Armageddon (1998 film)
A 1998 disaster film about drillers saving Earth from an asteroid.
In 1998, Michael Bay directed the science fiction disaster film *Armageddon*, which Jerry Bruckheimer co-produced. The story centers on a team of blue-collar deep-core drillers recruited by NASA to stop a Texas-sized asteroid from colliding with Earth. The ensemble cast includes Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Will Patton, Peter Stormare, Keith David, Owen Wilson, William Fichtner, and Steve Buscemi.
Released on July 1, 1998, by Buena Vista Pictures under the Touchstone Pictures label, the film earned mixed reviews from critics but performed strongly at the box office. It grossed $553.7 million worldwide against a $140 million budget, making it the highest-grossing film of 1998 worldwide and the top earner for Touchstone Pictures. That same summer, the similarly themed *Deep Impact* also premiered.
**Plot**
A massive meteor shower destroys the orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis before striking New York City. The meteors were ejected from the asteroid belt by a rogue asteroid the size of Texas. NASA calculates the asteroid will hit Earth in 18 days, wiping out all life.
NASA’s plan involves drilling a deep hole into the asteroid, inserting a nuclear bomb, and detonating it to split the rock into two pieces that will pass on either side of Earth. They recruit Harry Stamper, a third-generation oil driller and company owner. He agrees to help only if he can bring his own team, including his best friend Chick Chapple, geologists Rockhound and Oscar Choice, and drillers Bear Curlene, Max Lennert, Freddie Noonan, and A.J. Frost—who is dating Harry’s daughter Grace against Harry’s wishes. Over twelve days, the team trains as astronauts under pilot Willie Sharp, who will fly the shuttle *Freedom* (the other is *Independence*). Before leaving, Chick apologizes to his ex-wife and sees his son, who does not know him. Grace accepts A.J.’s marriage proposal, and Harry reluctantly promises to bring A.J. home safely.
After Shanghai is destroyed by another meteor, the asteroid threat becomes public. Both shuttles launch and dock with a Russian space station for fuel, but a broken pipeline ignites the fuel pod. A.J. and cosmonaut Lev Andropov barely board *Independence* before the station explodes.
Approaching the asteroid, *Independence* is damaged by debris and crashes, killing Oscar, Freddie, and the rest of the crew. Survivors Lev, Bear, and A
- release_date
- July 1, 1998
- director
- Michael Bay
- producer
- Jerry Bruckheimer
- budget
- $140 million
- box_office
- $553.7 million worldwide
- distributor
- Buena Vista Pictures (Touchstone Pictures)
- genre
- Science fiction disaster film
Lore & Background
The film was developed after a production president at Disney took notes on the script for Deep Impact and initiated Armageddon as a counter film. Nine writers worked on the script, five of whom are credited, including Robert Roy Pool, Jonathan Hensleigh, Tony Gilroy, Shane Salerno, and J. J. Abrams. Bruce Willis was cast as part of a three-picture deal to compensate the studio for the dissolution of 1997's Broadway Brawler. Sean Connery was originally considered for the role of Dan Truman, but Michael Bay decided to cast a younger actor after meeting oil drillers. Bradley Cooper auditioned for the role of A.J. Frost, which went to Ben Affleck. The Criterion Collection released the theatrical cut of the film, not a director's cut.
Reader's Guide
Armageddon was a commercial success, grossing $553.7 million worldwide against a $140 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1998 and the highest-grossing film released by Touchstone Pictures. Despite mixed reviews from critics, it was released in the same summer as the similarly themed Deep Impact. The Criterion Collection released the director's cut on DVD and LaserDisc, with film scholar Jeanine Basinger defending the film as a work of art by a master of movement, light, color, and shape, and a celebration of working men. The film's marketing included a Super Bowl XXXII advertisement and billboards that sparked city-wide panic.
Did You Know?
- The film was released on July 1, 1998, by Buena Vista Pictures through its Touchstone Pictures label.
- It grossed $553.7 million worldwide against a $140 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1998.
- The Criterion Collection released the director's cut of the film on DVD and LaserDisc.
- Additional special effects scenes showing an asteroid impacting Paris were added two months before release to differentiate the film from Deep Impact.
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