Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPrimetime EmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalFall TV GuideMost Anticipated This MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayTrending peopleCelebrity news
    IMDb LabsHelp centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Short Circuit

  • 1986
  • PG
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
71K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,905
928
Short Circuit (1986)
Pre, "Coming This May"
Play trailer1:49
1 Video
43 Photos
Artificial IntelligenceQuirky ComedyComedyFamilySci-Fi

Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.

  • Director
    • John Badham
  • Writers
    • S.S. Wilson
    • Brent Maddock
    • Jay Tarses
  • Stars
    • Ally Sheedy
    • Steve Guttenberg
    • Fisher Stevens
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    71K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,905
    928
    • Director
      • John Badham
    • Writers
      • S.S. Wilson
      • Brent Maddock
      • Jay Tarses
    • Stars
      • Ally Sheedy
      • Steve Guttenberg
      • Fisher Stevens
    • 161User reviews
    • 41Critic reviews
    • 50Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    Short Circuit
    Trailer 1:49
    Short Circuit

    Photos43

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 36
    View Poster

    Top Cast28

    Ally Sheedy
    Ally Sheedy
    • Stephanie Speck
    Steve Guttenberg
    Steve Guttenberg
    • Newton Crosby
    Fisher Stevens
    Fisher Stevens
    • Ben Jabituya
    Austin Pendleton
    Austin Pendleton
    • Howard Marner
    G.W. Bailey
    G.W. Bailey
    • Skroeder
    Brian McNamara
    Brian McNamara
    • Frank
    Tim Blaney
    Tim Blaney
    • Number 5
    • (voice)
    Marvin J. McIntyre
    Marvin J. McIntyre
    • Duke
    John Garber
    • Otis
    Penny Santon
    Penny Santon
    • Mrs. Cepeda
    Vernon Weddle
    Vernon Weddle
    • General Washburne
    Barbara Tarbuck
    Barbara Tarbuck
    • Senator Mills
    Tom Lawrence
    Tom Lawrence
    • Howard Marner's Aide
    Fred Slyter
    • Norman
    Billy Ray Sharkey
    • Zack
    Robert Krantz
    Robert Krantz
    • Reporter
    Jan Speck
    • Reporter
    Marguerite Happy
    • Barmaid
    • Director
      • John Badham
    • Writers
      • S.S. Wilson
      • Brent Maddock
      • Jay Tarses
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews161

    6.671.4K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Short Circuit' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

    Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
    Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
    Sign in to see this summary and all user reviews
    See opinions from fans, or write your own review.
    Sign in to IMDb
    This extra step helps us keep IMDb's reviews a space for genuine, human voices.

    More like this

    Short Circuit 2
    5.8
    Short Circuit 2
    Flight of the Navigator
    6.9
    Flight of the Navigator
    *batteries not included
    6.6
    *batteries not included
    Three Men and a Baby
    6.2
    Three Men and a Baby
    Harry and the Hendersons
    6.1
    Harry and the Hendersons
    Short Circuit
    7.5
    Short Circuit
    Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
    6.5
    Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
    D.A.R.Y.L.
    6.3
    D.A.R.Y.L.
    The NeverEnding Story
    7.3
    The NeverEnding Story
    Three Men and a Little Lady
    5.5
    Three Men and a Little Lady
    An American Tail
    6.9
    An American Tail
    Explorers
    6.4
    Explorers

    Related interests

    Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina (2014)
    Artificial Intelligence
    Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Bud Cort, Anjelica Huston, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, Matthew Gray Gubler, Seu Jorge, and Waris Ahluwalia in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Quirky Comedy
    Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      The sound of Number 5's laser firing is the same effect as the Ghostbusters' Proton Packs powering up.
    • Goofs
      When Frank lifts the glass of orange juice off the tray there is some resistance at first, probably from the magnet or adhesive used to keep the glass from sliding off during filming.
    • Quotes
      • Number 5: Hey, laser lips, your mama was a snow blower.
    • Crazy credits
      The credits are played out over a montage of scenes from the movie, including a pair of scenes that failed to make the final cut. One involves an encounter between Number 5 and a toy robot; the other occurs in a scrap yard where a scrapped car that Number 5 is currently sitting in is crushed.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Last Resort/Short Circuit/Jo Jo Dancer Your Life Is Calling/Broken Rainbow (1986)
    • Soundtracks
      Who's Johnny
      ("Short Circuit" Theme)
      Written by Péter Wolf (as Peter Wolf) and Ina Wolf
      Performed by El DeBarge
      Courtesy of Motown Records

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ6

    • Who is Frank?
    • What is "Short Circuit" about?
    • Is "Short Circuit" based on a book?

    Details

    • Release date
      • May 9, 1986 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Sony Movie Channel (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Corto circuito
    • Filming locations
      • Astoria, Oregon, USA
    • Production companies
      • Tri-Star Pictures
      • Producers Sales Organization (PSO)
      • Turman-Foster Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $40,697,761
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,346,808
      • May 11, 1986
    • Gross worldwide
      • $40,698,303
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 1h 38m(98 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    You have no recently viewed pages
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2026 by IMDb.com, Inc.