The Butterfly Effect is a
2004 American science fiction thriller film starring
Ashton Kutcher,
Amy Smart,
Eric Stoltz, and others, distributed by
New Line Cinema. The title is a reference to the
butterfly effect, which theorises that a change in something seemingly innocuous, such as a flap of a
butterfly's wings, may have unexpected larger consequences in the future, such as the path a tornado will travel.
The Butterfly Effect is
directed and
written by
Eric Bress and
J. Mackye Gruber.
The movie was followed by a largely unrelated direct-to-DVD sequel,
The Butterfly Effect 2.