Gamla katastroffilmen gör succé – efter utbrottet

Contagion is a 2011 American thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh. Its ensemble cast includes Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Winslet. The plot concerns the spread of a virus transmitted by fomites, attempts by medical researchers and public health officials to identify and contain the disease, the loss of social order in a pandemic, and finally the introduction of a vaccine to halt its spread. To follow several interacting plot lines, the film makes use of the multi-narrative "hyperlink cinema" style, popularized in several of Soderbergh's films. Following their collaboration on The Informant! (2009), Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns discussed a medical thriller film depicting the rapid spread of a virus, inspired by pandemics such as the 2003 SARS epidemic and the 2009 flu pandemic. Burns consulted with representatives of the World Health Organization as well as medical experts such as W. Ian Lipkin and Lawrence "Larry" Brilliant. Principal photography started in Hong Kong in September 2010, and continued in Chicago, Atlanta, London, Geneva, and San Francisco until February 2011. Contagion premiered at the 68th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy on September 3, 2011, and went on general release on September 9. The film was acclaimed by critics, with praise for the narratives and the performances of various actors and actresses. It was also well received by scientists, who lauded its accuracy. Commercially, the film was budgeted at $60 million, and made $135 million in box office revenue during its theatrical run.