy Award-nominated BAFTA, Grammy and Screen Actors Guild Award winning English actress. ... William George Billy Zane, Jr. ... Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an Academy Award-winning American theatrical, film, and television actress, and a stage and television director. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Ben-Hur is a 1959 epic film directed by William Wyler, and is the third version of Lew Wallaces novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880). ... The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ... The Academy Award for Directing is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ...

The revival continued in 1998 with the summer releases of the comet/asteroid-impact films Deep Impact and Armageddon. The Perfect Storm achieved surprising success in 2000, followed by The Core in 2003. The Day After Tomorrow did strong business in 2004, building upon fears of global warming and climate change with a varied assortment of disasters. In 2005, the genre went back to the well with Steven Spielberg's successful remake of War of the Worlds. Poseidon, a 2006 remake of The Poseidon Adventure, proved to be a failure with both audiences and critics alike. Deep Impact is a 1998 science fiction disaster film released by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures. ... For other films with this name, see Armageddon (disambiguation). ... The Perfect Storm is a 2000 film adapted from the book of the same title by Sebastian Junger. ... The Core (2003) is a science fiction disaster film very loosely based on the novel Core by Paul Preuss. ... For other uses, see The Day After Tomorrow (disambiguation). ... Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earths near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 450,000 years For current global climate change, see Global warming. ... Steven Allan Spielberg (born December 18, 1946)[1] is an American film director and producer. ... War of the Worlds is a 2005 science fiction disaster film based on H. G. Wells original novel starring Tom Cruise. ... Poseidon is a 2006 remake of the classic disaster film The Poseidon Adventure, based on the novel by Paul Gallico. ...

Literary sources

Movies from the Disaster film genre are often based on novels. In many cases, the novels were bestsellers or critically-acclaimed works. Three of the genre-defining Disaster films of the 1970s were based on best-selling novels: Airport (based on the novel by Arthur Hailey), The Poseidon Adventure (based on the novel by Paul Gallico), and The Towering Inferno (from the novels The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson). Some critically-acclaimed novels that were turned into Disaster films include On the Beach (by Neville Shute), The War of the Worlds (by H. G. Wells), Failsafe (by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler) and A Night to Remember (non-fiction by Walter Lord). This article is about the literary concept. ... A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and booktrade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. ... Arthur Hailey (April 5, 1920 – November 24, 2004) was a British/Canadian novelist. ... Paul Gallico, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 Paul William Gallico (July 26, 1897-July 15, 1976) was a fabulously successful U.S. novelist and short story writer. ... The Tower is a 1973 novel by Richard Martin Stern. ... Richard Martin Stern (born March 17, 1915 in Fresno, California; died October 31, 2001 in Santa Fe, New Mexico) was an American novelist. ... The Glass Inferno is a 1974 novel by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson. ... Thomas N. Scortia (August 29, 1926 - April 29, 1986) is a science fiction author. ... Frank M. Robinson (born 1926) is a science fiction and techno-thriller writer. ... On the Beach is a post-apocalyptic end-of-the-world novel written by British-Australian author Nevil Shute after he had emigrated to Australia. ... Nevil Shute (London, January 17, 1899 – Melbourne, January 12, 1960) (full name Nevil Shute Norway) was one of the most popular novelists of the mid-20th century. ... The War of the Worlds (1898), by H.G. Wells, is an early science fiction novella which describes an invasion of England by aliens from Mars. ... Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 – August 13, 1946), better known as H. G. Wells, was an English writer best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The First Men in the Moon and The Island of Doctor Moreau. ... Eugene Burdick (12 December 1918 - 26 July 1965), was co-author of The Ugly American (1958), Fail-Safe (1962) and The 480 (1965). ... the novel the movie - Fonda on phone John Harvey Wheeler (October 17, 1918 - September 6, 2004) was an American author, political scientist, and scholar. ... A Night to Remember is a 1955 non-fiction book by Walter Lord about the sinking of the ocean liner RMS Titanic in 1912. ... Walter Lord (October 8, 1917 – May 19, 2002) was an American author, best known for his documentary-style non-fiction account A Night to Remember, about the sinking of the RMS Titanic. ...

See also

• List of disaster films
• Doomsday film

Main article: Disaster film This is a list of disaster films or doomsday films, representing more than a century of films within the genre. ... Poster for the 1964 doomsday black comedy, . A doomsday film is a motion picture which tells the story of an actual or fictitious doomsday event and/or its aftermath. ...

References

1. ^ BookRags, Disaster Movies. bookrags.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
2. ^ Internet Movie Database, Fire!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
3. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
4. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
5. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
6. ^ Internet Movie Database, Awards for The Last Voyage. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
7. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
8. ^ Filmsite, Greatest Disaster Film Scenes. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
9. ^ CultMovies, Disaster Epics. cultmovies.info. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
10. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Doomsday Flight. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
11. ^ BookRags, Disaster Movies. bookrags.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
12. ^ Internet Movie Database, Airport. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
13. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Poseidon Adventure. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
14. ^ Wallechinsky, David (1977). The Book of Lists. Bantam Books, 197. ISBN 0-553-12400-5. 
15. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Towering Inferno. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
16. ^ Internet Movie Database, Earthquake. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
17. ^ Internet Movie Database, Airport 1975. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
18. ^ Wallechinsky, David (1977). The Book of Lists. Bantam Books, 197. ISBN 0-553-12400-5. 
19. ^ Internet Movie Database, Nippon chinbotsu. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
20. ^ Internet Movie Database, Juggernaut. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
21. ^ Internet Movie Database, Trivia for Krakatoa, East of Java. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
22. ^ Internet Movie Database, Heat Wave!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
23. ^ Internet Movie Database, The Day the Earth Moved. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
24. ^ Internet Movie Database, Hurricane. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
25. ^ Internet Movie Database, Flood!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
26. ^ Internet Movie Database, Fire!. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
27. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for The Swarm. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
28. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for Meteor. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
29. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for When Time Ran Out.... imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
30. ^ Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for Airplane. imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
31. ^ Box Office Mojo, Worldwide Grosses. boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
32. ^ Filmsite, Most Oscar Wins By Film. filmsite.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.

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Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... David Wallechinsky (born 5 February 1948) is an Olympic historian, who worked as commentator for NBC Olympic coverage and is the author of many Olympic reference books and other reference books. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... David Wallechinsky (born 5 February 1948) is an Olympic historian, who worked as commentator for NBC Olympic coverage and is the author of many Olympic reference books and other reference books. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Catastrophe in the Movies
• Disaster Films
• The Towering Inferno Website
• The Poseidon Adventure Fansite
• Irwin Allen at the Internet Movie Database
• Roger Ebert Review, Airport 1975
• The New York Times Review, Earthquake