On This Day

Star Wars released

May 25th 1977

12:38 25 May 2023

'Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope' opened in a limited number of theaters in the US on this day in 1977. Concerned that George Lucas' epic space opera would be overshadowed by other summer releases, such as 'Smokey and the Bandit', 20th Century-Fox had moved the release date to May 25 and the movie was shown in fewer than 32 theaters.

'Star Wars' immediately broke box office records and Fox accelerated plans for a wider release. It went on to gross more than $775 million, overtaking 'Jaws' (1975) as the highest-grossing film, where it remained until the release of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (1982).