In the Disney era, December is the month we see most new "Star Wars" films.
And that's why Friday, May 25, might seem like a random release date for “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Some might even wonder why the movie wasn’t released on the unofficial "Star Wars" holiday — May the Fourth.
But original "Star Wars" fans will recognize the date.
On May 25, 1977, the box-office hit “Star Wars” (later renamed “Episode IV: A New Hope”) was released 41 years ago. It was an instant hit, ranking No. 1 and making over $1.5 million from the 43 theaters across the United States that showed it during its opening weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.
In the middle of the original crowds of fans clamoring to watch the film was the now director of “Solo,” Ron Howard. According to a recent interviewby NBC’s "Today," Howard loved it so much, he turned right around and got back in line to watch it again.
The film was so immediately popular that it played in 750 theaters a month and a half later, which is over 17 times as many as the first release. The wider release made over $6.8 million during opening weekend alone.
Film critic Vincent Canby of The New York Times raved about “Star Wars” when it was first released, no one predicted how quickly this movie would become a classic and open a world that’s still continuing 41 years later.
“‘Star Wars,’ which opened yesterday at the Astor Plaza, Orpheum and other theaters, is the most elaborate, most expensive, most beautiful movie serial ever made,” Canby wrote.
Time magazine described it as “a grand and glorious film that may well be the smash hit of 1977, and certainly is the best movie of the year so far.”
Reporters like Anna Quindlen scrambled to interview the stars at the time, dropping everything to fly to wherever they were.
Others like Paulina Kael of The New Yorker speculated on why the movie was such a hit. Her theory? The film used youthful fantasies to connect with the viewer’s inner child.
“‘Star Wars’ is like getting a box of Cracker Jack which is all prizes,” she wrote. “The excitement of those who call it the film of the year goes way past nostalgia to the feeling that now is the time to return to childhood.”
Though the franchise has changed over time to include book series, cartoons, video games, eight more movies and even a theme park, the release of the Han Solo prequel on the 41st anniversary of the original film ties it all back to the beginning — the nostalgia for a long, long time ago.