# Copycat
**Copycat** is a 1995 American psychological thriller directed by Jon Amiel, starring [Sigourney Weaver](https://www.edgepedia.org/sigourney-weaver) as an agoraphobic criminal psychologist who helps San Francisco detectives hunt a serial killer who stages his murders as imitations of notorious past killers. It was produced by [Regency Enterprises](https://www.edgepedia.org/regency-enterprises), written by Ann Biderman and David Madsen, and released by Warner Bros. on October 27, 1995.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59855-COPYCAT) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Copycat)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Jon Amiel; screenplay by Ann Biderman and David Madsen, based on a screenplay by David Madsen; the tie-in novel was by Lauri Maerov, based on that screenplay[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59855-COPYCAT) • [19](https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000136-I1970867909825072410) |
| Principal cast | Sigourney Weaver (Helen Hudson), Holly Hunter (M.J. Monahan), Dermot Mulroney (Ruben Goetz), William McNamara (Peter Foley), Harry Connick Jr. (Daryll Lee Cullum)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59855-COPYCAT) • [3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/copycat-1995) |
| Release | United States premiere October 19, 1995 (Los Angeles); wide release October 27, 1995 by Warner Bros.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112722/releaseinfo/) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Copycat) |
| Domestic box office | $32,051,917, with a $5,170,522 opening weekend; production budget $20,000,000 per The Numbers[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Copycat) |
| Ratings | MPAA R for violence and language; Rotten Tomatoes 76% from 58 reviews[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Copycat) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1065837-copycat) |
| Filming | October 3 to December 22, 1994, in San Francisco and on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112722/locations/) |
| Music and photography | Score by Christopher Young; cinematography by László Kovács[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59855-COPYCAT) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Criminal psychologist Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver), a best-selling author and lecturer on serial killers, is attacked after a lecture by one of her former subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum ([Harry Connick Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-connick-jr)), who strings her up in a public restroom before he is captured. The trauma leaves her agoraphobic, and she retreats to her San Francisco apartment, studying violence remotely through a bank of computers.[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/copycat-1995) • [7](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/copycat/)
When a new murderer begins restaging crimes from the American serial murder canon, from the [Boston Strangler](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-strangler) to Son of Sam, Hudson identifies the pattern and anonymously contacts the police. Homicide detectives M.J. Monahan ([Holly Hunter](https://www.edgepedia.org/holly-hunter)) and Ruben Goetz ([Dermot Mulroney](https://www.edgepedia.org/dermot-mulroney)) bring her into the investigation. The copycat killer, Peter Foley (William McNamara), idolizes Cullum and the infamous killers of the past, and he stalks Hudson while working through his list of victims, intending to make her his next.[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/copycat-1995) • [8](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/copycat/2030009126/) • [9](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0112722/)
The film's pre-credit bathroom attack is repeated in exact detail at the climax, carried out by the copycat killer in imitation of Cullum, tying the opening scene directly to the plot.[10](https://thesis.ncad.ie/T2196_A%20discussion%20of%20main%20title%20sequence%20design%20in%20contemporary%20cinema_NC0017968X.pdf)
## Production
Jon Amiel, the British director known for the BBC series *The Singing Detective*, initially rejected the script before taking the project. Holly Hunter's character, Detective M.J. Monahan, was originally written as a man; Amiel decided to have two women in the lead and drop the love story altogether. [Frank Darabont](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-darabont) was hired to rewrite scenes shortly after *The Shawshank Redemption*, and Hunter prepared for the role by shadowing real-life LAPD detectives in downtown Los Angeles.[11](https://www.joblo.com/the-story-behind-copycat/) • [12](https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/amiel-s-idea-for-copycat-was-original-3021148.php)
Filming ran from October 3 to December 22, 1994, with locations including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and San Francisco; *Copycat* was the first film shot in a large warehouse on [Treasure Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/treasure-island) that had been converted into a sound stage.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112722/locations/) • [12](https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/amiel-s-idea-for-copycat-was-original-3021148.php) The production also used Hollywood Center Studios in Los Angeles.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112722/locations/)
## Release and box office
Warner Bros. released the film wide in the United States on October 27, 1995, in 1,390 theaters, with a peak of 1,661 theaters. The opening weekend grossed $5,170,522, 16.1 percent of the eventual domestic total of $32,051,917, against a production budget The Numbers lists at $20,000,000. The film's legs ratio of 5.70 indicates a run that held well past its opening, and its inflation-adjusted domestic gross is $83,309,652.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Copycat) The Independent, reviewing the film's later streaming life, describes it as a moderate box office success that grossed $79 million from a $27 million budget.[13](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/netflix-leaving-movie-copycat-big-boys-uk-june-2026-b3001847.html)
In Spain, where it opened on March 29, 1996, as *Copia Mortal*, the film sold 840,225 admissions and grossed €2,733,490.53.[14](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=1596) Warner Home Video released it on video on February 20, 1996.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Copycat)
Reported running times differ by source: the [American Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-film-institute) lists 134 minutes, [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) 2 hours 3 minutes, the Film Society of Lincoln Center 123 minutes, and Roger Ebert's review 110 minutes.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59855-COPYCAT) • [9](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0112722/) • [7](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/copycat/) • [3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/copycat-1995)
## Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 76 percent Tomatometer from 58 reviews, with the critics consensus reading, "Copycat's outstanding cast helps this often unpleasant thriller transcend the less palatable elements of its standard-issue story."[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1065837-copycat) Roger Ebert of the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) gave it three and a half stars out of four, calling Hunter's M.J. "one of the most intriguing and three-dimensional characters of the year" and judging the film as effective in its own way as *Seven*, though without that film's dark tones.[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/copycat-1995) Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times was sharply negative, writing that the film seemed "pornographically intent on pushing the envelope of what is acceptable for thrillers on screen."[15](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-27-ca-61920-story.html) [The New Yorker](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-new-yorker)'s reviewer found the pairing of Weaver and Hunter underused but credited Hunter with nearly saving the film single-handedly.[16](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1995/11/13/kin-and-killers)
Sigourney Weaver later cited the film as her best career performance.[11](https://www.joblo.com/the-story-behind-copycat/)
## Afterlife
The film built a following after its VHS release, becoming a word-of-mouth success that earned praise beyond its initially middling reviews, and it is now frequently described as an underrated 1990s thriller.[13](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/netflix-leaving-movie-copycat-big-boys-uk-june-2026-b3001847.html) In June 2025 it was added to Netflix in the United States and reached the service's top 10 list, and it also entered the top 10 most-viewed films on Netflix in Spain.[17](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-added-a-psychological-thriller-movie-full-of-surprising-twists-and-its-one-of-sigourney-weavers-best-roles) • [18](https://as.com/meristation/cine/esta-pelicula-sobre-asesinatos-de-sigourney-weaver-alien-es-una-de-las-mas-vistas-de-netflix-en-espana-20-anos-despues-de-su-estreno-n/)
## References
1. [Copycat (1995), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59855-COPYCAT)
2. [Copycat (1995), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Copycat)
3. [Copycat movie review & film summary, Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, October 27, 1995](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/copycat-1995)
4. [Copycat (1995) release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112722/releaseinfo/)
5. [Copycat, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1065837-copycat)
6. [Copycat (1995) filming & production, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112722/locations/)
7. [Copycat, Film Society of Lincoln Center](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/copycat/)
8. [Copycat, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/copycat/2030009126/)
9. [Copycat (1995), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0112722/)
10. [A discussion of main title sequence design in contemporary cinema, NCAD thesis](https://thesis.ncad.ie/T2196_A%20discussion%20of%20main%20title%20sequence%20design%20in%20contemporary%20cinema_NC0017968X.pdf)
11. [Copycat: The Story Behind This Underrated Sigourney Weaver Serial Killer Thriller, JoBlo](https://www.joblo.com/the-story-behind-copycat/)
12. [Amiel's Idea For 'Copycat' Was Original, San Francisco Chronicle, October 26, 1995](https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/amiel-s-idea-for-copycat-was-original-3021148.php)
13. [Netflix is about to remove very underrated 1990s movie, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/netflix-leaving-movie-copycat-big-boys-uk-june-2026-b3001847.html)
14. [COPYCAT (COPIA MORTAL), ICAA Film Database](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=1596)
15. [The Dark Big Picture: 'Copycat' Is a Troubling Reflection of Cinema, Los Angeles Times, October 27, 1995](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-27-ca-61920-story.html)
16. [Kin and Killers, The New Yorker, November 6, 1995](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1995/11/13/kin-and-killers)
17. [Netflix just added an intense psychological thriller movie with Sigourney Weaver, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-added-a-psychological-thriller-movie-full-of-surprising-twists-and-its-one-of-sigourney-weavers-best-roles)
18. [Esta película sobre asesinatos de Sigourney Weaver es una de las más vistas de Netflix en España, AS](https://as.com/meristation/cine/esta-pelicula-sobre-asesinatos-de-sigourney-weaver-alien-es-una-de-las-mas-vistas-de-netflix-en-espana-20-anos-despues-de-su-estreno-n/)
19. [Copycat Signet Film and TV Tie-in ed., NDLサーチ, 国立国会図書館](https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000136-I1970867909825072410)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Horror films (individual works) › Psychological horror films › Psychological horror films, 1990s and 2000s*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license