Milk_
OSCAR WINNER
"Never blend in."
The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.
Updated Feb 16, 2026
WHERE TO WATCH
Sundance Now Amazon Channel
1 country
AMC+ Amazon Channel
1 country
History Vault
1 country
Arthouse CNMA Amazon Channel
1 country
Rakuten TV
FREE
1 country
wavve
1 country
DROPTHE_ GOSSIP
Box office
Milk earned $54.6M worldwide on a $20.0M budget — a 173% return on investment.
Gus Van Sant →
Year context
Milk was released 18 years ago in 2008.
CAST (20)
Sean Penn
Harvey Milk
Emile Hirsch
Cleve Jones
Josh Brolin
Dan White
Diego Luna
Jack Lira
James Franco
Scott Smith
Alison Pill
Anne Kronenberg
Victor Garber
Mayor Moscone
Denis O'Hare
John Briggs
Joseph Cross
Dick Pabich
Stephen Spinella
Rick Stokes
Boyd Holbrook
Denton Smith
Lucas Grabeel
Danny Nicoletta
Jeff Koons
Art Agnos
Brent Corrigan
Telephone Tree #3
Dave Franco
Telephone Tree #5
Elias McConnell
Telephone Tree #8
AT
Ashlee Temple
Dianne Feinstein
Brandon Boyce
Jim Rivaldo
Kelvin Yu
Michael Wong
Cleve Jones
Don Amador
CREW
Director
Writer
BOX OFFICE
$20.0M
Budget
$54.6M
Revenue
+173%
ROI
BLOCKBUSTER
Verdict
STUDIOS (1)
AWARDS (4)
G
Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay
2009
WON
S
Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award
2009
WON
G
Academy Award for Best Actor
2009
WON
B
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
WON
DETAILS
Release
Status
Released
Runtime
128 min (2h 8m)
Language
English
Country
Rating
7.2/10 (2,354 votes)
Popularity
4
Budget
$20,000,000
Box Office
$54,600,000
Profit
+$34,600,000
IMDB
Trailer
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Milk about?
The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.
How long is Milk?
Milk has a runtime of 128 minutes (2h 8m).
Who directed Milk?
Milk was directed by Gus Van Sant.
Who stars in Milk?
The cast of Milk includes Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco.
How much did Milk make at the box office?
Milk earned $54,600,000 worldwide at the box office. The production budget was $20,000,000.
What is the rating of Milk?
Milk has a rating of 7.2 out of 10 based on 2,354 votes on TMDB.
GENRES (2)
History
Drama
KEYWORDS (27)
california
election campaign
politics
homophobia
san francisco, california
1970s
mayor
politician
biography
based on true story
murder
male homosexuality
morality
election
biting
lgbt
candlelight vigil
lgbt activist
mayoral campaign
gay history
gay theme
gay rights
cautionary
intense
antagonistic
enraged
inflammatory