Orca (1977 film)

Orca: The Killer Whale
Theatrical release poster by John Berkey
Directed byMichael Anderson
Written by
Produced byLuciano Vincenzoni
Starring
CinematographyTed Moore
Edited by
Music byEnnio Morricone
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • July 22, 1977 (1977-07-22)
Running time
92 minutes
CountriesUnited States
United Kingdom
Italy
LanguagesEnglish
Italian
Budget$6 million or $7.5 million
Box office$14.7 million

Orca (also known as Orca: The Killer Whale) is a 1977 thriller film directed by Michael Anderson, from a screenplay by Luciano Vincenzoni and Sergio Donati based on a novel by Arthur Herzog, and starring Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson, Bo Derek, Keenan Wynn and Robert Carradine. The film follows a male orca tracking down and getting revenge on a fishing boat and its captain for intentionally killing the whale's pregnant mate and their unborn calf.

Executive producer Dino De Laurentiis commissioned the project to cash in on the blockbuster success of Jaws. Filming took place in Newfoundland and Labrador and Malta, with many of the orca scenes shot at the Marineland of the Pacific and the Marine World theme parks.

Upon release, the film was a minor box office success, but received mostly unfavorable reception from critics and audiences alike due to its similarities to Jaws, released two years prior.