Mars Attacks! (1996)
63%RT Audience Score: 53%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 19 nominations
Tim Burton’s alien invasion spoof faithfully recreates the wooden characters and schlocky story of cheesy ’50s sci-fi and Ed Wood movies — perhaps a little too faithfully for audiences
Mars Attacks! is a hilarious and wacky sci-fi comedy that will have you laughing from start to finish. With a star-studded cast and over-the-top special effects, this movie is a must-see for anyone who loves a good B-movie. The Martians are both funny and terrifying, and the satire is spot-on. Tim Burton has truly outdone himself with this one, and it’s no wonder it’s become a cult classic. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride!
Production Company(ies)
The Mirisch Company, Alpha
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Red Lake, Arizona, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi fantasy violence and brief sexuality
Year of Release
1996
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 12, 1996 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 17, 1997
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J Fox, Natalie Portman, directed by Tim Burton, written by Woody Gelman, Bob Powell, Norman Saunders, produced by Tim Burton, Larry J Franco, Laurie Parker, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Mark Salisbury, Gene Siskel, Peter Rainer, Ryan Gilbey, Jay Boyar, David Ansen, PG-13, alien invasion, B-movie, sci-fi, ensemble cast, satire, homage, cheesy, schlocky, wooden characters, misanthropy, attitude, cynicism, contrived, spicy, tacky, lampoon, establishment, phony-baloney, fellowship of man, spaceman, surrealist, sardonic, destruction, nuclear retaliation, friendly mission, extraterrestrial visitors, fleet of Martian spacecraft, President James Dale, First Lady Marsha Dale, Barbara Land, Professor Donald Kessler, Rude Gambler, Press Secretary Jerry Ross, sound mix, surround
Worldwide gross: $101,381,197
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $193,510,904
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 715
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 21,102,607
US/Canada gross: $37,781,197
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $72,114,690
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 906
US/Canada opening weekend: $9,384,272
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,912,187
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 711
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $70,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $133,612,185
Production budget ranking: 267
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $71,950,162
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$12,051,443
ROI to date (est.): -6%
ROI ranking: 1,427
Glenn Close – First Lady Marsha Dale
Annette Bening – Barbara Land
Pierce Brosnan – Professor Donald Kessler
Danny DeVito – Rude Gambler
Martin Short – Press Secretary Jerry Ross
Woody Gelman – Writer
Bob Powell – Writer
Norman Saunders – Writer
Tim Burton – Director, Producer
Larry J. Franco – Producer
Laurie Parker – Producer
Director(s)
Tim Burton
Writer(s)
Woody Gelman, Bob Powell, Norman Saunders
Producer(s)
Tim Burton, Larry J. Franco, Laurie Parker
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 19 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (85) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (38)
A giddily madcap, surreal, sardonic satire that sets out to be deliberately cheesy.
December 7, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Salisbury
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Oh, those Martians! They are funny, mean little buggers, and they’re worthing checking out.
December 7, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
It’s a destructo orgy without any phony-baloney sanctimony about the fellowship of man — or spaceman.
December 7, 2018
Peter Rainer
New Times
TOP CRITIC
The science-fiction comedy Mars Attacks! is a contrived B-movie pastiche with some spicy ingredients alien to other Tim Burton films: attitude, cynicism, misanthropy.
December 7, 2018
Ryan Gilbey
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The cast is so large that most of the actors don’t stick around very long, but each has his or her moment to shine.
December 7, 2018
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Both a tribute to schlock sci-fi and a deconstruction of it, this sleekly cheeseball $70 million production is all attitude. It’s not Burton’s best by a long shot, but I came out smiling.
December 7, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
It’s such a wonderful lampoon of the establishment and hammers in Burton’s disdain for those in charge. It’s also got the frenetic spirit of a PG-13 Tex Avery/Chuck Jones/Bob Clampett cartoon.
June 25, 2022
Cory Woodroof
615 Film
It’s not the funniest, saddest, or most poignant film in Tim Burton’s filmography, but it is a great deal of fun. (25th anniversary)
December 15, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Stephen Silver
Tilt Magazine
Mars Attacks! may well be the last whiff of that Burton magic so cherished by generations of angsty teens.
June 25, 2021
Caroline Golum
Screen Slate
Director Tim Burton fashions a hilariously twisted form of the alien invasion movie by skewering every silly sci-fi flick that ever had a budget smaller than its brain.
October 2, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Mars Attacks! plays its loony action for intentional laughs.
March 11, 2020
Kathi Maio
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
Mars is a fireball of failure, a B-movie crammed full of A-list actors, an exercise in tacky self-indulgence that will numb you with its labored eccentricities. What’s more, it would take a greater detective than I to find a single funny line.
February 23, 2019 | Rating: C-
Wallace Baine
Santa Cruz Sentinel…
Plot
It is a normal day for everyone, until President of the United States James Dale (Jack Nicholson) announces Martians have been spotted circling Earth. The Martians land and a meeting is arranged, but not everything goes to plan, and the Martians seem to have other plans for Earth. Are they just misunderstood beings or do they really want to destroy all of humanity?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The impressive cast of Mars Attacks! includes Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, and Martin Short, among others.
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