On This Day

Escape from New York released

July 10th 1981

08:42 10 July 2024

John Carpenter's 'Escape From New York' opened in New York and Los Angeles on this day in 1981. Set in the near-future world of 1997, with the United States in the grip of a crime wave, Manhattan Island has been converted into the country's maximum-security prison.

When Air Force One is hijacked and crashed in New York, federal prisoner Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is given 24 hours to go in and rescue the President of the United States and receive a pardon if his mission is successful.

The film received largely positive reviews and was a commercial success, grossing more than $25 million at the box office from a budget of $6 million. A sequel 'Escape from L.A.' (1996) was much less well received by critics and audiences but 'Escape from New York' continues to remain a much loved cult classic.