Apollo 13
1995 · 140 min
Directed by Ron Howard. Written by Al Reinert, Jeffrey Kluger, Jim Lovell. Starring Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise.
The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.
Critics 92% · audiences 87% · streaming on Philo, AMC+, MGM+ · 9 Oscar nominations, 2 won
What they said about Apollo 13
- 1995
This is a powerful story, one of the year's best films, told with great clarity and remarkable technical detail, and acted without pumped-up histrionics
— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times - 1995
From lift-off to splashdown, Apollo 13 gives one hell of a ride.
— Richard Corliss, Time - 1995
I just wish that Apollo 13 worked better as a movie, and that Howard's threshold for corn, mush and twinkly sentiment weren't so darn wide
— Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle - 1995
Howard lays off the manipulation to tell the true story of the near-fatal 1970 Apollo 13 mission in painstaking and lively detail. It's easily Howard's best film
— Peter Travers, Rolling Stone - 1995
unfolds with perfect immediacy, drawing viewers into the nail-biting suspense of a spellbinding true story
— Critics' Pick, NYT
How it got made
The movie rights to Jim Lovell's book Lost Moon were being shopped to potential buyers before it was written. He stated that his first reaction was that Kevin Costner would be a good choice to play him.
The original screenplay by William Broyles Jr. and Al Reinert was written with Costner in mind because of his facial similarities with Lovell. By the time Ron Howard acquired the director's position, Tom Hanks had expressed interest in doing a film based on Apollo 13. When Hanks' representative informed him that a script was being passed around he had it sent to him, and Costner's name never came up in serious discussion. Hanks was ultimately cast as Lovell because of his knowledge of Apollo and space history.
Because of his interest in aviation, John Travolta asked Howard for the role of Lovell, but was politely turned down, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Tommy Lee Jones were also considered for the role of Jim Lovell. John Cusack, Patrick Swayze, Joe Pesci and Rick Moranis were offered the role of Fred Haise but all turned it down, and the role went to Bill Paxton. Brad Pitt was offered the role of Jack Swigert but also turned it down in favor of Seven, so the role went to Kevin Bacon. Tom Cruise, Charlie Sheen and Michael J. Fox were also considered for the role of Swigert. Daniel Stern was the original choice to the role of Ken Mattingly but was busy filming Bushwhacked, Howard however was able to get Gary Sinise (who co-starred with Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump a year earlier) and asked if he would play any part and Sinise chose Mattingly. Kelsey Grammer and Christopher Lloyd were offered the role of Gene Kranz, but it ultimately went to Ed Harris.
At the box office
Apollo 13 earned $25,353,380 from 2,347 theaters during its opening weekend, which made up 14.7% of the total US gross. Upon its opening, it was ranked number one at the box office, beating Pocahontas, Batman Forever, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and Judge Dredd. Additionally, it surpassed Forrest Gump for having the largest opening weekend for a Tom Hanks film. The film also achieved Kevin Bacon's highest opening weekend, a record that lasted for five years until 2000, when Hollow Man replaced it. Within five days, Apollo 13 generated $38.5 million, becoming the second-highest five-day Fourth of July opening of all time, behind Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The weekend of the film's opening earned $154 million from ticket sales, surpassing the previous record held by the combined Thanksgiving 1992 openings of Aladdin, The Bodyguard and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. It would continue to stay in the number one spot for three more weeks until it was dethroned by Waterworld. Earning $355,237,933, Apollo 13 was the third-highest-grossing film of 1995, behind Die Hard with a Vengeance and Toy Story (which also starred Hanks).
On September 19, 2025, Apollo 13 began a 30th anniversary re-release in IMAX screenings. As of September 21, 2025, the 2025 re-release has made $627,155 from screenings in 200 IMAX theaters.