Mars Attacks!

Mars Attacks! is a 1996 American science fiction black comedy film directed by Tim Burton, who also co-produced it with Larry J. Franco. The screenplay by Jonathan Gems was based on the Topps trading card series of the same name. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Jack Nicholson (in a dual role), Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Lukas Haas, Sarah Jessica Parker, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown, Danny DeVito, Lisa Marie, and Sylvia Sidney in her final film role.

Alex Cox had tried to make a Mars Attacks film in the 1980s before Burton and Gems began development in 1993. When Gems turned in his first draft in 1994, Warner Bros. Pictures commissioned rewrites from Gems, Burton, and Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski in an attempt to lower the budget to $60 million. The final production budget came to $80 million, while Warner Bros. spent another $20 million on the Mars Attacks! marketing campaign. Filming took place from February to June 1996. The film was shot in California, Nevada, Kansas, Arizona, and Argentina.

The filmmakers hired Industrial Light & Magic to create the Martians using computer animation after their previous plan to use stop motion supervised by Barry Purves fell through because of budget and time limitations. Mars Attacks! was released theatrically by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on December 13, 1996, to mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its comedic satire of 1950s sci-fi B movies, but criticisms for its dark humor. The film grossed approximately $101.4 million in box-office totals, which was seen as a flop. Mars Attacks! was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and earned multiple nominations at the Saturn Awards. It has achieved cult classic status over the years.