Synopsis

After a powerful earthquake strikes Los Angeles, emergency-management chief Mike Roark returns to duty as unexplained deaths in the city's tunnels point to a deeper threat. Geologist Amy Barnes identifies rising magma beneath the La Brea Tar Pits, but officials fail to act before a new volcano erupts. As lava floods the streets, Roark and Barnes race to protect civilians and divert the flow away from downtown.

Factoids & Trivia

• Volcano was released on April 25, 1997, several weeks after Dante's Peak, the other major volcano-disaster movie of that year. The competing productions became an early example of studios rushing similar blockbuster concepts to theaters.

• The story draws on the 1943 emergence of Paricutin in Mexico, a volcano that formed rapidly in a farmer's field and continued growing over the following years.

• A large-scale replica of Wilshire Boulevard was constructed in Torrance, California. The set was built at approximately 80 percent of full size and was equipped with extensive pyrotechnic effects.

• The production combined computer-generated imagery, miniature photography, practical explosions, and compositing for the lava sequences. An elaborate miniature section of Los Angeles was built inside Hangar One at San Bernardino International Airport.

• The movie's artificial lava was primarily made from methylcellulose, a thickening agent also used in milkshakes. Much of the falling ash consisted of ground newspaper.

• The film opened at number one in North America and ultimately earned more than $120 million worldwide against a reported $90 million production budget.