The Hours is a 2002 drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by David Hare. The screenplay is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Cunningham, which follows three generations of women whose lives are affected by the novel Mrs Dalloway: Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman), as she writes the novel in 1923, a suicidal 1950s housewife (Julianne Moore), and a modern-day woman (Meryl Streep) preparing a party for her poet friend, Richard (Ed Harris). The film premiered on December 25, 2002, followed by a limited release on December 27, and then went on a wide release in North America on January 14, 2003. The Hours grossed a worldwide box office total of over $108 million, against an estimated budget of $25 million.