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Poster for Adaptation.
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Released
2002 · FILM

Adaptation.

A neurotic screenwriter battles crippling anxiety and a looming deadline as he tries to transform an unfilmable nonfiction book into a movie, while his freeloading twin hijacks his life and threatens to steal his creative spark.

“From the creator of Being John Malkovich, comes the story about the creator of Being John Malkovich.”

Directed by
Spike Jonze, Dan Bradley
Written by
Susan Orlean, Charlie Kaufman
Rated
MPA · R
Runtime
115 min
ComedyDrama
Streaming on
  • Paramount+

Synopsis

Charlie Kaufman is a Los Angeles-based screenwriter grappling with feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, and self-loathing, as well as the screenwriting aspirations of his freeloading twin brother, Donald. While working on adapting *The Orchid Thief* by Susan Orlean, Kaufman's life becomes increasingly surreal. His personal journey and the narrative of Orlean's book become intertwined, as each person's pursuit of passion intersects with the other's.

Credits

Actors
Editor
Production Designer
Director of Photography
Writers
Directors

Related titles

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How many hands made this film

The scale of the collaboration

A crew of 244+ credited

Why a floor?

This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.

Craft leads on file

Edited by Eric ZumbrunnenShot by Lance AcordScored by Carter BurwellDesigned by K K BarrettSound by Richard BeggsCostumes by Casey StormStunts by Dan BradleyVFX by Richard Bjorlin

Box Office

2002 · Box office

⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.7× its budget

Why 2.5×?

Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).

Worldwide gross

$32.8M

Budget$19.0M
Worldwide gross$32.8M
break-even (2.5×)

US & Canada: $22.5M — 69% of worldwide · International: $10.3M (31%)

Opening weekend: $384K — 2% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.

Opening week (7-day): $581K — 3% of its US & Canada run.

Peak 7 theaters

Full synopsis

Versions & cuts

  • TV· 81 min

Also known as

  • Adaptionde
  • Adaption - Der Orchideen-Diebde
  • Il ladro di orchideeit
Release dates around the world3 countries · show
  • United StatesDec 3, 2002
  • CanadaDec 6, 2002
  • AustraliaDec 26, 2002

Companies

ProductionColumbia Pictures, Intermedia, Magnet Productions

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