National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
92%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: NA
The talents of director John Landis and Saturday Night Live’s irrepressible John Belushi conspired to create a rambunctious, subversive college comedy that continues to resonate.
Animal House is the ultimate college movie that will make you want to go back to school just to experience the shenanigans. It’s a classic that has stood the test of time with its hilarious one-liners and unforgettable characters. Sure, it may be a bit tasteless and sophomoric, but that’s what makes it so damn funny. John Belushi’s performance as Blutarsky is a standout and the soundtrack is a perfect mix of orchestral maneuvers and catchy oldies. Animal House is a must-watch for anyone who wants to relive the glory days of college or just needs a good laugh.
Production Company(ies)
CNN Films, Statement Pictures,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Six Flags Magic Mountain – 26101 Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1978
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 49m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 1, 1978 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 26, 2003
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
National Lampoon’s Animal House, R, Comedy, 1h 49m, 90% Tomatometer, 89% Audience Score, directed by John Landis, produced by Ivan Reitman and Matty Simmons, written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, Chris Miller, starring John Belushi, Kevin Bacon, Donald Sutherland, Karen Allen, Tim Matheson, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Nigel Andrews, Gary Arnold, Robert Hanks, Colin Kennedy, Dave Kehr, Frank Rich, Sarah Brinks, Richard Propes, Augusto Martínez Torres, Bernard Drew, Dennis Schwartz, Matt Brunson, MPAA rating R, college comedy, fraternity, party, rebellion, authority, raunchy, dated, hilarious, anarchy, absurdity, John Belushi’s subversive, attention-grabbing screen presence, incipient college romps, vitality, charm, low comedy, snobbery, petty meanness, noblest reasons to go to college, studying sex, terrific one-liners, sight gags, influential comedy, timeless party-themed film, wild, chaotic party films, thin script, anarchy, enigmatic charm, rebellion against authority, finding ways to have a good mischievous time, accurate depiction of college in the 70s and 80s, top horror movies to watch now, RT Podcasts, most anticipated movies, best Netflix series, renewed and cancelled TV shows 2022
Worldwide gross: $120,091,123
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $187,936,674
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 733
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 20,494,730
US/Canada gross: $61,418,063
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $187,936,674
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 393
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,333,358
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $25,499,723
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 535
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $15,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $45,899,365
Production budget ranking: 856
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $24,716,808
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $117,320,501
ROI to date (est.): 166%
ROI ranking: 725
Kevin Bacon – Chip Diller
Donald Sutherland – Prof. Dave Jennings
Karen Allen – Katy
Tim Matheson – Eric “Otter” Stratton
John Vernon – Dean Vernon Wormer
Director(s)
John Landis
Writer(s)
Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, Chris Miller
Producer(s)
Ivan Reitman, Matty Simmons
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (5)
The film has swept through the American box office like a whirlwind, precipitating a rash of incipient college romps. One waits with trepidation: but at least the trailblazer has vitality and charm.
February 7, 2020
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
You may not care to take up permanent spiritual residence at Animal House, but it’s funny place to visit.
July 31, 2015
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Animal House is a self-congratulatory mess; but it’s also spattered with terrific one-liners and sight gags, and it’s the best showcase extant for John Belushi’s subversive, attention-grabbing screen presence.
October 30, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
Robert Hanks
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Arguably the most influential comedy of our time.
May 6, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Colin Kennedy
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
While the low comedy is undeniably effective, the film leaves behind a bad taste of snobbery and petty meanness.
July 25, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The Lampoon people understand the darkest secret of an American college education: one of the noblest reasons to go is to spend four years studying sex.
July 25, 2007
Frank Rich
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
There are some classic performances like Jim Belushi’s Blutarsky and Tim Matheson’s Eric Stratton.
April 1, 2021
Sarah Brinks
Battleship Pretension
Animal House is my guilty pleasure.
September 2, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Despite the comedic tone of some scenes, the result is below expectations and it never stops being a monotonous pastiche. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 7, 2019
Augusto Martínez Torres
El Pais (Spain)
It is occasionally funny, always zany, sometimes sophomoric, even freshmaneric, a 1970’s view of the 60’s from the long end of a telescope.
July 9, 2019
Bernard Drew
Gannett News Service
Earns a diploma for tasteless low-budget comedy.
February 22, 2019 | Rating: B-
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Endlessly quotable, populated by endearing and unique characters, and blessed with a great score that mixes Elmer Bernstein’s orchestral maneuvers with catchy oldies, this riotous comedy has lost none of its appeal over the years.
August 1, 2015 | Rating: 4/4
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing…
Plot
Having it all planned down to the last detail, the American, well-meaning paterfamilias, Clark Griswold, and his supportive wife, Ellen, take their two teenage children, Rusty and Audrey, on a cross-country trip from the suburbs of Chicago, all the way to sunny California’s Walley World amusement park. However, anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and before long, Ellen’s cousin, Catherine, and her husband, Eddie, enter the picture, and Clark is on the verge of blowing a gasket. Now, Roy Walley’s wonderful park seems so far away, and even though the prospect of a clandestine meeting with the alluring blonde in a fast, 1981 Ferrari 308 GTSi sounds tempting, Clark must do the right thing, and find the promised land. How hard can it be to have the perfect vacation?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
John Belushi delivers the performance of a lifetime in National Lampoon’s Animal House.
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