This Saturday is the unofficial holiday observed by pop culture aficionados everywhere known as Star Wars Day! Built on the pun “May The Fourth Be With You”, the occasion has grown to be a celebration of anything and everything set in George Lucas’ iconic galaxy far, far away. So today, we’re examining the origins of Star Wars’ devoted fan base!
Star Wars: A Blockbuster That Theaters Didn’t Want
In 1977, the “New Hollywood” era of visionary directors was still in full swing. As such, 20th Century Fox gave George Lucas a very wide latitude when it came to creating the original Star Wars. Armed with a budget of $8 million (later increased to eleven million thanks to production delays), Lucas built the entire film from the ground up. He worked on the script for two years (it was only finished at the start of shooting), founded his own visual effects company, and scouted locations all over the world to make sure his vision was perfect.
Theatrical program for Star Wars, coming to auction May 11, 2024.
The cast and crew who worked on the film didn’t quite get it. Neither did some of Lucas’ friends when he screened a rough cut for peers and studios executives. Luckily, studio president Alan Ladd, jr. and production exec Gareth Wigan loved it. They went to bat for the flick. When the MPAA was deadlocked on a rating for the film, they lobbied for the harsher PG. That unusual move helped secure young adult audiences who felt G rated flicks were kids stuff. When theaters balked at carrying a Flash Gordon-esque space opera, Fox made it a package deal with hotly anticipated drama The Other Side of Midnight. If a theater wanted to show the adaptation of the best-selling novel, they had to show Star Wars too.
Marketing Straight to The Fans
George Lucas had an unusual vision for Star Wars’ release. In the 1970s, the summer blockbuster season actually started in the summer – y’know, after school was out. Lucas wanted the film in theaters while school was in session, allowing word-of-mouth about the film to spread on schoolyards and campuses across the country. 20th Century Fox agreed to the strategy and set the movie to open on Wednesday, May 25th, 1977. It opened in just 32 theaters, with eleven more being added as Memorial Day weekend got underway.
And we haven’t even covered the toys, some of which are available in our eBay store!
But the fanbase for the film was already a growing concern by that date. See, the studio was hedging its bets a little and not really going all-out on marketing. Charley Lippincott, the film’s marketing director, had to get creative. A sci-fi fan himself, Lippincott knew what levers to push to get buzz started. First came the movie’s novelization, ghostwritten by beloved sci-fi novelist Alan Dean Foster, in November of 1976. Then came the Marvel Comics tie-in, from the unbeatable team of writer/editor-in-chief/fanboy-from-way-back Roy Thomas and artist Howard Chaykin, just one month before the movie opened. The direct adaptation of the film would run through September ’77 and the series itself would run until 1986, outliving both the original trilogy’s theatrical run and the Kenner toyline.
The word was out about Star Wars among the burgeoning “fandom” community long before the movie was playing in most theaters. In its first week, with just 43 theaters screening it, it was the highest grossing movie in the United States. By August, it was playing on 1,096 screens. By the end of 1977, it had surpassed Jaws as the highest grossing film of all time. Sixty theaters screened the movie for over a year uninterrupted thanks entirely to fan support. LucasFilm marked the occasion by distributing special edition “Birthday Cake” posters to these theaters in May 1978.
Fans Make an Icon
There’s no doubt about it, the original Star Wars is a great movie. But there are plenty of great movies that either fail to find an audience. Plenty more that fail to make a lasting mark on popular culture. What helped to set Star Wars apart was that it knew exactly the audience it wanted. It targeted the kids in the schoolyard, Marvel Comics’ discerning young adult readership, and sci-fi bookworms. It made the film a pop cultural icon, one that fans chose to celebrate on a funny date. Star Wars Day grew from funny Facebook events to an official celebration solely on the strength of fan support.
If you’re one its older fans and you’re ready to part with your beloved Star Wars collection, let Back to the Past help! Whether you have comic books, vintage toys, or original movie posters, our pop culture experts can help you get the best value for the collection without an ounce of extra effort on your part. And if you’re still collecting, you can follow us on social media @b2pcollect to stay on top of all the collections that pass through our doors!
