#40: The First Star Wars in Theaters

Speaking of watching Star Wars: A New Hope in theaters, this black-and-white photo shows how popular the movie was when it debuted in 1977. The line at this movie theater goes all the way out the door and wraps around the theater. It looks like some people are exiting the theater from the side. It’s safe to assume that people were waiting hours to glimpse the first Star Wars movie. 

Few people were excited when George Lucas approached studios with his sci-fi movie idea. Movie executives didn’t think the film would be financially successful, and Lucas went over budget by $3 million while filming. Well, the execs were wrong. Sci-fi fans went wild when the first Star Wars debuted in 1977. Today, A New Hope is the fourth highest-grossing film of all time.