The Wave
Die Welle
“Their teacher became their leader. His students became his soldiers.”
Synopsis
A school teacher discusses types of government with his class. His students find it too boring to repeatedly go over national socialism and believe that dictatorship cannot be established in modern Germany. He starts an experiment to show how easily the masses can become manipulated.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
The Wave Trailer
Type: Trailer • Published 2008-10-31
Top Cast
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Jürgen Vogel
Rainer Wenger
Frederick Lau
Tim
Max Riemelt
Marco
Jennifer Ulrich
Karo
Christiane Paul
Anke Wenger
Elyas M'Barek
Sinan
Cristina do Rego
Lisa
Jacob Matschenz
Dennis
Maximilian Vollmar
Bomber
Tim Oliver Schultz
Jens
Amelie Kiefer
Mona
Max Mauff
Kevin
Fabian Preger
Kaschi
Ferdinand Schmidt-Modrow
Ferdi
Odine Johne
Maja
Tino Mewes
Schädel
Karoline Teska
Miri
Marco Bretscher-Coschignano
Dominik
Release History & Theatrical Window
March 18, 2008
Wide Cinema Exhibition
April 17, 2009
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$7.5M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$32.4M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
4.31x
+$24.9M net gain
Theatrical Status
Mega Hit
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Dennis Gansel
- Screenplay & Story
- Peter Thorwarth, Dennis Gansel
- Original Score
- Heiko Maile
- Original Title
- Die Welle
- Country of Origin
- Germany
- Spoken Languages
- German
- Runtime
- 1h 47m
- Production Budget
- $7.5M
- Worldwide Gross
- $32.4M
- Production Studios
- Rat Pack Filmproduktion, B.A. Produktion, Constantin Film, Celluloid Dreams
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Dennis Gansel
Peter Thorwarth, Dennis Gansel, Johnny Dawkins, Ron Jones, Todd Strasser
Heiko Maile
Torsten Breuer
Ueli Christen
Christian Becker, Nina Maag
Department Leadership Roster
Christian Becker
Producer
Dennis Gansel
Director
Peter Thorwarth
Screenplay
Dennis Gansel
Screenplay
Torsten Breuer
Director of Photography
Ivana Milos
Costume Design
Heiko Maile
Original Music Composer
Ueli Christen
Editor
Knut Loewe
Production Design
Rainer Werner
Stunt Coordinator
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.
Suitable only for 15 years and over.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Wave.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Wave.
Watchlist Movies
Limelight Seen
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Watched
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Mind Games
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Wave
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Wave about?
A school teacher discusses types of government with his class. His students find it too boring to repeatedly go over national socialism and believe that dictatorship cannot be established in modern Germany. He starts an experiment to show how easily the masses can become manipulated.
Who directed The Wave?
The Wave was directed by Dennis Gansel.
Who stars in The Wave?
The principal cast of The Wave includes Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Max Riemelt, Jennifer Ulrich, Christiane Paul.
When was The Wave released and how long is it?
The Wave was released in 2008 with a total runtime of 1h 47m.
What was the box office and production budget of The Wave?
The Wave had a reported production budget of $7.5M and grossed $32.4M at the worldwide box office (4.31 return on budget, classified as a blockbuster success).
Who composed the musical score for The Wave?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Wave was composed by Heiko Maile.
Is The Wave based on a book or true story?
The Wave is adapted from the following source material: Novel: "Todd Strasser".
What is the age rating and content advisory for The Wave?
The Wave holds official age classifications: DE: 12 (FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.); GB: 15 (Suitable only for 15 years and over.).