Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
78%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: Won 3 Oscars
24 wins & 25 nominations total
Overblown in the best sense of the word, Francis Ford Coppola’s vision of Bram Stoker’s Dracula rescues the character from decades of campy interpretations — and features some terrific performances to boot
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is like a fancy cocktail that looks amazing but doesn’t quite hit the spot. Coppola throws everything at the screen, from honor to eroticism, but it’s like a buffet where everything looks delicious but tastes bland. Some critics say it’s a failure, but I say it’s a beautiful failure. It’s like a gorgeous painting that you can admire but don’t quite understand. It’s a fun ride with some silly moments, but it’s definitely not scary. Overall, it’s a lavishly stylish film that’s worth watching for the visuals alone.
Production Company(ies)
Decia Films, Amazonas Images Solares Fondazione delle arti
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Universal Studios – 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sexuality and horror violence
Year of Release
1992
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 3m
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Language(s):English, Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian, Latin
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 13, 1992 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 11, 2001
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E Grant, Cary Elwes, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Bram Stoker, James V Hart, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Dolores Barclay, David Ansen, Adam Mars-Jones, Nick Schager, Richard Corliss, Tom Hibbert, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Fuchs, Charles Mulvehill, R-rated, adaptation, vampire, gothic, romance, tragedy, seduction, terror, Dracula, Mina Murray, Jonathan Harker, Abraham Van Helsing, Lord Arthur Holmwood, Lucy, Elisabeta, reign of terror, cinematography, production design, sound mix, aspect ratio, Columbia Pictures
Worldwide gross: $215,862,692
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $462,059,608
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 321
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 50,388,180
US/Canada gross: $82,522,790
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $176,642,141
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 424
US/Canada opening weekend: $30,521,679
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $65,332,434
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 151
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $40,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $85,621,022
Production budget ranking: 489
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $46,106,920
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $330,331,665
ROI to date (est.): 251%
ROI ranking: 531
Winona Ryder – Mina Murray, Elisabeta
Anthony Hopkins – Professor Abraham Van Helsing, Chesare
Keanu Reeves – Jonathan Harker
Richard E. Grant – Dr. Jack Seward
Cary Elwes – Lord Arthur Holmwood
Director(s)
Francis Ford Coppola
Writer(s)
Bram Stoker, James V. Hart
Producer(s)
Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Fuchs, Charles Mulvehill
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
24 wins & 25 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Costume Design Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Makeup Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Editing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (62) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (15)
Coppola attempts to combine honor, romance, philosophy, humor, adventure and eroticism into one big stylish brew. But what he chums out is vastly unappetizing.
February 20, 2020
Dolores Barclay
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
Coppola’s remake throws so much fancy technique at its story that the usually foolproof drama at its core gets drowned in a tide of images. It’s not scary, it’s not suspenseful and its eroticism is largely theoretical.
February 8, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
James Hart’s screenplay may put Bram Stoker’s name up there in the title, but there’s no certainty that the author would recognise the result.
November 15, 2017
Adam Mars-Jones
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
A feast for the senses that fails to satisfy the heart, libido or mind.
June 1, 2011 | Rating: C+
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
This luscious film restores the creature’s nobility and gives him peace.
October 20, 2009
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Has a film ever promised so much yet delivered so little?
September 26, 2007 | Rating: 2/5
Tom Hibbert
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a grand, operatic, hysterical and flawed film. But it is also an incredible spectacle. If this Dracula truly is a failure, I wish more films could fail this beautifully.
March 21, 2022
Graeme Tuckett
Stuff.co.nz
Luscious to look at, and looming with a variety of delights for your senses to revel on, Dracula is spellbinding entertainment.
October 14, 2021
Kristy Strouse
Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying
…it’s Coppola’s meticulous fingerprints and smudges on each frame that exude exquisite creativity and originality even in a century old tale…
August 22, 2021 | Rating: 82/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
It’s a bunch of professionals busting their asses to provide a fun ride for the audience.
April 26, 2021
Chris Ludovici
The Spool
Lavish, stylish, sometimes silly, always engaging.
February 2, 2021
Michael Wood
London Review of Books
A film I will definitely watch again… how beautiful was that?
October 26, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Emma Wolfe
SpookyAstronauts…
Plot
This version of Dracula is closely based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel. Young barrister Jonathan Harker is assigned to a gloomy village in the mists of eastern Europe. He is captured and imprisoned by the undead vampire Dracula, who travels to London, inspired by a photograph of Harker’s betrothed, Mina Murray. In Britain, Dracula begins a reign of seduction and terror, draining the life from Mina’s closest friend, Lucy Westenra. Lucy’s friends gather together to try to drive Dracula away.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Gary Oldman delivers a superb performance as Count Dracula, capturing both his romantic and foreboding presence.
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