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 yes, and I got an idea to do a Western. I made it and got my merit badge. That was how it all started." At age 13, while living in Phoenix, Spielberg won a prize for a 40-minute war film he titled "Escape to Nowhere"… using a cast composed of other high school friends. That motivated him to make 15 more amateur 8 mm films. In 1963, at age 16, Spielberg wrote and directed his first independent film, a 140-minute science fiction adventure called "Firelight", which would later inspire "Close Encounters". The film was made for $500, most of which