Cat People
When a reclusive artist learns that sexual arousal turns her into a lethal jungle cat, she must confront her feral lineage before it destroys the love and life she's trying to rebuild in New Orleans.
“They are something more than lovers who are about to become something less than human.”
Synopsis
After years of separation, Irena Gallier and her minister brother, Paul, reunite in New Orleans. When zoologists capture a wild panther, Irena is drawn to the cat – and zoo curator Oliver to her. Soon, Paul will have to reveal the family secret: that when sexually aroused, they revert into predatory jungle cats.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 49+ 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 Jacqueline CambasShot by John BaileyScored by Giorgio Moroder
Box Office
1982 · 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
$21.0M
US & Canada: $7.0M — 33% of worldwide · International: $14.0M (67%)
Opening weekend: $1.6M — 23% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $2.4M — 34% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 600 theaters
Also known as
- Katzenmenschende
- La Félinefr
- Il bacio della panterait
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Cast & Crew
49 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Nastassja Kinski
as Irena Gallier
Malcolm Mcdowell
as Paul Gallier
John Heard
as Oliver Yates
Annette O Toole
as Alice Perrin
Ruby Dee
as Female
Ed Begley Jr
as Joe Creigh
Scott Paulin
as Bill Searle
Frankie Faison
as Detective Brandt
Ron Diamond
as Detective Ron Diamond
Lynn Lowry
as Ruthie
John Larroquette
as Bronte Judson
Tessa Richarde
as Billie
Supporting cast
27Patricia Perkins
as Taxi Driver
Berry Berenson
as Sandra
Fausto Barajas
as Otis
John H Fields
as Massage Parlor Manager
Emery Hollier
as Yeatman Brewer
Stephen Marshal
as Moonie
Robert Pavlovich
as Ted
Julie Denney
as Carol
Arione De Winter
as Indian Village Mother
Francine Segal
as Church Woman
Don Hood
as Train Station Agent
David Showacre
as Man in Bar
Neva Gage
as Cat-Like Woman
Marisa Folse
as Indian Girl
Danelle Hand
as Indian Girl
John C Isbell
as Police Officer
Roger E Reid
as Policeman
Charles Joseph Konya Jr
as Policeman
Marco St John
as Policeman
Brett Alexander
as Cub Scout
Gregory Gatto
as Cub Scout
Terc Martinez
as Cub Scout
David Ross Mccarty
as Man in Airport
Harry Hauss
as Helicopter Pilot
James Deeth
as Helicopter Pilot
Ray Wise
as Soap Opera Man
Jo Ann Dearing
as Soap Opera Woman
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
1Other crew
6Parents Guide
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