The X-Files

The X-Files (film)

In summer 1998 the series produced a feature length motion picture, The X-Files, also known as The X Files: Fight the Future. It was intended as a continuation of the season five finale "The End" (5x20), but was also meant to stand on its own.[78] The season six opener "The Beginning" picked up where the movie left off. (Although the events are supposed to occur between the fifth and sixth seasons, the majority of the film was actually shot in the break between the show's fourth and fifth seasons.)

The movie, written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz and directed by series regular Rob Bowman, was more action-oriented than a typical episode, but it dealt with the central mythology and conspiracy of the show. In addition to Mulder, Scully, Walter Skinner and the Cigarette Smoking Man, it featured guest appearances by Martin Landau, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Blythe Danner as characters that only appeared in the movie (though Mueller-Stahl's Conrad Strughold is later mentioned in the series). It also had the last X-Files appearance by John Neville as the Well-Manicured Man. Jeffrey Spender, Diana Fowley and Gibson Praise do not appear in the film. The film had a strong domestic opening and got mostly positive reviews from critics, however, its box office dropped sharply after the first weekend. Although it failed to make a profit during theatrical release, due to a very high promotional budget, The X-Files film was more successful internationally. Anderson and Duchovny both received equal pay for the film, unlike their original contracts for the series.