Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[KMFDMvsEnya]

Originally Posted by Terminated

Star Wars Underoos Are Back.

Fanboys and girls rejoice Underoos are back, and this time for adults! For fans who grew up in the 80's these nostalgia based pajama designs bring back great memories.

And to think some folks decided to take to task Simon Pegg for articulating upon an aspect of the cynical reality of incorporated mainstream geek culture.

Now if most of those who negatively responded to his comments had actually thought beyond a knee-jerk reaction they may have come to realize that his observations have merit. Additionally his body of work both embraces and adores geek culture but, as common with some of the best works, it also contains self-critique.

Best regards,
KvE

[Himmel]

Beautiful Illustrations of Kids Playing as Star Wars Characters Perfectly Capture Childhood. Ahh the good old days.















http://www.themarysue.com/star-wars-...lustrations/2/

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

OMG I love those!

I used to pretend I was flying Xwings and TIEs when I rode my BMX!!

[gregmasciola]

Originally Posted by Terminated

Poor Jar Jar!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=z14SlZ1i7rc

Someone's got some serious emotional problems!

[reason108]

Originally Posted by BozQ

Don't worry. Wait for about 30 years later, when he's *really* no longer around, then Disney will cash in on the UOT in Super-Mega-Ultra High Definition format.

At that point there may not be anyone left that would want to see them or care!

[windom]

Originally Posted by Terminated

Beautiful Illustrations of Kids Playing as Star Wars Characters Perfectly Capture Childhood. Ahh the good old days.

http://www.themarysue.com/star-wars-...lustrations/2/

Wow, most of those pictures are super creepy. I'll have nightmares tonight for sure now.

[Himmel]

And to celebrate i thought i would share some "DID YOU KNOW" stuff with you.

Ready:

EMPIRE NUMBER$

1 = Rank on list of top-grossing films of 1980
1 = Rank on list of top box-office rentals of 1980
2 = Number of Academy Awards
2 = Rank on all-time list of top film rentals at close of run (domestic)
2 = Rank on all-time list of top film rentals at close of run (worldwide)
2 = Rank on all-time list of top-grossing films at close of run (worldwide)
3 = Number of Academy Award nominations
3 = Rank on all-time list of top-grossing films at close of run (domestic)
11 = Number of weeks top-grossing film (weeks 1-3 and 5-12)
12 = Rank on current list of all-time top-grossing films (adjusted for inflation)
54 = Number of months between theatrical release and home-video release
59 = Number of days to surpass $100 million*
61 = Number of weeks of longest-running engagement
62 = Rank on current list of all-time top-grossing films
127 = Number of opening-week bookings
823 = Number of bookings during first week of wide release

$38,972 = Opening-weekend per screen average
$1.3 million = Opening-day box-office gross
$4.9 million = Opening-weekend box-office gross (3-day)
$5.0 million = Amount of profit Lucas shared with cast & crew and Lucasfilm employees
$6.4 million = Opening-weekend box-office gross (4-day)
$7.4 million = Box-office rental (1982 re-release)
$9.6 million = Opening-week box-office gross (7-day)
$10.8 million = Box-office gross for first weekend of wide release (823 theaters, June 20-22, 1980)
$13.3 million = Box-office gross (1982 re-release)
$14.2 million = Box-office rental (1981 re-release)
$28.0 million = Box-office gross (1981 re-release)
$34.0 million = Amount 20th Century-Fox received in advance guarantees from exhibitors
$32.0 million = Production cost
$40.0 million = Amount 20th Century-Fox earned in distribution fees
$67.6 million = Box-office gross (1997 re-release)
$91.7 million = Production cost (adjusted for inflation)
$120.0 million = Box-office rental (original release)
$134.2 million = Box-office rental (original release + 1981 re-release)
$141.6 million = Box-office rental (original release + 1981 & 1982 re-releases)
$165.0 million = Box-office rental (worldwide, original release)
$181.4 million = Box-office gross (original release)
$209.4 million = Box-office gross (original release + 1981 re-release)
$222.7 million = Box-office gross (original release + 1981 & 1982 re-releases)
$290.5 million = Box-office gross (original + 81, 82 & 97 re-releases)
$365.0 million = Box-office gross (worldwide, original release)
$538.4 million = Box-office gross (worldwide)
$797.2 million = Box-office gross (cumulative domestic, adjusted for inflation)
$1.5 billion = Box-office gross (cumulative worldwide, adjusted for inflation)

Some reviews from that time:

“Amazingly, the sequel to Star Wars is almost as good as the original movie, and it should be just as successful. Less frenetic and less rounded, it has the compensating virtues of more complex relationships and even more dazzling special effects.” — Richard Freedman, The (Springfield, MA) Morning Union

“The long-awaited sequel to Star Wars is equal to its stellar predecessor. It’s a first rate achievement that shouldn’t be missed.” — Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

“The Empire Strikes Back joins The Godfather, Part II as one of the rarest of films—a sequel that lives up to and expands upon its original…. It’s not an exaggeration to compare the world of Star Wars to the Land of Oz. The Star Wars saga—a series of nine planned films—promises to be an even more complete world than Oz, and just as enduring. The appeal of visiting Oz is that it is a magical place over the rainbow. The appeal of Star Wars and, now, The Empire Strikes Back, is that it also takes us to a magical place—the childhood of our mind.” — Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

PRODUCTION & EXHIBITION INFORMATION + TRIVIA

The longest, most-successful engagement of Empire was a 61-week run in Seattle at the UA Cinema 150.

In terms of box-office gross, The Empire Strikes Back is the least successful Star Wars movie. Adjusted for inflation, however, it is the second-highest-grossing movie in the series.

Principal photography commenced on March 5, 1979, in Finse, Norway, and concluded (several weeks over schedule) on September 24, 1979, at EMI Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, England. The visual effects were created during 1979-80 at Industrial Light & Magic, in Marin County, California.

Empire, at the time of its release, had the industry’s largest one-time order of 70mm prints (124 working prints on opening day, more than a dozen for Release Wave #2, and several more for international release). Some of the markets that played the movie in 70mm that didn’t open until Release Wave #2 included Las Vegas (Parkway), Modesto (Briggsmore), Monterey (Cinema 70), and Tucson (El Dorado). Empire was among eleven first-run movies released with 70mm prints during 1980. Expensive large-format 70mm prints were chosen for the initial and major market presentations of Empire so as to showcase the movie with the best possible projection and sound quality available at the time and to reduce the chances the movie would be pirated and sold on the home-video market.

There were some content differences between the Empire’s 35mm and 70mm prints. The 70mm prints were prepared and distributed first and, as such, more time was available for the filmmakers to finesse the 35mm general-release edition. Ironically, this meant that critics and moviegoers in the major markets did not see the “final” version of the movie. Most of the differences were subtle and editorial in nature, such as a scene beginning or ending with a different transitional effect (wipe pattern, straight cut, dissolve, etc.). Some visual effects were re-filmed and/or re-composited for the 35mm edition. Some scenes featured different takes for selected shots, and the final scene is longer in the 35mm edition, featuring additional spaceship fly-bys, an additional line of dialogue, and a brief music cue borrowed from another scene.

On Day One of its release, the UA Egyptian in Los Angeles and UA Cinema 150 in Seattle began showing Empire at midnight and continued with an all-day marathon.

To be eligible to play Empire during its first wave of release (which commenced May 21st), theaters had to be capable of presenting the movie in 70mm and agree to play the movie for a minimum of 16 weeks with a sliding scale distributor/exhibitor split beginning heavily in favor of the distributor. June 18th was the earliest Empire could be played if a theater was not equipped for 70mm and/or an exhibitor did not wish to commit to the minimum-run terms

On its first day of release, Empire broke house records in all but two of its engagements.

Empire was re-released theatrically in 1981, 1982 (which included a trailer for Revenge of the Jedi), 1983 (limited-market double feature with Star Wars), and 1997 (restored and expanded by three minutes).

Empire was released on home video in November 1984, fifty-four months after theatrical release. The VHS and Beta tapes were priced for rental ($79.98); the videodisc editions retailed for $29.98.

PRINCIPAL CAST & CREW:


Luke Skywalker – Mark Hamill
Han Solo – Harrison Ford
Princess Leia – Carrie Fisher
Lando Calrissian – Billy Dee Williams
C-3PO – Anthony Daniels
Darth Vader – David Prowse
Chewbacca – Peter Mayhew
R2-D2 – Kenny Baker
Yoda – Frank Oz

Director – Irvin Kershner
Producer – Gary Kurtz
Screenplay – Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan (Screenplay), George Lucas (Story)
Executive Producer – George Lucas
Production Designer – Norman Reynolds
Director of Photography – Peter Suschitzky, BSC
Editor – Paul Hirsch, ACE
Special Visual Effects – Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund
Music – John Williams
Associate Producers – Robert Watts, James Bloom
Design Consultant and Conceptual Artist – Ralph McQuarrie
Make-up and Special Creature Design – Stuart Freeborn
Costume Designer – John Mollo
Sound Design and Supervising Sound Effects Editor – Ben Burtt
Production Sound – Peter Sutton
Re-Recording – Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker

Distributor – 20th Century-Fox
Production Company – Lucasfilm Ltd.
Release Date – May 21, 1980
Running Time – 124 minutes
Projection Format – Scope
Sound Format – Dolby Stereo
MPAA Rating – PG

Credit goes to Micheal Coates over at thedigitalbits.com for the info.
http://http://digitalbits.com/column...ikes-back-35th

[balthazar_bee]

Originally Posted by Terminated

Empire was released on home video in November 1984, fifty-four months after theatrical release.

It's funny -- I have no memory of the first time I saw Empire. (Contrast that with the original Star Wars, a film that I remember walking into in progress during the cantina sequence and being utterly transfixed.)

I want to say it was on video...but it could very well have been in the theatre, particularly given how long it took to reach VHS.

The Empire Strikes Back has been my go-to favourite movie of all time for many years though. A dynamic, emotional roller coaster with intelligence and grandeur. Moreover, I think the reason it tends to overwhelmingly dominate the "best Star Wars" discussions -- and put shame to certain other entries -- is just how much authentically human behaviour is on display, for better and for worse.

As Jimmy Stewart is alleged to have shouted upon reading the final draft of Vertigo, "Well, at least these are real people!"

I won't speak for anyone else, but ultimately, I suspect that's what keeps me coming back to it.

From Luke's knowing smile upon hearing Dakk talk about wanting to "take on the whole Empire" himself, to Han's troubled silence watching Luke go off to fight the invasion force, to Luke's verbal attempts to swat away Degobah's green pest, to Han's increasingly befuddled attempts to take care of the princess (and the touching way he passes on that duty to Chewy), to Lando's deafeated (out of focus) slump of resignation when Boba Fett steals away with the body of Han Solo, to...well, I truly could go on all day.

The Empire Strikes Back is the vigorous, over-taxed heart of Star Wars, relentlessly thumping away, keeping the rest of the saga alive thirty-five years later.

[Angel Eyes]

Originally Posted by Terminated

And to celebrate i thought i would share some "DID YOU KNOW" stuff with you.

Ready:

EMPIRE NUMBER$

1 = Rank on list of top-grossing films of 1980
1 = Rank on list of top box-office rentals of 1980
2 = Number of Academy Awards
2 = Rank on all-time list of top film rentals at close of run (domestic)
2 = Rank on all-time list of top film rentals at close of run (worldwide)
2 = Rank on all-time list of top-grossing films at close of run (worldwide)
3 = Number of Academy Award nominations
3 = Rank on all-time list of top-grossing films at close of run (domestic)
11 = Number of weeks top-grossing film (weeks 1-3 and 5-12)
12 = Rank on current list of all-time top-grossing films (adjusted for inflation)
54 = Number of months between theatrical release and home-video release
59 = Number of days to surpass $100 million*
61 = Number of weeks of longest-running engagement
62 = Rank on current list of all-time top-grossing films
127 = Number of opening-week bookings
823 = Number of bookings during first week of wide release

$38,972 = Opening-weekend per screen average
$1.3 million = Opening-day box-office gross
$4.9 million = Opening-weekend box-office gross (3-day)
$5.0 million = Amount of profit Lucas shared with cast & crew and Lucasfilm employees
$6.4 million = Opening-weekend box-office gross (4-day)
$7.4 million = Box-office rental (1982 re-release)
$9.6 million = Opening-week box-office gross (7-day)
$10.8 million = Box-office gross for first weekend of wide release (823 theaters, June 20-22, 1980)
$13.3 million = Box-office gross (1982 re-release)
$14.2 million = Box-office rental (1981 re-release)
$28.0 million = Box-office gross (1981 re-release)
$34.0 million = Amount 20th Century-Fox received in advance guarantees from exhibitors
$32.0 million = Production cost
$40.0 million = Amount 20th Century-Fox earned in distribution fees
$67.6 million = Box-office gross (1997 re-release)
$91.7 million = Production cost (adjusted for inflation)
$120.0 million = Box-office rental (original release)
$134.2 million = Box-office rental (original release + 1981 re-release)
$141.6 million = Box-office rental (original release + 1981 & 1982 re-releases)
$165.0 million = Box-office rental (worldwide, original release)
$181.4 million = Box-office gross (original release)
$209.4 million = Box-office gross (original release + 1981 re-release)
$222.7 million = Box-office gross (original release + 1981 & 1982 re-releases)
$290.5 million = Box-office gross (original + 81, 82 & 97 re-releases)
$365.0 million = Box-office gross (worldwide, original release)
$538.4 million = Box-office gross (worldwide)
$797.2 million = Box-office gross (cumulative domestic, adjusted for inflation)
$1.5 billion = Box-office gross (cumulative worldwide, adjusted for inflation)

Some reviews from that time:

“Amazingly, the sequel to Star Wars is almost as good as the original movie, and it should be just as successful. Less frenetic and less rounded, it has the compensating virtues of more complex relationships and even more dazzling special effects.” — Richard Freedman, The (Springfield, MA) Morning Union

“The long-awaited sequel to Star Wars is equal to its stellar predecessor. It’s a first rate achievement that shouldn’t be missed.” — Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

“The Empire Strikes Back joins The Godfather, Part II as one of the rarest of films—a sequel that lives up to and expands upon its original…. It’s not an exaggeration to compare the world of Star Wars to the Land of Oz. The Star Wars saga—a series of nine planned films—promises to be an even more complete world than Oz, and just as enduring. The appeal of visiting Oz is that it is a magical place over the rainbow. The appeal of Star Wars and, now, The Empire Strikes Back, is that it also takes us to a magical place—the childhood of our mind.” — Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

PRODUCTION & EXHIBITION INFORMATION + TRIVIA

The longest, most-successful engagement of Empire was a 61-week run in Seattle at the UA Cinema 150.

In terms of box-office gross, The Empire Strikes Back is the least successful Star Wars movie. Adjusted for inflation, however, it is the second-highest-grossing movie in the series.

Principal photography commenced on March 5, 1979, in Finse, Norway, and concluded (several weeks over schedule) on September 24, 1979, at EMI Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, England. The visual effects were created during 1979-80 at Industrial Light & Magic, in Marin County, California.

Empire, at the time of its release, had the industry’s largest one-time order of 70mm prints (124 working prints on opening day, more than a dozen for Release Wave #2, and several more for international release). Some of the markets that played the movie in 70mm that didn’t open until Release Wave #2 included Las Vegas (Parkway), Modesto (Briggsmore), Monterey (Cinema 70), and Tucson (El Dorado). Empire was among eleven first-run movies released with 70mm prints during 1980. Expensive large-format 70mm prints were chosen for the initial and major market presentations of Empire so as to showcase the movie with the best possible projection and sound quality available at the time and to reduce the chances the movie would be pirated and sold on the home-video market.

There were some content differences between the Empire’s 35mm and 70mm prints. The 70mm prints were prepared and distributed first and, as such, more time was available for the filmmakers to finesse the 35mm general-release edition. Ironically, this meant that critics and moviegoers in the major markets did not see the “final” version of the movie. Most of the differences were subtle and editorial in nature, such as a scene beginning or ending with a different transitional effect (wipe pattern, straight cut, dissolve, etc.). Some visual effects were re-filmed and/or re-composited for the 35mm edition. Some scenes featured different takes for selected shots, and the final scene is longer in the 35mm edition, featuring additional spaceship fly-bys, an additional line of dialogue, and a brief music cue borrowed from another scene.

On Day One of its release, the UA Egyptian in Los Angeles and UA Cinema 150 in Seattle began showing Empire at midnight and continued with an all-day marathon.

To be eligible to play Empire during its first wave of release (which commenced May 21st), theaters had to be capable of presenting the movie in 70mm and agree to play the movie for a minimum of 16 weeks with a sliding scale distributor/exhibitor split beginning heavily in favor of the distributor. June 18th was the earliest Empire could be played if a theater was not equipped for 70mm and/or an exhibitor did not wish to commit to the minimum-run terms

On its first day of release, Empire broke house records in all but two of its engagements.

Empire was re-released theatrically in 1981, 1982 (which included a trailer for Revenge of the Jedi), 1983 (limited-market double feature with Star Wars), and 1997 (restored and expanded by three minutes).

Empire was released on home video in November 1984, fifty-four months after theatrical release. The VHS and Beta tapes were priced for rental ($79.98); the videodisc editions retailed for $29.98.

PRINCIPAL CAST & CREW:


Luke Skywalker – Mark Hamill
Han Solo – Harrison Ford
Princess Leia – Carrie Fisher
Lando Calrissian – Billy Dee Williams
C-3PO – Anthony Daniels
Darth Vader – David Prowse
Chewbacca – Peter Mayhew
R2-D2 – Kenny Baker
Yoda – Frank Oz

Director – Irvin Kershner
Producer – Gary Kurtz
Screenplay – Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan (Screenplay), George Lucas (Story)
Executive Producer – George Lucas
Production Designer – Norman Reynolds
Director of Photography – Peter Suschitzky, BSC
Editor – Paul Hirsch, ACE
Special Visual Effects – Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund
Music – John Williams
Associate Producers – Robert Watts, James Bloom
Design Consultant and Conceptual Artist – Ralph McQuarrie
Make-up and Special Creature Design – Stuart Freeborn
Costume Designer – John Mollo
Sound Design and Supervising Sound Effects Editor – Ben Burtt
Production Sound – Peter Sutton
Re-Recording – Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker

Distributor – 20th Century-Fox
Production Company – Lucasfilm Ltd.
Release Date – May 21, 1980
Running Time – 124 minutes
Projection Format – Scope
Sound Format – Dolby Stereo
MPAA Rating – PG

We knew all that. But thanks.


I will never forget my friends and I skipping school that day to see TESB we were 15 years old. Saw it at the North Park Mall 1&2. Back then it was the biggest theater and had the best sound system in the DFW area. The line musht have been 200 yards long and so many people dressed up as the different characters. Saw that film at least five times that summer.

And to celebrate they should release the UOT that are so celebrated and held in such high regard over the SE and later butcherings.

[Bluyoda]

Someone just had to repost that enormously long post without spoiler-tagging it.

Originally Posted by windom

Wow, most of those pictures are super creepy. I'll have nightmares tonight for sure now.

Yeah, absolutely awful art IMHO. That so does NOT capture the spirit of kids .....

[Mandalorian]

Happy belated B-day to one of my favorite movies. My 24th was a few days ago, so this is pretty cool.

[Angel Eyes]

Originally Posted by Bluyoda

Someone just had to repost that enormously long post without spoiler-tagging it.



Yeah, absolutely awful art IMHO. That so does NOT capture the spirit of kids .....

Really? Why?

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by Terminated

[Show spoiler]

And to celebrate i thought i would share some "DID YOU KNOW" stuff with you.

Ready:

EMPIRE NUMBER$

1 = Rank on list of top-grossing films of 1980
1 = Rank on list of top box-office rentals of 1980
2 = Number of Academy Awards
2 = Rank on all-time list of top film rentals at close of run (domestic)
2 = Rank on all-time list of top film rentals at close of run (worldwide)
2 = Rank on all-time list of top-grossing films at close of run (worldwide)
3 = Number of Academy Award nominations
3 = Rank on all-time list of top-grossing films at close of run (domestic)
11 = Number of weeks top-grossing film (weeks 1-3 and 5-12)
12 = Rank on current list of all-time top-grossing films (adjusted for inflation)
54 = Number of months between theatrical release and home-video release
59 = Number of days to surpass $100 million*
61 = Number of weeks of longest-running engagement
62 = Rank on current list of all-time top-grossing films
127 = Number of opening-week bookings
823 = Number of bookings during first week of wide release

$38,972 = Opening-weekend per screen average
$1.3 million = Opening-day box-office gross
$4.9 million = Opening-weekend box-office gross (3-day)
$5.0 million = Amount of profit Lucas shared with cast & crew and Lucasfilm employees
$6.4 million = Opening-weekend box-office gross (4-day)
$7.4 million = Box-office rental (1982 re-release)
$9.6 million = Opening-week box-office gross (7-day)
$10.8 million = Box-office gross for first weekend of wide release (823 theaters, June 20-22, 1980)
$13.3 million = Box-office gross (1982 re-release)
$14.2 million = Box-office rental (1981 re-release)
$28.0 million = Box-office gross (1981 re-release)
$34.0 million = Amount 20th Century-Fox received in advance guarantees from exhibitors
$32.0 million = Production cost
$40.0 million = Amount 20th Century-Fox earned in distribution fees
$67.6 million = Box-office gross (1997 re-release)
$91.7 million = Production cost (adjusted for inflation)
$120.0 million = Box-office rental (original release)
$134.2 million = Box-office rental (original release + 1981 re-release)
$141.6 million = Box-office rental (original release + 1981 & 1982 re-releases)
$165.0 million = Box-office rental (worldwide, original release)
$181.4 million = Box-office gross (original release)
$209.4 million = Box-office gross (original release + 1981 re-release)
$222.7 million = Box-office gross (original release + 1981 & 1982 re-releases)
$290.5 million = Box-office gross (original + 81, 82 & 97 re-releases)
$365.0 million = Box-office gross (worldwide, original release)
$538.4 million = Box-office gross (worldwide)
$797.2 million = Box-office gross (cumulative domestic, adjusted for inflation)
$1.5 billion = Box-office gross (cumulative worldwide, adjusted for inflation)

Some reviews from that time:

“Amazingly, the sequel to Star Wars is almost as good as the original movie, and it should be just as successful. Less frenetic and less rounded, it has the compensating virtues of more complex relationships and even more dazzling special effects.” — Richard Freedman, The (Springfield, MA) Morning Union

“The long-awaited sequel to Star Wars is equal to its stellar predecessor. It’s a first rate achievement that shouldn’t be missed.” — Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

“The Empire Strikes Back joins The Godfather, Part II as one of the rarest of films—a sequel that lives up to and expands upon its original…. It’s not an exaggeration to compare the world of Star Wars to the Land of Oz. The Star Wars saga—a series of nine planned films—promises to be an even more complete world than Oz, and just as enduring. The appeal of visiting Oz is that it is a magical place over the rainbow. The appeal of Star Wars and, now, The Empire Strikes Back, is that it also takes us to a magical place—the childhood of our mind.” — Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

PRODUCTION & EXHIBITION INFORMATION + TRIVIA

The longest, most-successful engagement of Empire was a 61-week run in Seattle at the UA Cinema 150.

In terms of box-office gross, The Empire Strikes Back is the least successful Star Wars movie. Adjusted for inflation, however, it is the second-highest-grossing movie in the series.

Principal photography commenced on March 5, 1979, in Finse, Norway, and concluded (several weeks over schedule) on September 24, 1979, at EMI Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, England. The visual effects were created during 1979-80 at Industrial Light & Magic, in Marin County, California.

Empire, at the time of its release, had the industry’s largest one-time order of 70mm prints (124 working prints on opening day, more than a dozen for Release Wave #2, and several more for international release). Some of the markets that played the movie in 70mm that didn’t open until Release Wave #2 included Las Vegas (Parkway), Modesto (Briggsmore), Monterey (Cinema 70), and Tucson (El Dorado). Empire was among eleven first-run movies released with 70mm prints during 1980. Expensive large-format 70mm prints were chosen for the initial and major market presentations of Empire so as to showcase the movie with the best possible projection and sound quality available at the time and to reduce the chances the movie would be pirated and sold on the home-video market.

There were some content differences between the Empire’s 35mm and 70mm prints. The 70mm prints were prepared and distributed first and, as such, more time was available for the filmmakers to finesse the 35mm general-release edition. Ironically, this meant that critics and moviegoers in the major markets did not see the “final” version of the movie. Most of the differences were subtle and editorial in nature, such as a scene beginning or ending with a different transitional effect (wipe pattern, straight cut, dissolve, etc.). Some visual effects were re-filmed and/or re-composited for the 35mm edition. Some scenes featured different takes for selected shots, and the final scene is longer in the 35mm edition, featuring additional spaceship fly-bys, an additional line of dialogue, and a brief music cue borrowed from another scene.

On Day One of its release, the UA Egyptian in Los Angeles and UA Cinema 150 in Seattle began showing Empire at midnight and continued with an all-day marathon.

To be eligible to play Empire during its first wave of release (which commenced May 21st), theaters had to be capable of presenting the movie in 70mm and agree to play the movie for a minimum of 16 weeks with a sliding scale distributor/exhibitor split beginning heavily in favor of the distributor. June 18th was the earliest Empire could be played if a theater was not equipped for 70mm and/or an exhibitor did not wish to commit to the minimum-run terms

On its first day of release, Empire broke house records in all but two of its engagements.

Empire was re-released theatrically in 1981, 1982 (which included a trailer for Revenge of the Jedi), 1983 (limited-market double feature with Star Wars), and 1997 (restored and expanded by three minutes).

Empire was released on home video in November 1984, fifty-four months after theatrical release. The VHS and Beta tapes were priced for rental ($79.98); the videodisc editions retailed for $29.98.

PRINCIPAL CAST & CREW:


Luke Skywalker – Mark Hamill
Han Solo – Harrison Ford
Princess Leia – Carrie Fisher
Lando Calrissian – Billy Dee Williams
C-3PO – Anthony Daniels
Darth Vader – David Prowse
Chewbacca – Peter Mayhew
R2-D2 – Kenny Baker
Yoda – Frank Oz

Director – Irvin Kershner
Producer – Gary Kurtz
Screenplay – Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan (Screenplay), George Lucas (Story)
Executive Producer – George Lucas
Production Designer – Norman Reynolds
Director of Photography – Peter Suschitzky, BSC
Editor – Paul Hirsch, ACE
Special Visual Effects – Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund
Music – John Williams
Associate Producers – Robert Watts, James Bloom
Design Consultant and Conceptual Artist – Ralph McQuarrie
Make-up and Special Creature Design – Stuart Freeborn
Costume Designer – John Mollo
Sound Design and Supervising Sound Effects Editor – Ben Burtt
Production Sound – Peter Sutton
Re-Recording – Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker

Distributor – 20th Century-Fox
Production Company – Lucasfilm Ltd.
Release Date – May 21, 1980
Running Time – 124 minutes
Projection Format – Scope
Sound Format – Dolby Stereo
MPAA Rating – PG

I certainly hope that's Han, not Luke, holding Leia in a Rhett-and-Scarlett pose; at a glance it's hard to tell (though from a closer look it does seem to be more like Han). At the time they were still playing off Han & Luke as romantic rivals for Leia; even the ending of TESB didn't fully expose the truth. (Though Vader told Luke "I am your father" in TESB, IIRC the world didn't know he was also Leia's father till ROTJ.) Nowadays, the thought of Luke holding Leia that way is just creepy.

[Angel Eyes]

Originally Posted by RBBrittain

I certainly hope that's Han, not Luke, holding Leia in a Rhett-and-Scarlett pose; at a glance it's hard to tell (though from a closer look it does seem to be more like Han). At the time they were still playing off Han & Luke as romantic rivals for Leia; even the ending of TESB didn't fully expose the truth. (Though Vader told Luke "I am your father" in TESB, IIRC the world didn't know he was also Leia's father till ROTJ.) Nowadays, the thought of Luke holding Leia that way is just creepy.

That was the biggest mistake in the whole OT and was not even going to happen at first. In fact had the right people still been around George for ROTJ it never would have happened.

[HeavyHitter]

How the Famous 'I Love You/I Know' Scene From 'The Empire Strikes Back' Really Came Together

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/the-emp...550611107.html

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by Terminated

And to celebrate i thought i would share some "DID YOU KNOW" stuff with you.

[Show spoiler]
Ready:

EMPIRE NUMBER$

1 = Rank on list of top-grossing films of 1980
1 = Rank on list of top box-office rentals of 1980
2 = Number of Academy Awards
2 = Rank on all-time list of top film rentals at close of run (domestic)
2 = Rank on all-time list of top film rentals at close of run (worldwide)
2 = Rank on all-time list of top-grossing films at close of run (worldwide)
3 = Number of Academy Award nominations
3 = Rank on all-time list of top-grossing films at close of run (domestic)
11 = Number of weeks top-grossing film (weeks 1-3 and 5-12)
12 = Rank on current list of all-time top-grossing films (adjusted for inflation)
54 = Number of months between theatrical release and home-video release
59 = Number of days to surpass $100 million*
61 = Number of weeks of longest-running engagement
62 = Rank on current list of all-time top-grossing films
127 = Number of opening-week bookings
823 = Number of bookings during first week of wide release

$38,972 = Opening-weekend per screen average
$1.3 million = Opening-day box-office gross
$4.9 million = Opening-weekend box-office gross (3-day)
$5.0 million = Amount of profit Lucas shared with cast & crew and Lucasfilm employees
$6.4 million = Opening-weekend box-office gross (4-day)
$7.4 million = Box-office rental (1982 re-release)
$9.6 million = Opening-week box-office gross (7-day)
$10.8 million = Box-office gross for first weekend of wide release (823 theaters, June 20-22, 1980)
$13.3 million = Box-office gross (1982 re-release)
$14.2 million = Box-office rental (1981 re-release)
$28.0 million = Box-office gross (1981 re-release)
$34.0 million = Amount 20th Century-Fox received in advance guarantees from exhibitors
$32.0 million = Production cost
$40.0 million = Amount 20th Century-Fox earned in distribution fees
$67.6 million = Box-office gross (1997 re-release)
$91.7 million = Production cost (adjusted for inflation)
$120.0 million = Box-office rental (original release)
$134.2 million = Box-office rental (original release + 1981 re-release)
$141.6 million = Box-office rental (original release + 1981 & 1982 re-releases)
$165.0 million = Box-office rental (worldwide, original release)
$181.4 million = Box-office gross (original release)
$209.4 million = Box-office gross (original release + 1981 re-release)
$222.7 million = Box-office gross (original release + 1981 & 1982 re-releases)
$290.5 million = Box-office gross (original + 81, 82 & 97 re-releases)
$365.0 million = Box-office gross (worldwide, original release)
$538.4 million = Box-office gross (worldwide)
$797.2 million = Box-office gross (cumulative domestic, adjusted for inflation)
$1.5 billion = Box-office gross (cumulative worldwide, adjusted for inflation)

Some reviews from that time:

“Amazingly, the sequel to Star Wars is almost as good as the original movie, and it should be just as successful. Less frenetic and less rounded, it has the compensating virtues of more complex relationships and even more dazzling special effects.” — Richard Freedman, The (Springfield, MA) Morning Union

“The long-awaited sequel to Star Wars is equal to its stellar predecessor. It’s a first rate achievement that shouldn’t be missed.” — Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

“The Empire Strikes Back joins The Godfather, Part II as one of the rarest of films—a sequel that lives up to and expands upon its original…. It’s not an exaggeration to compare the world of Star Wars to the Land of Oz. The Star Wars saga—a series of nine planned films—promises to be an even more complete world than Oz, and just as enduring. The appeal of visiting Oz is that it is a magical place over the rainbow. The appeal of Star Wars and, now, The Empire Strikes Back, is that it also takes us to a magical place—the childhood of our mind.” — Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

PRODUCTION & EXHIBITION INFORMATION + TRIVIA

The longest, most-successful engagement of Empire was a 61-week run in Seattle at the UA Cinema 150.

In terms of box-office gross, The Empire Strikes Back is the least successful Star Wars movie. Adjusted for inflation, however, it is the second-highest-grossing movie in the series.

Principal photography commenced on March 5, 1979, in Finse, Norway, and concluded (several weeks over schedule) on September 24, 1979, at EMI Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, England. The visual effects were created during 1979-80 at Industrial Light & Magic, in Marin County, California.

Empire, at the time of its release, had the industry’s largest one-time order of 70mm prints (124 working prints on opening day, more than a dozen for Release Wave #2, and several more for international release). Some of the markets that played the movie in 70mm that didn’t open until Release Wave #2 included Las Vegas (Parkway), Modesto (Briggsmore), Monterey (Cinema 70), and Tucson (El Dorado). Empire was among eleven first-run movies released with 70mm prints during 1980. Expensive large-format 70mm prints were chosen for the initial and major market presentations of Empire so as to showcase the movie with the best possible projection and sound quality available at the time and to reduce the chances the movie would be pirated and sold on the home-video market.

There were some content differences between the Empire’s 35mm and 70mm prints. The 70mm prints were prepared and distributed first and, as such, more time was available for the filmmakers to finesse the 35mm general-release edition. Ironically, this meant that critics and moviegoers in the major markets did not see the “final” version of the movie. Most of the differences were subtle and editorial in nature, such as a scene beginning or ending with a different transitional effect (wipe pattern, straight cut, dissolve, etc.). Some visual effects were re-filmed and/or re-composited for the 35mm edition. Some scenes featured different takes for selected shots, and the final scene is longer in the 35mm edition, featuring additional spaceship fly-bys, an additional line of dialogue, and a brief music cue borrowed from another scene.

On Day One of its release, the UA Egyptian in Los Angeles and UA Cinema 150 in Seattle began showing Empire at midnight and continued with an all-day marathon.

To be eligible to play Empire during its first wave of release (which commenced May 21st), theaters had to be capable of presenting the movie in 70mm and agree to play the movie for a minimum of 16 weeks with a sliding scale distributor/exhibitor split beginning heavily in favor of the distributor. June 18th was the earliest Empire could be played if a theater was not equipped for 70mm and/or an exhibitor did not wish to commit to the minimum-run terms

On its first day of release, Empire broke house records in all but two of its engagements.

Empire was re-released theatrically in 1981, 1982 (which included a trailer for Revenge of the Jedi), 1983 (limited-market double feature with Star Wars), and 1997 (restored and expanded by three minutes).

Empire was released on home video in November 1984, fifty-four months after theatrical release. The VHS and Beta tapes were priced for rental ($79.98); the videodisc editions retailed for $29.98.

PRINCIPAL CAST & CREW:


Luke Skywalker – Mark Hamill
Han Solo – Harrison Ford
Princess Leia – Carrie Fisher
Lando Calrissian – Billy Dee Williams
C-3PO – Anthony Daniels
Darth Vader – David Prowse
Chewbacca – Peter Mayhew
R2-D2 – Kenny Baker
Yoda – Frank Oz

Director – Irvin Kershner
Producer – Gary Kurtz
Screenplay – Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan (Screenplay), George Lucas (Story)
Executive Producer – George Lucas
Production Designer – Norman Reynolds
Director of Photography – Peter Suschitzky, BSC
Editor – Paul Hirsch, ACE
Special Visual Effects – Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund
Music – John Williams
Associate Producers – Robert Watts, James Bloom
Design Consultant and Conceptual Artist – Ralph McQuarrie
Make-up and Special Creature Design – Stuart Freeborn
Costume Designer – John Mollo
Sound Design and Supervising Sound Effects Editor – Ben Burtt
Production Sound – Peter Sutton
Re-Recording – Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker

Distributor – 20th Century-Fox
Production Company – Lucasfilm Ltd.
Release Date – May 21, 1980
Running Time – 124 minutes
Projection Format – Scope
Sound Format – Dolby Stereo
MPAA Rating – PG

[Show spoiler]

Unless you are Michael Coate, it would have been nice if you had given him credit since you stole all the stuff from his research and article.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

[/SPOILER]
Unless you are Michael Coate, it would have been nice if you had given him credit since you stole all the stuff from his research and article.

Credit where credit's due, but that's an article? It looks like 15 minutes on Wikipedia, IMDB and Box Office Mojo ...

[Himmel]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

[/SPOILER]
Unless you are Michael Coate, it would have been nice if you had given him credit since you stole all the stuff from his research and article.

Oh! sorry i forgot to put the link up to the article...i have adjusted it. sorry.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by chip75

Credit where credit's due, but that's an article? It looks like 15 minutes on Wikipedia, IMDB and Box Office Mojo ...

Yeah, I wouldn't really call it an article either. It's a list of facts.

[Thomas Guycott]

Originally Posted by chip75

Credit where credit's due, but that's an article? It looks like 15 minutes on Wikipedia, IMDB and Box Office Mojo ...

Originally Posted by Scarface32

Yeah, I wouldn't really call it an article either. It's a list of facts.

And as we all know (or should know) you can't copyright or plagerize facts.

(Although you should always cite your sources.)