Star Wars Launches: A Cultural Phenomenon Begins
Star Wars opened in 32 theaters on May 25, 1977, and grossed $775 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film in history at that time. George Lucas had been rejected by every major studio before 20th Century Fox agreed to finance it for $11 million. Lucas negotiated to keep merchandising and sequel rights, which the studio considered worthless. Those rights generated billions. The film's groundbreaking visual effects, created by Lucas's new company Industrial Light & Magic, transformed cinema. John Williams' orchestral score revived the use of symphonic music in film. The merchandising model Lucas created became the dominant revenue stream for Hollywood blockbusters. Fox's stock price tripled. The franchise has since generated over $70 billion in total revenue across films, TV, toys, games, and theme parks.
May 25, 1977
49 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 25
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Alfonso VI of Castile captured Toledo from the Taifa kingdom, shifting the balance of power in the Iberian Peninsula. This conquest transformed the city into a …
King John I of Portugal appointed his son, Prince Henry, governor of the Order of Christ, granting him control over the vast wealth of the former Knights Templa…
Luther didn't show up to defend himself. He'd already left Worms ten days before Charles V signed the edict making him an outlaw of the empire. Frederick the Wi…
Wu Sangui had a choice: let the peasant rebel who'd just captured Beijing—and possibly killed his concubine—become emperor, or open Shanhaiguan's gates to the M…
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