The Maze Runner film series consists of American science-fiction dystopian action adventure films based on The Maze Runner novels by the American author James Dashner. Produced by Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the films star Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Dexter Darden, and Patricia Clarkson. T. S. Nowlin wrote and Wes Ball directed all three installments.
The first film, titled The Maze Runner, was released on September 19, 2014, and grossed over $348million worldwide. The second installment, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, was released on September 18, 2015, and grossed over $312million at the box office. The third movie, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, was released on January 26, 2018, and grossed less than its predecessors, with a worldwide gross of $288million.
The series will continue, with additional films in development under the Walt Disney Company's direction.
Films Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter(s) Producers The Maze Runner Noah Oppenheim & Grant Pierce Myers and T. S. Nowlin Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen and Lee Stollman Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials T. S. Nowlin Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Lee Stollman and Joe Hartwick Jr. Maze Runner: The Death Cure Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Lee Stollman, Joe Hartwick Jr. and Wes Ball
The Maze Runner (2014)
The film features Thomas, who wakes up trapped in a maze with a group of other boys. He has no memory of the outside world other than dreams about an organization known as WCKD (World Catastrophe Killzone Department). Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his purpose and a way to escape.
Development for the film began in January 2011 when Fox purchased the film rights to Dashner's novel The Maze Runner. Principal photography began in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in May 2013 and ended in July. It was released on September 19, 2014.
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)
The film features Thomas and his fellow Gladers as they search for clues about the organization known as WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with obstacles. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD's "vastly superior" forces and uncover its plans for them all.
Principal photography commenced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in October 2014 and ended in January 2015. It was released on September 18, 2015.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)
In the third Maze Runner, Thomas leads his group of escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a WCKD-controlled safe zone designed to keep people out. They attempt to enter to rescue their friends, seeking answers to the questions the Gladers have been asking since they first arrived in the maze.
In March 2015, T. S. Nowlin, who co-wrote the first and wrote the second film, was hired to write Maze Runner: The Death Cure based on the novel The Death Cure. In September 2015, Ball was hired to direct the film. Ball said that the film would not be split into two films. Principal photography took place in Cape Town, South Africa between March and June 2017 for a January 26, 2018, release.
Reboot Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in March 2019, Disney confirmed in April 2019 at their CinemaCon presentation that new Maze Runner films were in development.
In May 2024, it was announced that a reboot was in development, with Wes Ball returning as a producer and Jack Paglen hired as writer. The new installment was described as "not a redo of the story nor... a direct sequel to the original trilogy" but "a sort of continuation... yet also return to the elements that made the first movie connect with its audience".
Recurring cast and characters
Character Films The Maze Runner Maze Runner: Maze Runner: Thomas Dylan O'Brien Teresa Kaya Scodelario Newt Thomas Brodie-Sangster Minho Ki Hong Lee Frypan Dexter Darden Ava Paige Patricia Clarkson Winston Alexander Flores Gally Will Poulter Will Poulter Janson Aidan Gillen ArisJacob Lofland BrendaRosa Salazar JorgeGiancarlo Esposito VinceBarry Pepper Sonya Katherine McNamara Harriet Nathalie Emmanuel
Crew and details
Title Crew and details Composer Cinematographer Editor(s) Production companies Distributing companies Running time The Maze Runner John Paesano Enrique Chediak Dan Zimmerman Gotham Group, Temple Hill Entertainment 20th Century Fox 1 hr 53 mins The Maze Runner: Gyula Pados 2 hrs 11 mins The Maze Runner: Dan Zimmerman & Paul Harb Gotham Group, Temple Hill Entertainment,Oddball Entertainment 2 hrs 23 mins
Music Title U.S. release date Composer(s) Label The Maze Runner (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) John Paesano Sony Classical Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Maze Runner: The Death Cure (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Reception
Box office performance Film Release date Box office gross Box office ranking Production budget North America Other territories Worldwide All time North America All time worldwide The Maze Runner $102,427,862 $245,891,999 $348,319,861 580 285 $34million Maze Runner: $81,697,192 $230,627,911 $312,325,103 810 337 $61million Maze Runner: $58,032,443 $230,385,747 $288,418,190 1,377 467 $62million Total $ $ $ $157million
All Maze Runner films opened at number one at the North American box office during their opening weekend. In North America, the Maze Runner film series is the fifth-highest-grossing film series based on young adult books, after the film series of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Twilight Saga, and The Divergent Series, respectively, earning $242million. Worldwide, it is the fourth-highest-grossing film series based on young-adult books, after the film series of Harry Potter, The Twilight Saga, and The Hunger Games, respectively, earning $949million from a $157million total production budget.
Critical and public response The Maze Runner trilogy has received a mixed critical response, with the primary source of criticism being the plot and character development, although its performances and action sequences have been praised. Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore The Maze Runner 65% (172 reviews) 57 (34 reviews) A− Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials 47% (152 reviews) 43 (29 reviews) B+ Maze Runner: The Death Cure 43% (171 reviews) 50 (38 reviews) B+
References