

The Day the Earth Caught Fire
The INCREDIBLE becomes Real! The IMPOSSIBLE becomes Fact! The UNBELIEVABLE becomes True!
British reporters suspect an international cover-up of a global disaster in progress... and they're right. Hysterical panic has engulfed the world after the United States and the Soviet Union simultaneously detonate nuclear devices and have caused the orbit of the Earth to alter, sending it hurtling towards the sun.
TMDB
6.8/10
182 votes
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- —
- Box office
- —
- Language
- English
- newspaper
- london, england
- sun
- heat
- earth
- global warming
- end of the world
- disaster
- black and white
- disaster movie
- dyaliscope
Top billed cast
















Behind the camera
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for United States. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
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Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- Theatrical14 Mar 1962
United KingdomGB
- TheatricalU1 Nov 1961
- PhysicalPGDVD Blu-ray17 Nov 2014
FranceFR
- TVTPCiné+ Classic1 Oct 2026
GermanyDE
- TV630 Apr 1971
PortugalPT
- Theatrical11 Feb 1963
South KoreaKR
- Digital / OTT12Seoul International Eco Film Festival2 Jun 2022
Frequently asked questions
The Day the Earth Caught Fire was released on 1 November 1961.
Audience reviews
2- C7/10
CinemaSerf
5/9/2024
Newspaper editor "Bill" (Leo McKern) is trying to keep his team focused on churning out the Daily Express whilst the Russians and the Americans are detonating nuclear devices all over the shop. When two of them explode simultaneously and knock the Earth out of it's orbit, things really do start to heat up and his reporter "Stenning" (Edward Judd) and feisty switchboard worker "Jeannie" (Janet Munro) have to try to ge…
- G6/10
griggs79
12/2/2024
_The Day the Earth Caught Fire_ may be a product of the Cold War era, however, its portrayal of climate chaos and human hubris resonates with today's alarming realities. The film's depiction of the creeping disasters unfolding around us in slow motion feels less like a work of fiction and more like a stark cautionary tale we've chosen to ignore—a searing reminder of the fragility of our planet.
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