Ender's Game (film)

Ender's Game
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gavin Hood
Produced by	Gigi Pritzker Linda McDonough Alex Kurtzman Roberto Orci Robert Chartoff Lynn Hendee Orson Scott Card Ed Ulbrich
Screenplay by	Gavin Hood
Based on	Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Starring	Harrison Ford Asa Butterfield Hailee Steinfeld Viola Davis Abigail Breslin Ben Kingsley
Music by	Steve Jablonsky
Cinematography	Donald McAlpine
Edited by	Zach Staenberg Lee Smith
Production company	Chartoff Productions Taleswapper Odd Lot Entertainment K/O Paper Products Digital Domain
Distributed by	Summit Entertainment Lionsgate Films
Release date	October 24, 2013 (2013-10-24) (Germany) November 1, 2013 (2013-11-01) (United States)
Running time	114 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$110–115 million
Box office	$125.5 million

Ender's Game is a 2013 American science fiction action film based on the novel of the same name by Orson Scott Card. Written and directed by Gavin Hood,the film stars Asa Butterfield as Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, an unusually gifted child who is sent to an advanced military academy in outer space to prepare for a future alien invasion. The supporting cast includes Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis, Abigail Breslin and Ben Kingsley. The film was released in Germany on October 24, 2013, followed by a release in the United Kingdom and Ireland one day later. It was released in the United States, Canada, and several other countries on November 1, 2013, and was released in other territories by January 2014. Ender's Game received mixed reviews from film critics and it grossed $125.5 million on a $110–115 million budget (not including marketing and distribution). Variety included the film in their list of "Hollywood's Biggest Bombs of 2013".

In the future, humanity is preparing to launch an attack on the homeworld of an alien race called the Formics who had attacked Earth and killed millions; however, their invasion was stopped by Mazer Rackham, who crashed his F-35 Lightning II into a Formic queen ship, stopping the invasion at the apparent cost of his life. Over the course of fifty years, gifted children are trained by the International Fleet to become commanders of a new fleet for this counter-attack.

Cadet Andrew "Ender" Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) draws the attention of Colonel Hyrum Graff (Harrison Ford) and Major Gwen Anderson (Viola Davis) by his aptitude in simulated space combat. They order the removal of his monitor, signifying the end of the cadet program. Ender is attacked by Stilson, a student he defeated in the combat sim, but Ender fights back and severely injures him. Ender confesses his grief to his older sister Valentine, but is harassed further by their older brother Peter. Graff arrives to reveal he was being tested and is still part of the program. Graff brings Ender to Battle School, placing Ender with other cadets his age, but treats him as extraordinary, ostracizing him from the others.