The Thing (2011 film)

The Thing
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMatthijs van Heijningen Jr.
Written byEric Heisserer
Based onWho Goes There?
by John W. Campbell
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMichel Abramowicz
Edited by
Music byMarco Beltrami
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • October 10, 2011 (2011-10-10) (Universal City)
  • October 14, 2011 (2011-10-14) (United States)
Running time
103 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Canada
Languages
  • English
  • Norwegian
Budget$38 million
Box office$31.5 million

The Thing is a 2011 science fiction horror film directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., written by Eric Heisserer, and starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Eric Christian Olsen. It is a direct prequel to the 1982 film of the same name by John Carpenter, which was an adaptation of the 1938 novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell. It tells the story of a team of scientists on a Norwegian Antarctic research station who discover a parasitic alien buried deep in the ice, realizing too late that it is still alive.

The Thing premiered on October 10, 2011, and was released on October 14, 2011. The film was a box-office bomb, grossing only $31.5 million worldwide on a budget of $38 million, and received mixed reviews from critics, with many comparing it unfavorably to the 1982 film.