The Towering Inferno

The Towering Inferno
Theatrical release poster by John Berkey
Directed byJohn Guillermin
Screenplay byStirling Silliphant
Based on
Produced byIrwin Allen
Starring
Cinematography
Edited by
Music byJohn Williams
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • 20th Century-Fox (United States and Canada)
  • Warner Bros. (International)
Release date
  • December 16, 1974 (1974-12-16)
Running time
165 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$14 million
Box office$203.3 million

The Towering Inferno is a 1974 American disaster film directed by John Guillermin and produced by Irwin Allen, featuring an ensemble cast led by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. It was adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson. In addition to McQueen and Newman, the cast includes William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Susan Blakely, Richard Chamberlain, O. J. Simpson, Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner, Susan Flannery, Gregory Sierra, Dabney Coleman and Jennifer Jones in her final role.

The Towering Inferno was released theatrically December 16, 1974. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, and earned around $203.3 million, making it the highest-grossing film of 1974. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning three: Best Song, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.