The Relic (1997)

The Relic is a 1997 American monster-horror film directed by Peter Hyams and based on the best-selling 1995 novel Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The film stars Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore, Linda Hunt, James Whitmore, and Brian Steele in his feature film debut. In the film, a detective and a biologist try to defeat a South American monstrous reptilian creature which is on a killing spree in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

The movie was shot in Chicago at the Field Museum of Natural History. Production was originally intended to be held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. However, a deal could not be reached and, after taking interest in the film's premise, the Field Museum offered to let the studio shoot there instead. The film was the second on-screen collaboration between Hunt, Miller, and supporting actor Chi Muoi Lo, all three of whom also worked on the film Kindergarten Cop.

The Relic was released in the United States on January 10, 1997, by Paramount Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office failure. It grossed only $48 million worldwide against a $40–60 million budget. The film was the final film appearance of actress Audra Lindley before her death shortly after the film's release.