Synopsis
The true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father's wishes.
Scores
Overall Score
82.6
Popularity Percentile (Year)
83.1%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
79.9%
Review Aggregate
86.3
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is largely positive, with 90% of 67 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize family-friendly, uplifting, realistic. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.
family-friendlyupliftingrealisticcoming of agelightheartedcharacter-drivenpoliticalemotionalgrittythought-provoking
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Gyllenhaal | 1999 | $2,034,000 | $3,830,000 | (est) |
| Chris Cooper | 1999 | $1,252,000 | $2,358,000 | (est) |
| Chris Owen | 1999 | $943,000 | $1,775,000 | (est) |
| Laura Dern | 1999 | $771,000 | $1,451,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score90.0
RT critic review count73
Rotten Tomatoes audience score88.0
RT audience rating count50,000
IMDb rating7.8
IMDb votes106,846
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1999 | $32,570,684 | $61,329,075 |
| International | 1999 | $2,128,000 | $4,006,925 |
| Worldwide | 1999 | $34,698,684 | $65,336,000 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1999 | $17,136,542 | $32,267,308 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1999 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1999 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1999 | $24,150,000 | $45,473,321 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1999 | $31,214,000 | $58,774,503 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1999 | $8,142,671 | $15,332,269 |
| Total Revenues | 1999 | $80,643,213 | $151,847,400 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1999 | $25,000,000 | $47,073,831 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1999 | $15,530,000 (est) | $29,242,264 (est) |
| Participations | 1999 | $6,451,000 | $12,146,931 |
| Residuals ? | 1999 | $4,479,000 | $8,433,748 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1999 | $4,250,000 | $8,002,551 |
| Total Expenses | 1999 | $55,710,000 | $104,899,326 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1999 | $24,933,213 | $46,948,075 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Karate Kid | 1984 | Shared genres: 4 | 92.9 | $71,171,137 |
 | The Karate Kid | 2010 | Shared genres: 4 | 89.9 | $120,308,224 |
 | Finding Neverland | 2004 | Shared genres: 4 | 89.8 | $55,523,459 |
 | Coach Carter | 2005 | Shared genres: 4 | 87.0 | $-22,474,469 |
 | Freedom Writers | 2007 | Shared genres: 4 | 83.7 | $21,544,029 |