The Maze Runner (film)

The Maze Runner
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWes Ball
Screenplay by
Based onThe Maze Runner
by James Dashner
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyEnrique Chediak
Edited byDan Zimmerman
Music byJohn Paesano
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • September 19, 2014 (2014-09-19) (United States)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$34 million[1][2]
Box office$348.3 million[1]

The Maze Runner is a 2014 American dystopian science fiction film directed by Wes Ball, in his feature directorial debut, based on James Dashner's 2009 novel of the same name. The film is the first installment in The Maze Runner film series and was produced by Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, and Lee Stollman with a screenplay by Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers, and T.S. Nowlin. The film stars Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Aml Ameen, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Will Poulter, and Patricia Clarkson. The story follows sixteen-year-old Thomas, portrayed by O'Brien, who awakens in a rusty elevator with no memory of who he is, only to learn that he has been delivered to the middle of an intricate maze, along with many other boys, who have been trying to find their way out of the ever-changing labyrinth – all while establishing a functioning society in what they call the Glade.

Development of The Maze Runner began in January 2011 when Fox purchased the film rights to Dashner's novel with Gotham Group, Temple Hill Entertainment, TSG Entertainment as producers and Catherine Hardwicke intended to direct. In 2012, Ball was hired to direct the film adaptation after presenting an animated short film titled Ruin with a similar tone and was initially considered for a feature-length adaptation. Principal photography began in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on May 13, 2013, and officially concluded on July 12, 2013.

The Maze Runner was released on September 19, 2014, in the United States by 20th Century Fox. The film received positive reviews, with praise for the direction, performances and tone. Critics considered it to be better than most young adult book-to-film adaptations. The film was first at the box office in its opening weekend, grossing $32.5 million, making it the seventh-highest-grossing debut in September. The film earned over $348 million worldwide at the box office, against its budget of $34 million. A sequel, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, was released on September 18, 2015, in the United States. A third and final film, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, was released on January 26, 2018.

  1. ^ a b "The Maze Runner (2014)". Box Office Mojo. September 19, 2014. Archived from the original on July 26, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  2. ^ Bahr, Lindsey (September 18, 2014). "Box office preview: Maze Runner teens prepare to battle Liam Neeson". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2014.