Steven Spielberg second biggest film of 1997 behind James Cameron's "Titanic" (which topped the original "Jurassic Park" to become the new recordholder for box office receipts). His next film, "Amistad", was based on a true story (like "Schindler's List"), specifically about an African slave rebellion. Despite decent reviews from critics, it did not do well at the box office. Spielberg released "Amistad" under DreamWorks Pictures, which has produced all of his films from "Amistad" onwards with the exception of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", "The Adventures of Tintin" and "Ready Player One". His 1998 theatrical release was the
Steven Spielberg in 2005, Spielberg directed a modern adaptation of "War of the Worlds" (a co-production of Paramount and DreamWorks), based on the H. G. Wells book of the same name (Spielberg had been a huge fan of the book and the original 1953 film). It starred Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning, and, as with past Spielberg films, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) provided the visual effects. Unlike "E.T." and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", which depicted friendly alien visitors, "War of the Worlds" featured violent invaders. The film was another huge box office smash, grossing over $591 million worldwide. Spielberg's