Naked Lunch (film)

Naked Lunch
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Cronenberg
Written byDavid Cronenberg
Based onNaked Lunch
by William S. Burroughs
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPeter Suschitzky
Edited byRonald Sanders
Music by
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 27 December 1991 (1991-12-27) (United States)
  • 24 April 1992 (1992-04-24) (United Kingdom)
Running time
115 minutes
Countries
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Japan
LanguageEnglish
Budget$16–18 million
Box office$2.6 million

Naked Lunch is a 1991 surrealist science fiction drama film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Ian Holm, and Roy Scheider. It is an adaptation of William S. Burroughs's 1959 novel Naked Lunch, and an international co-production of Canada, Britain, and Japan.

The film was released on 27 December 1991 in the United States by 20th Century Fox, and 24 April 1992 in the United Kingdom by First Independent Films. It received positive reviews from critics, but was a box office flop, grossing only $2.6 million against a $17–18 million budget due to a limited release. It won numerous honours, including the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director and seven Genie Awards, notably Best Motion Picture. Naked Lunch has since become a cult film, acclaimed for its surrealistic visual and thematic elements.