Poster © Summit Entertainment. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreAction, Adventure & Sci-Fi
RatedPG-13
Runtime1 hr 54 mins
ReleasedNovember 1, 2013
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorGavin Hood
StarringAsa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley
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Ender's Game (2013)
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| Ender's Game's Details | |
| Genre | Action, Adventure & Sci-Fi |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Released | 10/24/2013 (Germany); 11/01/2013 (United States) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 1 hr 54 mins |
| Budget | $110–115M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Based On | Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Ender's Game's Interests | |
| General | Zero gravity, the Battle Room, flash suits, mind games, strategy, big sisters named Valentine. |
| Music | Steve Jablonsky, big and brassy for a war run by middle schoolers. |
| Movies | Starship Troopers (1997). Another war with bugs from space, a lot less thoughtful. |
| Television | The Expanse. Serious space strategy for when Ender grows up. |
| Heroes | Petra Arkanian. First cadet to have Ender's back. |
| Ender's Game's Crew | |
| Director | Gavin Hood |
| Writers | Gavin Hood |
| Producers | Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Gigi Pritzker, Linda McDonough, Robert Chartoff, Lynn Hendee, Orson Scott Card, Ed Ulbrich |
| Cinematography | Donald McAlpine |
| Music | Steve Jablonsky |
| Edited By | Zach Staenberg, Lee Smith |
| Production | OddLot Entertainment, Chartoff Productions, Taleswapper, K/O Paper Products |
| Distributed By | Summit Entertainment (through Lionsgate) |
Battle School should take years, and this movie crams it into what feels like one semester. That’s the core problem with this adaptation: it sprints through Ender’s training like it’s late for the bus. Asa Butterfield has the right stare for Ender, a kid who’s always three moves ahead and quietly scared of what that makes him. The zero-gravity games are legit gorgeous, cadets spinning through a giant glass sphere until up and down stop meaning anything, and the movie gives them only a handful of scenes. Harrison Ford growls through Graff like a coach who’s been told his job depends on one player. Hailee Steinfeld and Viola Davis are good and barely used. Ben Kingsley arrives late with face tattoos and a lot of explaining to do. It made $125.5 million worldwide on a reported $110 to $115 million. A 5.6 because the big idea still lands and the road there is skipped over. $334 says you lie on the floor tonight and try to figure out which way the enemy’s gate is.
What works: The zero-gravity Battle Room scenes look fantastic, and Asa Butterfield nails Ender’s cold, careful brilliance.
What doesn’t: Years of training get crammed into a rush, so Ender’s friendships, rivalries and growth barely register.
Who it’s for: Sci-fi fans who want the big twist on a big screen and don’t mind a CliffsNotes version of the book.
Spoilers
Ender’s final exam was never a simulation: the last battle was real, and he destroyed the Formic home world without knowing it. Horrified, he finds a surviving Formic queen’s egg and sets out to find it a new home.
Fifty years after an alien race called the Formics nearly wiped out humanity, the International Fleet is training gifted kids to command the next war. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is small, quiet and frighteningly good at strategy, and Colonel Hyrum Graff (Harrison Ford) decides he could be the one. Ender ships off to Battle School in orbit, where cadets fight mock battles in a zero-gravity arena, Graff keeps him isolated on purpose and Petra Arkanian (Hailee Steinfeld) becomes his first real friend. Major Gwen Anderson (Viola Davis) worries about him. Gavin Hood directs. One hundred fourteen minutes, no gravity, no recess.
Kids who are too smart for their own good. Bring a flash suit and a plan.
| Asa Butterfield | Ender Wiggin |
| Harrison Ford | Colonel Hyrum Graff |
| Hailee Steinfeld | Petra Arkanian |
| Viola Davis | Major Gwen Anderson |
| Abigail Breslin | Valentine Wiggin |
| Ben Kingsley | Mazer Rackham |
| Moisés Arias | Bonzo Madrid |
| Aramis Knight | Bean |
| Suraj Parthasarathy | Alai |
| Khylin Rhambo | Dink Meeker |
| Jimmy Jax Pinchak | Peter Wiggin |
| Conor Carroll | Bernard |
| Nonso Anozie | Sergeant Dap |
| Tony Mirrcandani | Admiral Chjamrajnager |
| Brandon Soo Hoo | Fly Molo |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 18 October 2026 DataBot +40 Numbers refreshed: IMDb users 6.6 / 10 (266,961 votes) → 6.6 / 10 (266,982 votes).
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +480 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $125.5M; Domestic box office $61.7M; Opening weekend $27M; Profit / loss (est.) -$106M; Rotten Tomatoes 63%; CinemaScore B+; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 63% (225 reviews); Metacritic 51 / 100; CinemaScore B+; IMDb users 6.6 / 10 (266,961 votes); movie.guru score 4.9.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget.