Howard the Duck
An irreverent alien duck crash‑lands in 1980s Los Angeles and must outwit scheming scientists while trying to find his way back home before his presence sparks a citywide disaster.
“More adventure than humanly possible.”
Synopsis
A scientific experiment inadvertently introduces extraterrestrial life forms to Earth via a laser beam. The first to arrive is Howard, a cigar-smoking drake from the duck.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 65+ 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 Michael ChandlerShot by Richard H KlineScored by John BarryDesigned by Peter Jamison
Box Office
1986 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.0× 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
$38.0M
US & Canada: $16.3M — 43% of worldwide · International: $21.7M (57%)
Opening weekend: $5.1M — 31% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $8.1M — 49% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 1,554 theaters
Also known as
- Howard – Ein tierischer Heldde
- Howard... une nouvelle race de hérosfr
- Howard... e il destino del mondoit
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Cast & Crew
65 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Lea Thompson
as Beverly Switzler
Jeffrey Jones
as Dr. Walter Jenning
Tim Robbins
as Phil Blumburtt
Ed Gale
as Howard T. Duck
Chip Zien
as Howard T. Duck
Tim Rose
as Howard T. Duck
Steve Sleap
as Howard T. Duck
Peter Baird
as Howard T. Duck
Mary Wells
as Howard T. Duck
Lisa Sturz
as Howard T. Duck
Jordan Prentice
as Howard T. Duck
Paul Guilfoyle
as Lieutenant Welker
Supporting cast
43Liz Sagal
as Ronette
Dominique Davalos
as Cal
Holly Robinson Peete
as K.C.
Tommy Swerdlow
as Ginger Moss
Richard Edson
as Ritchie
Miles Chapin
as Carter
Richard Mcgonagle
as First Cop
Virginia Capers
as Coramae
Debbie Lee Carrington
as Additional Ducks (voice)
Jorli Mclain
as Waitress
Miguel Sandoval
as Club Owner
Sheldon Feldner
as Hot Tub Spa Owner
Lee Anthony
as Grossbach
Paul Comi
as Dr. Chapin
Maureen Coyne
as Teacher
James Lashly
as State Trooper
Tom Parker
as Steve Kanelli
Ed Holmes
as TV Duck Hunter
David Paymer
as Larry, Scientist
William Hall
as Hanson
Denny Delk
as Sergeant
Martin Ganapoler
as First Trucker
Tom Rayhall
as Second Trucker
Gary Littlejohn
as Third Trucker
Thomas Dolby
as Bartender in Rock Club
Kristopher Logan
as Punk
Reed Kirk Rahlmann
as Bender
John Fleck
as Pimples
William Mccoy
as Skin Head
Steven Kravitz
as Lover Boy
Anne Tofflemire
as Lover Girl
Marcia Banks
as Mama Biker
Nancy Fish
as Bag Lady
Monty Hoffman
as Club Bouncer
Ted Kurtz
as Kirby
Wood Moy
as Chef
Wanda Mccaddon
as Hostess
James Brady
as First Tour Guide
Carol Mcelheney
as Screaming Woman
Jeanne Lauren
as Bear
Richard Kiley
as The Cosmos (voice)
Mel Blanc
as Daffy Duck (voice) (archive sound)
Carlos Gomez
as Extra
Directors
1Writers
3Producers
1Other crew
7Parents Guide
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