A long time ago in a galaxy far, far closer than you expect, a young filmmaker named George Lucas unleashed his sprawling space fantasy epic on an unsuspecting public. That movie, which released on May 25, 1977, some 40 years ago, was Star Wars and it has evolved from what was seen as a misbegotten passion project by studio executives to one of the most profitable and popular franchises in the world. Four decades later, the influence of Star Wars–and specifically Episode IV – A New Hope as it came to be subtitled–can be seen practically everywhere in modern pop culture. To celebrate this auspicious anniversary, today’s episode of The Dan Cave is all about little known A New Hope facts that only diehard Star Wars fans will already know.
Star Wars is why you have to leave the theater after a movie
When Star Wars first hit theaters on May 25, 1977, it launched a phenomenon. By the end of its first weekend, it grossed $1.5 million in limited release, playing in some 32 theaters across the country. If you adjust for inflation, that is approximately $6.14 million–and it made exponentially more cash from that point on. But that profit didn’t necessarily come from repeat viewers, at least not at first. Back then, many cinemas had a policy where you could just stay in the theater as long as you liked if you’d paid for a ticket. The runaway success of Star Wars led them to change that, forcing theatergoers to leave the theater after the credits rolled and purchase a new ticket instead. Of course, this gave way to a cottage industry of crafty teens loitering around the lobby, pretending to play Cruis’n USA until the coast was clear to sneak into a second movie, so I guess it wasn’t all bad.
The title used to be dumb as hell
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