October Sky
A coal‑town teen defies his father's expectations and a bleak community to build rockets that could launch him beyond the mines and into the future.
“Sometimes one dream is enough to light up the whole sky.”
Synopsis
Homer Hickam, the son of a coal miner, was inspired by the launch of the first Sputnik to pursue rocketry, despite his father's disapproval.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 279+ 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 Robert DalvaShot by Fred MurphyScored by Mark IshamDesigned by Barry RobisonSound by Michael C CasperCostumes by Betsy CoxStunts by Cliff CudneyVFX by Krystyna Demkowicz
Box Office
1999 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.4× 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
$34.7M
US & Canada: $32.6M — 94% of worldwide · International: $2.1M (6%)
Opening weekend: $5.9M — 18% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $7.2M — 22% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 1,495 theaters
Also known as
- (French, DVD Title)Ciel d'octobre
- Cielo de octubrees
- Ciel d'octobrefr
- Cielo d'ottobreit
- (English)October Sky
Release dates around the world5 countries · showhide
- CanadaFeb 19, 1999
- IndiaFeb 19, 1999
- United StatesFeb 19, 1999
- EgyptMar 17, 1999
- IndonesiaMar 17, 1999
Production & Distribution
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Cast & Crew
279 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Jake Gyllenhaal
as Homer Hickam
Chris Cooper
as John Hickam
Laura Dern
as Miss Riley
Chris Owen
as Quentin
William Lee Scott
as Roy Lee
Chad Lindberg
as O'Dell
Natalie Canerday
as Elsie Hickam
Scott Miles
as Jim Hickam
Randy Stripling
as Leon Bolden
Chris Ellis
as Principal Turner
Elya Baskin
as Ike Bykovsky
Courtney Cole Fendley
as Dorothy Platt
Supporting cast
47David Dwyer
as Jake Mosby
Terry Loughlin
as Mr. Dantzler
Kaili Hollister
as Valentine Carmina
David Copeland
as Coach Gainer
Don Henderson Baker
as Jensen
Tom Kagy
as Lenny
Donald Thorne
as Trooper One
Justin Whitsett
as Kid
Larry Rue
as Neighbor
Neva Howell
as Neighbor
Terry Nienhuis
as Neighbor
Brady Coleman
as Anderson
Rick Forrester
as Roper
Terrence Gibney
as Basil Thorpe
Douglas Swander
as Corvette Guy
Keeli Hale Kimbro
as Corvette Girl
Mark Jeffrey Miller
as Vernon
Blaque Fowler
as Reverend
Don Tilley
as Rescue Worker
Rockford Davis
as Chemistry Teacher
John Bennes
as Doctor
Jonathan Fawbush
as Barney
Larry Black
as Fred Smith
Frank Schuler
as Moonshiner
Tommy Smeltzer
as Man at Mine
Charles Lawlor
as Miner
Tom Turbiville
as Miner
Ida Ginn
as Quentin's Mom
Richard Lumpkin
as Judge at Welch
Mark Whitman Johnson
as Union Official
Don Taylor
as Union Official
Don G Campbell
as Mr. Morris
Liz Byler
as Ivy League Girl
Bradford Ryan Lund
as Ivy League Boy
Frank Hoyt Taylor
as Judge at Indy
Dave Hager
as Head Judge
Ray Elder
as Tom Webster
Andy Stahl
as Jack Palmer
Joe Digaetano
as Wernher von Braun
Tom Taylor
as Miner in Elevator
David Ducey
as Man in Crowd
Jenny Patterson
as Nurse
O Winston Link
as Locomotive Engineer
Wren Barnes
as Science Fair Student
Ryder Davis
as Man in Crowd
Brian Edward Keith
as Coal Miner
Shawn Lindsay
as Miner
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
8Other crew
212Chris L Spellman
(as Chris Spellman), as Chris Spellman
Greg Morse
24 frame video operator
Matt Marshall
additional second assistant director
Alan Holly
adr mixer
Greg W Lowe
adr recordist (as Greg Lowe)
Tom Taylor
advisor: mining
Susan Zeh Revell
art department coordinator (as Susan Zeh)
Tony Fanning
Art Director
Michael Beaudin
assistant accountant
Andrew Menzies
assistant art director
Rennie Cowan
assistant avid technician (uncredited)
Robb Sullivan
assistant editor
Parents Guide
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Ratings & reviews
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Where to watch
Live · bot-verified- Paramount+Stream
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