The Buffy the Vampire Slayer film was released in 1992.
The film premiered in the United States on July 31, 1992, distributed by 20th Century Fox. It stars Kristy Swanson as Buffy Summers, with Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens, Rutger Hauer, and Luke Perry in supporting roles. It is an American comedy-horror film directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui and written by Joss Whedon.
The movie presents Buffy as a Valley Girl cheerleader who discovers her destiny as a vampire hunter. Its lighter tone differs substantially from the darker television series that began in 1997, which also starred Sarah Michelle Gellar. That difference sometimes causes people to confuse the film's release date with the TV show's premiere year.
Whedon was dissatisfied with the film's direction and later developed the television series around a darker version of the concept. The movie earned about $16.6 million against a reported $7 million budget.