Divergent 2014 is the first of three Divergent films, directed by Neil Burger and released in US theaters on March 21, 2014, with Shailene Woodley as Tris and Theo James as Four. It runs 140 minutes, grossed about $289 million worldwide on an $85 million budget, and leads into Insurgent (2015) and Allegiant (2016), because the planned fourth film, Ascendant, was never made.
Divergent (2014) opens in a future Chicago enclosed by a wall, where a sixteen year old named Beatrice Prior has to decide where she belongs. Citizens here are sorted into five factions, and each one is organized around a single virtue: Dauntless for bravery, Erudite for knowledge, Abnegation for selflessness, Amity for peace and Candor for honesty.
Beatrice was raised among the Abnegation, but she has never felt at home in their quiet, self denying way of life. Her aptitude test is meant to point her toward one faction. Instead, the administrator, Tori, sees that the results fit several at once. Tori quietly alters the record and tells Beatrice to keep the truth to herself. When the choosing ceremony arrives, Beatrice walks away from her family and joins Dauntless, the faction that prizes courage. Everything that follows grows out of that moment, and the next section covers it in full, with a spoiler warning.
NatalieAshley Judd
MarcusRay Stevenson
AndrewTony Goldwyn
ToriMaggie QMore of the cast: Justine Wachsberger (Lauren).
| Market | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US | March 21, 2014reported | boxofficemojo.com |
| UK | April 4, 2014reported | boxofficemojo.com |
| AU | April 10, 2014reported | boxofficemojo.com |
| Market | Subscription | Rent or buy |
|---|---|---|
| US | MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel | Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex |
| UK | HBO Max Amazon Channel, Now TV Cinema, HBO Max, YouTube Free (Free with ads) | Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video, Sky Store, YouTube |
| AU | Paramount Plus, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Stan, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Basic with Ads, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel | Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, YouTube, Fetch TV |
Streaming availability data from JustWatch, checked 2026-11-03.
| Director | Neil Burger |
|---|---|
| Writers | Vanessa Taylor, Evan Daugherty |
| Producers | Pouya Shahbazian, Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher |
| Music | Tom Holkenborg |
| Cinematography | Alwin H. Küchler |
| Budget | $85 million |
|---|---|
| Domestic (US and Canada) | $151 million |
| International | $138 million |
| Worldwide | $289 million |
| Worldwide, in September 2026 dollars | $411 million |
Divergent box office for every film.
Tom Holkenborg composed the score for Divergent (2014), and the music came out on two albums: the nine track "Divergent" soundtrack from Interscope Records on March 11, 2014, and the 21 track "Divergent: Original Motion Picture Score" from Lionsgate on March 18, 2014.
The songs around that score draw on pop, electronic and hip hop artists. "Beating Heart" by Ellie Goulding plays over the end credits. "Find You" by Zedd, Matthew Koma and Miriam Bryant was written for the film, which makes it the one original song among the featured tracks. Goulding appears three times in total, with "Beating Heart", "Dead in the Water" and "Hanging On (I See MONSTAS remix)".
The featured songs are:
For the music of the whole series, including the sequels, see the divergent soundtrack page on Cinvibe.
It plays over the end credits.
Sources: musicbrainz.org, themoviedb.org, en.wikipedia.org
The full story of Divergent (2014) moves from the brutal ranking system of Dauntless training to a mind controlled assault on Abnegation, and ends with a train ride out of the city. After she joins, Beatrice takes the name Tris. Initiates are scored against one another, and those at the bottom are removed and made factionless. The instructor known as Four drives the group hard, while a hostile recruit named Peter singles Tris out.
Her early results are poor. Then she begins to do better in the fear simulations, because she can often reason her way through them instead of simply enduring them. That ability marks her as Divergent. Four sees what is happening and helps her conceal it. Elsewhere, Jeanine Matthews, who leads Erudite, spreads suspicion against Abnegation, the faction that governs the city.
Tris finishes initiation and discovers that Four is Divergent too. The larger scheme then surfaces. Dauntless members are given a serum that lets Jeanine control them from a distance, and she directs them to invade Abnegation. Tris's mother dies in the attack, as does her father. Four, controlled by the serum, aims a gun at Tris and almost fires before she reaches him and breaks the hold.
The two make their way to Erudite headquarters, where Jeanine is supervising the operation. Tris overcomes Jeanine's forces and stops the attack. Afterward she and her allies leave the city by train.
Divergent (2014) premiered on March 18, 2014 at the Regency Bruin Theatre in Los Angeles (Westwood), three days before its US release on March 21, 2014. The UK release followed on April 4, 2014 and the Australian release on April 10, 2014, all as reported by Box Office Mojo.
The film is rated PG-13 in the US, 12A in the UK and M in Australia. At 140 minutes it is the longest of the three films, since Insurgent runs 119 minutes and Allegiant runs 120. If you are planning a rewatch of the series, the divergent movies in order page lays out both the release order and the chronological order, which are the same here.
The ending of Divergent (2014) stops the attack on Abnegation but leaves the faction system, and its leaders, badly shaken. Tris and Four escape the city on a train with a small group of survivors, including her brother Caleb. Jeanine remains in power and still has the means to hunt Divergents, which is what sets up the fight between the fugitives and Erudite in the next film.
In my opinion, this is a tidy first chapter rather than a finished story. The mind control serum is the film's central threat, and Tris beating it back is the personal win. The city, though, is left no safer for people like her. It could be argued that the departure by train matters more than the confrontation at the Erudite headquarters, because it moves the story out of the faction structure that the first half spent so much time building.
The franchise did not repay that setup evenly. Insurgent (2015) grossed about $297 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, while Allegiant (2016) finished well below both earlier films at the worldwide box office. The planned fourth film, Ascendant, was meant to be theatrical and was never made.
As of November 3, 2026, no new Divergent film has been announced with a date. Veronica Roth's new alternate universe novel, The Sixth Faction, was due on October 6, 2026, with a sequel due in February 2027. Roth has said a film of the new book is possible, but no deal or studio announcement has been reported, so that remains speculation. Current status is tracked on the page for divergent ascendant, and any trailers will be collected under divergent ascendant trailer.
Divergent (2014) was filmed mostly in Chicago, Illinois, with principal photography running from April 16 to July 16, 2013. Interior sets were built at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, and extra photography took place in Los Angeles, California from January 24 to 26, 2014.
The Chicago locations include the Navy Pier Ferris wheel, the Seventeenth Church of Christ Scientist and Pioneer Court for the choosing ceremony, the Mansueto Library and the Chicago River bridges. The production also built an Abnegation street.
Production details for Divergent (2014) range from shifting budget reports to a pregnant co-star and a rusted Ferris wheel.
Divergent (2014) follows Tris, a sixteen year old from the selfless Abnegation faction in a walled future Chicago. Her aptitude test shows she matches several factions, so she hides it and chooses Dauntless. She survives initiation under Four's instruction, then helps stop an Erudite plot to use a mind control serum on Dauntless members against Abnegation. The film ends with her and Four fleeing the city by train.
Divergent (2014) was a commercial hit: it grossed about $289 million worldwide on an $85 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, with roughly $151 million in the US. The Numbers lists a lower international total of about $125 million. The film earned more than three times its budget, while the sequel Insurgent (2015) grossed about $297 million and Allegiant (2016) earned less than either of them. Our divergent box office page has the per film figures.
Divergent (2014) is a PG-13 dystopian action drama that runs 140 minutes and sets up the whole series, so it is the starting point for anyone who wants the sequels to make sense. It stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James, with Kate Winslet as the Erudite leader. Our opinions on every film are gathered under divergent reviews and divergent movies ranked.
No, Jennifer Lawrence is not in the credited cast of Divergent (2014). The lead role of Tris is played by Shailene Woodley, opposite Theo James as Four.
In the UK, yes: as of November 3, 2026, Divergent (2014) streams on HBO Max and Now TV Cinema, according to JustWatch data via TMDB. In the US, HBO Max is not listed; the subscription option is the MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, with rental and purchase on services such as Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and YouTube. In Australia it streams on Paramount Plus and Stan. See where to watch divergent for the full list.
There are three Divergent films: Divergent (2014), Insurgent (2015) and Allegiant (2016). The planned fourth film, Ascendant, was never made. See how many divergent movies are there and the divergent movies hub for the full list.
