Empire of the Sun poster

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Empire of the Sun

1987 · Movie · 153 min
B

MEANRANK

77/100

Averaged across 12 ratings · 395.6K votes

Every rating

Platform pages last read 29 September 2026. IMDb’s figure comes from IMDb’s own data file, which we re-read about once a month.

Google: Google retired the star ratings it used to show in search results, so this one no longer updates. More on where the numbers come from →

62–94 out of 100

Split

Lowest is Metacritic critics on 62, highest is Google on 94.

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A privileged young British boy lives in a wealthy expatriate community in Shanghai. When Japan invades China during World War II, he is separated from his parents and placed in a harsh internment camp. To survive, he must shed his innocence, using his cunning and knowledge to navigate the brutal realities of war and captivity, all while clinging to the hope of being reunited with his family.

Details

Based on
Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard
Released
9 December 1987
Country
United States
Language
English, Japanese, Mandarin, Shanghainese
Runtime
153 min
Rated
PG
Budget
$35.0M
Box office
$66.7M
Awards
5 wins, 12 nominations

This title elsewhere

Miranda Richardson

Miranda Richardson

Mrs. Victor

Nigel Havers

Nigel Havers

Dr. Rawlins

Joe Pantoliano

Joe Pantoliano

Frank Demarest

Masatô Ibu

Masatô Ibu

Sgt. Nagata

Emily Richard

Emily Richard

Jim's Mother

Awards & nominations

See all 17 →

3 major awards won · 5 wins from 17 nominations across 4 ceremonies

41st British Academy Film Awards 1988 Best Original Music Winner
41st British Academy Film Awards 1988 Best Sound Winner
41st British Academy Film Awards 1988 Best Cinematography Winner
41st British Academy Film Awards 1988 Best Production Design Nominee
41st British Academy Film Awards 1988 Best Costume Design Nominee
60th Academy Awards 1988 Best Cinematography Allen Daviau Nominee
60th Academy Awards 1988 Best Original Score John Williams Nominee
60th Academy Awards 1988 Best Production Design Norman Reynolds Nominee
Show all 17 awards across 4 ceremonies

Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.