The Golden Compass

Details

Release year: 2007

Storyline

In a parallel universe, young Lyra Belacqua journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments by a mysterious organization.

Top credits

Awards

1 win & 1 nomination

Did you know

• George R.R. Martin cited this movie as one of the reasons he wanted Game of Thrones (2011) to be turned into a television series rather than a movie.

• Years after the film's release, director Chris Weitz revealed that despite him being a fan of the books, making the movie was a "terrible experience" for him because New Line Cinema constantly interfered. Weitz's original script had a much slower pace, allowing for more world-building, character development, and exposition. The studio forced him to scrap elements that weren't immediately essential to the plot and tone down the religious subtext. They also overruled several casting decisions and took over editing to get the running time under two hours, which necessitated re-shoots and the re-arranging of several other scenes to make the film coherent again. The most radical intervention was removing the original downbeat ending from the final cut, intending to use it as the opening of a proposed sequel (which never happened).

• Despite prominent billing, Sir Christopher Lee only had one line.

Box Office

Gross (Domestic): $70,107,728

Opening Weekend (Domestic): $26,125,000 (2007-12-09)

User reviews

Technical specs

Sound mix

Dolby Digital, SDDS, DTS

Aspect ratio

2.35 : 1

Color

Color

FAQ

• Is 'The Golden Compass' based on a book?
• Why is the title of the book different in the US than it is in the UK?
• What's with the talking animals?