Snakes on a Plane

Snakes on a Plane
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	David R. Ellis
Produced by	Craig Berenson Don Granger Gary Levinson
Screenplay by	David J. Taylor John Heffernan Sebastian Gutierrez
Story by	David J. Taylor John Heffernan David Dalessandro
Starring	Samuel L. Jackson Julianna Margulies Nathan Phillips Bobby Cannavale Rachel Blanchard
Music by	Trevor Rabin
Cinematography	Adam Greenberg
Edited by	Howard Smith
Production company	Mutual Film Company
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date	August 17, 2006 (2006-08-17) (Puerto Rico) August 18, 2006 (2006-08-18) (United States)
Running time	106 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$33 million
Box office	$62 million

Soundtrack
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
RapReviews

Snakes on a Plane is a 2006 American action thriller film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006, in North America. The film was written by David Dalessandro, John Heffernan, and Sheldon Turner and follows the events of hundreds of snakes being released on a passenger plane in an attempt to kill a trial witness.

The film gained a considerable amount of attention before its release, forming large fanbases online and becoming an Internet phenomenon, due to the film's title, casting, and premise. In response to the Internet fan base, New Line Cinema incorporated feedback from online users into its production, and added five days of reshooting. Before and after the film was released, it was parodied and alluded to on television shows and films, fan-made videos, video games, and various forms of literature.

Released in the United States and United Kingdom on August 18, 2006, the film received mixed to positive reviews with 68% of reviews positive and an average normalized score of 58%, according to the review aggregation websites Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, respectively.

Despite the immense Internet buzz, the film's gross revenue did not live up to expectations, earning US$15.25 million in its opening weekend. The film grossed US$62 million worldwide before its release on home video on January 2, 2007.

After witnessing gangster Eddie Kim brutally beat U.S. Prosecutor Daniel Hayes to death in Hawaii, Sean Jones is escorted by FBI agents Neville Flynn and John Sanders on a Boeing 747-400 to testify in a trial in Los Angeles. Despite increased security for the flight, Kim arranges for a time-release crate full of venomous snakes to be placed in the cargo hold in an attempt to bring down the plane before it reaches Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). To ensure the snakes attack the passengers without being provoked, he has one of his henchmen disguised as an airport ground employee spray the passengers' leis with a special pheromone which makes the snakes highly aggressive. The crate opens midway through the flight and the snakes make their way through the cabin. A couple having sex in a bathroom, and a man using the bathroom are the first killed. The plane's captain, Sam McKeon, investigates and fixes an electrical short, but is killed by the viper that caused it. Co-pilot Rick, unaware of the snake, believes Sam has suffered a heart attack and continues toward LAX.