Piranha (1978 film)
| Piranha | |
|---|---|
US theatrical release poster by John Solie
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| Directed by | Joe Dante |
| Produced by |
Roger Corman Jon Davison Chako van Leeuwen |
| Screenplay by | John Sayles |
| Story by | John Sayles Richard Robinson |
| Starring |
Bradford Dillman Heather Menzies Kevin McCarthy Keenan Wynn Barbara Steele Dick Miller Belinda Balaski |
| Music by | Pino Donaggio |
| Cinematography | Jamie Anderson |
| Edited by |
Joe Dante Mark Goldblatt |
| Distributed by |
New World Pictures (US) United Artists (international) |
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Release date
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $770,000 |
| Box office | $16 million |
Piranha is a 1978 American satirical B horror film directed and co-edited by Joe Dante, and starring Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies, Kevin McCarthy, Keenan Wynn, Barbara Steele, and Dick Miller. Set at a summer resort river, the film concerns the resort's partygoers being under attack and devoured by genetically-altered piranhas which were accidentally released into the river. Produced by Roger Corman, Piranha is a parody of the 1975 film Jaws, which had been a major success for distributor Universal Studios and director Steven Spielberg, and inspired a series of similarly themed B movies such as Grizzly and Orca.
Initially, Universal Studios had considered an injunction because of the film's satirizing, but the lawsuit was cancelled and allowed to continue the film for its release date after Steven Spielberg's gave a positive thought for the film in advance. Released on August 3, 1978, the film was a critical and commercial success and has later achieved a cult following. Piranha was followed by a sequel, Piranha II: The Spawning, in 1981, and two remakes, one in 1995, and another in 2010, which spawned its own sequel in 2012.
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