Ready Player One is a 2018 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline based on Cline’s 2011 novel of the same name. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance. The film takes place in 2045, when much of humanity uses the virtual reality software OASIS (Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation) to escape the desolation of the real world. Orphaned teenager Wade Watts (Sheridan) discovers clues to a hidden game within the program that promises the winner full ownership of the OASIS, and joins several allies to try to complete the game before a large company run by businessman Nolan Sorrento (Mendelsohn) can do so.

Ready Player One premiered at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas on March 11, 2018, and was theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on March 29, 2018, in 2D, RealD 3D, IMAX and IMAX 3D. It grossed over $582 million and received generally positive reviews; critics praised its visuals, brisk pacing, the performances of Sheridan and Rylance, and the many cultural references from various media. The film was noted to have significant differences from the book; some critics said the film’s plot was an improvement over the source material. It also received nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, 24th Critics’ Choice Awards, and 72nd British Academy Film Awards, all for visual effects.