The Day the Earth Caught Fire poster

The Day the Earth Caught Fire

The INCREDIBLE becomes Real! The IMPOSSIBLE becomes Fact! The UNBELIEVABLE becomes True!

6.8(182)19611h 38m2

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.

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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

Director

Val Guest

Produced in

United Kingdom

Gallery

Still from The Day the Earth Caught FireStill from The Day the Earth Caught FireStill from The Day the Earth Caught FireStill from The Day the Earth Caught FireStill from The Day the Earth Caught FireStill from The Day the Earth Caught FireStill from The Day the Earth Caught FireStill from The Day the Earth Caught FireStill from The Day the Earth Caught FireStill from The Day the Earth Caught FireStill from The Day the Earth Caught FireStill from The Day the Earth Caught Fire

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
  • C

    CinemaSerf

    5/9/2024

    7/10

    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…

  • G

    griggs79

    12/2/2024

    6/10

    _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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