Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: "Return of the Jedi" -- 30 Years Old Today

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Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 05-25-2013, 11:16 PM:

Man, I'm getting old! It seems like just a few years ago, I was waiting in quite the long line to see this. Anyway, I'd like to share this retrospective thing I put together for The Digital Bits. (Warning: It's lengthy article, so don't read it if you have a short attention span.)

In particular, I thought those of you who have been in the business for a while might enjoy seeing the list of theaters where this played first-run. Hopefully it will bring back good memories of working and/or seeing movies at some of these theaters, whether it was "Jedi" or others.

If you spot any goofs or anything that looks wonky, go ahead and make it a part of the conversation (or email me about it).

quote: The Digital Bits

WHERE WERE YOU ON OPENING DAY?
REMEMBERING “RETURN OF THE JEDI” ON ITS 30th ANNIVERSARY

Compiled by Michael Coate

“The first triple crown of motion pictures.” — Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times

May 25, 1983…one of the most famous and memorable days in motion picture history. If you are a Star Wars fan of a certain age, chances are you remember where you were that day. Like countless others who ditched school or called in sick to work, you were probably standing in a very long line awaiting your opportunity to see the concluding chapter of George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy. Yes, believe it or not, Return of the Jedi has turned thirty years old.

The tributes and retrospectives have begun to appear in honor of Jedi’s 30th anniversary. Now being promoted, J.W. Rinzler’s eagerly-awaited The Making of Return of the Jedi will hit book stores this autumn. Earlier this month, the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles hosted the new (and hopefully annual) CapeTown Film Fest, the brainchild of Entertainment Weekly and former Los Angeles Times’ “Hero Complex” journalist Geoff Boucher. The fest included a 30th anniversary screening of Jedi at one of the few surviving theaters where Jedi originally played and even included an appearance by Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, who reminisced in a Q&A about its production and original release. Also screened with Jedi was Fanboys director Kyle Newman’s amusing and heartfelt new short film The Return of Return of the Jedi: 30 Years and Counting. And it’s now the Bits’ turn to get in on the anniversary action, and what better way to take you back to the time and place of experiencing Jedi for the first time than by showcasing a list of the theaters in which it opened?

Yes, what follows is a list of the movie theaters in the United States and Canada that opened Return of the Jedi on May 25, 1983. (There were, of course, hundreds of additional theaters, primarily in smaller cities, that played Jedi later that summer, but this retrospective focuses on the first wave of its release.) Following the list of original engagements is a collection of box-office data, which places the movie’s performance in context, as well as some reviewer quotes and production & release trivia.

Up to that point in time, Return of the Jedi was arguably the biggest motion picture event ever, with fans in some cities lining up days in advance to be among the first to see the movie. It may be difficult to comprehend or recall in the Internet/Social Media age, but never before had the industry witnessed this level of frenzy during the launch of a new movie. News coverage was beyond saturated with the opening making the front page of many a newspaper and even prompting some television news broadcasts to bump “if it bleeds it leads” stories to second place in favor of Star Wars. George Lucas even made the cover of TIME.

Jedi’s release is noteworthy as it was the first Star Wars movie to get a wide release, at least by 1980s standards, which offered a chance for millions of fans to experience the movie when it was brand new (as is common practice today albeit on a smaller scale). Jedi launched on just over 1,000 screens in about 800 theaters. In comparison, the opening weekend of the original Star Wars was in a mere 43 theaters. The Empire Strikes Back’s opening weekend theater tally was 127. Both movies took several weeks to reach a nationwide saturation level.

Aside from hopefully sparking good memories of seeing Return of the Jedi, this article provides a snapshot of sorts of the movie business in 1980s and offers a striking reminder of how going to the movies has evolved. So, without further ado…where were you on opening day?

ALABAMA
Birmingham – Cobb VILLAGE EAST TWIN (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Decatur – United BELTLINE 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Dothan – Davis NORTHSIDE MALL CINEMA 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Florence – Martin CAPRI TWIN
Gadsden – Gadsden GADSDEN TWIN
Hoover – Cobb HOOVER TWIN
Huntsville – Martin WESTBURY TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Mobile – Giddens & Rester BEL AIR TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Montgomery – Martin EASTDALE TRIPLE
Oxford – Litchfield CHEAHA CINEMAS
Tuscaloosa – Cobb FOX 4

ALASKA
No theaters in Alaska opened “Return of the Jedi” on May 25.

ALBERTA
Calgary – Famous Players PALACE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Edmonton – Famous Players WESTMOUNT A & B (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

ARIZONA
Flagstaff – Nace FLAG EAST
Mesa – American Multi-Cinema FIESTA VILLAGE 6
Phoenix – General Cinema METRO CENTER MALL CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Phoenix – General Cinema PARADISE VALLEY MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV
Phoenix – General Cinema WESTRIDGE MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI
Phoenix – United Artists CHRIS-TOWN MALL CINEMAS 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Scottsdale – Nace KACHINA (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Tucson – Plitt FOOTHILLS 4 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Tucson – TM EL CON 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Yuma – PLAZA 5

ARKANSAS
Fayetteville – Malco RAZORBACK TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Fort Smith – Malco MALL TRIO (Dolby Stereo)
Hot Springs – Rand MALL CINEMA 4
Jonesboro – Malco MALCO 5 (Dolby Stereo)
Little Rock – United Artists CINEMA 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Little Rock – United Artists CINEMA CITY (Dolby Stereo)
North Little Rock – General Cinema McCAIN MALL CINEMA I & II
Pine Bluff – Commonwealth BROADMOOR 3

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Vancouver – Odeon VOGUE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Victoria – Odeon HAIDA (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

CALIFORNIA
Albany – Foster ALBANY 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Anderson – United Artists GATEWAY CINEMAS 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Antioch – Stamm STAMM (Dolby Stereo)
Arcadia – General Cinema SANTA ANITA CINEMA I-II-III-IV
Auburn – Redwood STATE TWIN
Bakersfield – General Cinema VALLEY PLAZA CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Belmont – West Side Valley BELMONT 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Brea – United Artists MOVIES 4
Campbell – United Artists PRUNEYARD 3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Carlsbad – CINEMA PLAZA 5 (Dolby Stereo)
Cerritos – United Artists CERRITOS MALL TWIN (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Chico – United Artists EL REY (Dolby Stereo)
Citrus Heights – United Artists SUNRISE 4
City of Industry – American Multi-Cinema PUENTE 10 (Dolby Stereo)
Corte Madera – Marin CINEMA (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Costa Mesa – Edwards TOWN CENTER 4 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Davis – West Side Valley CINEMA 2
Dublin – Enea DUBLIN 6 (Dolby Stereo)
El Cajon – United Artists PARKWAY PLAZA 3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
El Centro – VALLEY CINEMAS 1-6
Encinitas – American Multi-Cinema WIEGAND PLAZA 6
Eureka – Redwood STATE 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Fairfield – Tegtmeier FAIRFIELD CINEMA 1 & 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Fremont – Syufy CINEDOME 7 EAST (Dolby Stereo)
Fresno – Festival REGENCY CINEMAS
Fresno – United Artists MOVIES 4
Grass Valley – United Artists DEL ORO 3
Hayward – United Artists HAYWARD 5 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Hemet – HOLIDAY 3 (Dolby Stereo)
La Mirada – Pacific LA MIRADA 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Lancaster – Great Western MOVIES 7
Long Beach – United Artists MOVIES 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Los Angeles (Eagle Rock) – Pacific EAGLE ROCK PLAZA 4
Los Angeles (Hollywood) – United Artists EGYPTIAN I-II-III (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Los Angeles (North Hollywood) – United Artists MOVIES 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Los Angeles (Northridge) – General Cinema FASHION CENTER CINEMA I-II-III
Los Angeles (Sherman Oaks) – General Cinema SHERMAN OAKS CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V (Dolby Stereo)
Los Angeles (University Park) – UNIVERSITY VILLAGE 3
Los Angeles (Westwood Village) – General Cinema AVCO CENTER (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo) (THX)
Los Angeles (Woodland Hills) – United Artists WARNER CENTER 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Marina del Rey – United Artists CINEMA 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Marysville – United Artists STATE 3
Merced – United Artists REGENCY 4 <opened May 27>
Mission Viejo – Edwards MISSION VIEJO MALL 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Modesto – Festival FESTIVAL CINEMAS
Montclair – United Artists MOVIES 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Monterey – United Artists CINEMA 70 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Monterey Park – Edwards MONTEREY MALL 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Morgan Hill – GRANADA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Mountain View – American Multi-Cinema OLD MILL 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Napa – Syufy CINEDOME 4
National City – Pacific SWEETWATER 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Newhall – Great Western PLAZA
Newport Beach – Edwards NEWPORT CINEMAS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Oakland – Foster PIEDMONT (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Orange – Syufy CINEDOME 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Palm Springs – Metropolitan CAMELOT 3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Pleasant Hill – Syufy CENTURY 5 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Porterville – PORTER CINEMAS I, II & III
Redondo Beach – General Cinema SOUTH BAY CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Redwood City – United Artists REDWOOD 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Richmond – Plitt HILLTOP MALL 1-2-3-4
Riverside – United Artists TYLER MALL CINEMA 4 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Sacramento – United Artists ARDEN FAIR 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Salinas – Syufy NORTHRIDGE 8 (Dolby Stereo)
San Bernardino – General Cinema INLAND CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
San Bruno – United Artists TANFORAN PARK 4
San Diego – Mann RANCHO BERNARDO 6
San Diego – Pacific CENTER 3 (Dolby Stereo)
San Diego – Pacific LA JOLLA VILLAGE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
San Diego – United Artists GLASSHOUSE 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
San Francisco – United Artists CORONET (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
San Luis Obispo – Mann FREMONT
Santa Barbara – Metropolitan ARLINGTON CENTER (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Santa Clara – United Artists CINEMA 150 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Santa Cruz – United Artists RIO
Santa Maria – United Artists MOVIES 3
Santa Rosa – United Artists MOVIES 3
Simi Valley – Metropolitan LARWIN TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Sonora – West Side Valley PLAZA TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
South Lake Tahoe – Luxury STATELINE (Dolby Stereo)
Stockton – Plitt SHERWOOD
Thousand Oaks – United Artists MOVIES 5 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Ventura – Metropolitan VENTURA (Dolby Stereo)
Victorville – Western Amusements MOVIES 7 (Dolby Stereo)
West Covina – Sanborn WESCOVE 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Westminster – United Artists WESTMINSTER MALL TWIN (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

COLORADO
Boulder – Commonwealth VILLAGE 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Colorado Springs – Commonwealth COOPER 3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Colorado Springs – Commonwealth HANCOCK PLAZA 4
Colorado Springs – Commonwealth MALL OF THE BLUFFS 2
Denver – Commonwealth CONTINENTAL (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Denver – Commonwealth COOPER (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Durango – Mann KIVA
Fort Collins – Commonwealth CAMPUS WEST (Dolby Stereo)
Grand Junction – Commonwealth COOPER (Dolby Stereo)
Greeley – Commonwealth COOPER 1 & 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Longmont – Klein PARKWAY
Loveland – Commonwealth ORCHARDS TWIN
Pueblo – Commonwealth PUEBLO MALL 3 (Dolby Stereo)

CONNECTICUT
Bridgeport – RKO Century MERRITT TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Danbury – Trans-Lux CINE I,II,III
Enfield – Sonderling CINE ENFIELD 6
Farmington – United Artists THE MOVIES AT WESTFARMS
Groton – United Artists GROTON 1 & 2
Hartford – Sonderling CINEMA CITY
Manchester – United Artists THEATRE EAST 1-2-3
Meriden – MERIDEN TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Middletown – Sack THE MOVIEHOUSE
Newington – Showcase NEWINGTON
Old Saybrook – Interstate SAYBROOK CINEMAS
Orange – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Stamford – Trans-Lux RIDGEWAY (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Waterbury – General Cinema NAUGATUCK VALEY MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Westport – Nutmeg FINE ARTS I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Willimantic – JILLSON SQUARE CINEMAS

DELAWARE
Christiana – General Cinema CHRISTIANA MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V (Dolby Stereo)
Dover – Schwartz BLUE HEN MALL

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Washington – General Cinema JENIFER CINEMA I & II (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Washington – Washington Circle MacARTHUR III (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

FLORIDA
Boca Raton – Wometco BOCA RATON TWIN
Bradenton – United Artists THE MOVIES AT DeSOTO SQUARE (Dolby Stereo)
Brandon – Plitt PLITT 1-2-3-4 (Dolby Stereo)
Clearwater – American Multi-Cinema COUNTRYSIDE 6
Clearwater – Plitt SUNSHINE MALL 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Coral Gables – Plitt GABLES 1-2-3
Coral Springs – Loews CORAL SPRINGS 6
Daytona Beach – American Multi-Cinema BELLAIR 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Fort Lauderdale – General Cinema GALLERIA CINEMA I-II-III-IV
Fort Myers – Cobb BELL TOWER 6
Fort Pierce – Cobb VILLAGE 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Gainesville – Wometco PLAZA 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Hialeah – General Cinema HIALEAH CINEMA I-II-III
Hollywood – Plitt FLORIDA 1-2
Homestead – Wometco CAMPBELL SQUARE 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Jacksonville – Plitt REGENCY 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Jupiter – Cobb JUPITER 3
Kendale Lakes – Wometco MILLER SQUARE 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Kendall – Wometco DADELAND 3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Lake Worth – MOVIES OF LAKE WORTH
Lakeland – General Cinema GROVE PARK CINEMA I & II
Lauderdale Lakes – American Multi-Cinema LAKES 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Leesburg – American Multi-Cinema LAKE SQUARE 6
Mary Esther – Ogden-Perry SANTA ROSA CINEMA III (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Merritt Island – American Multi-Cinema MERRITT SQUARE 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Miami Beach – Wometco BYRON CARLYLE 3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Naples – Cobb COASTLAND 2
North Miami Beach – Wometco 163rd STREET 3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Ocala – Plitt SPRINGS 1-2-3 (Dolby Stereo)
Orange Park – American Multi-Cinema ORANGE PARK MALL 5 (Dolby Stereo)
Orlando – General Cinema FASHION SQUARE CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Palm Beach Gardens – General Cinema PGA CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI (Dolby Stereo)
Panama City – Martin FLORIDA TRIPLE
Pensacola – United Artists UNIVERSITY MALL CINEMAS 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Pinellas Park – General Cinema PINELLAS SQUARE CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Plantation – United Artists THE MOVIES AT PLANTATION (Dolby Stereo)
Pompano Beach – United Artists THE MOVIES AT POMPANO (Dolby Stereo)
Port Richey – Cobb EMBASSY 6
St. Petersburg – American Multi-Cinema TYRONE SQUARE 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Sarasota – Plitt PLAZA 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Satellite Beach – Kent SATELLITE 2 (Dolby Stereo)
South Daytona – Plitt SUNSHINE MALL 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Tallahassee – Litchfield CAPITOL CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Tampa – General Cinema EASTLAKE SQUARE CINEMA I-II-III
Tampa – General Cinema UNIVERSITY SQUARE CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Tampa – Plitt HILLSBORO 1-2-3 (Dolby Stereo)
Titusville – MIRACLE CITY 1 & 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Vero Beach – Cobb PLAZA 1 & 2
Wellington – WELLINGTON TWIN
West Palm Beach – American Multi-Cinema CROSS COUNTY 8 (Dolby Stereo)
West Palm Beach – General Cinema CINEMA 70 I-II-III
Winter Haven – Floyd BOULEVARD 3
Winter Park – Wometco WINTER PARK 3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

GEORGIA
Albany – Martin MARTIN 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Athens – General Cinema GEORGIA SQUARE CINEMA I-II-III-IV
Atlanta – General Cinema AKERS MILL SQUARE CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Atlanta – Plitt PHIPPS PLAZA 1-2-3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Augusta – Plitt NATIONAL HILLS (Dolby Stereo)
Brunswick – Georgia ALTAMA VILLAGE TRIPLE
College Park – Storey NATIONAL 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Columbus – Martin COLUMBUS SQUARE 8 (Dolby Stereo)
Decatur – Georgia SOUTH DEKALB MALL QUAD (Dolby Stereo)
Gainesville – Litchfield CINEMAS WEST (Dolby Stereo)
Macon – Georgia RIVERSIDE 4
Morrow – General Cinema SOUTHLAKE CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Roswell – Septum BRANNON SQUARE TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Savannah – Weis CINEMA CENTRE (Dolby Stereo)
Stone Mountain – Plitt STONEMONT 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Tucker – General Cinema NORTHLAKE CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Valdosta – Martin CINEMA TWIN

HAWAII
No theaters in Hawaii opened “Return of the Jedi” on May 25.

IDAHO
Boise – Odell PLAZA TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Chubbuck – STARLITE CINEMAS
Coeur d’Alene – Luxury COEUR D’ALENE CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Idaho Falls – Mann PARAMOUNT
Nampa – Odell KARCHER TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Twin Falls – Interstate TWIN MALL (Dolby Stereo)

ILLINOIS
Alton – Bloomer EASTGATE TWIN
Aurora – Plitt FOX VALLEY 1-2-3-4-5-6 (Dolby Stereo)
Belleville – Bloomer CINEMA (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Bloomington – General Cinema EASTLAND CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Bolingbrook – Plitt BOLINGBROOK 1-2-3-4
Calumet City – Plitt RIVER OAKS 1-2-3-4-5-6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Carbondale – Kerasotes VARSITY 1-2-3 (Dolby Stereo)
Carpentersville – Plitt SPRING HILL 1-2-3-4 (Dolby Stereo)
Champaign – General Cinema MARKET PLACE CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Chicago – Essaness PLAZA 1-2-3 (Dolby Stereo)
Chicago – General Cinema FORD CITY CINEMA I-II-III (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Chicago – Plitt ESQUIRE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Chicago – Plitt GATEWAY (Dolby Stereo)
Chicago – Plitt STATE-LAKE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Forest Park – Essaness FOREST PARK MALL 1-2-3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Forsyth – American Multi-Cinema HICKORY POINT 6
Joliet – Plitt HILLCREST 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Kankakee – Bachman MEADOWVIEW 1-2-3 (Dolby Stereo)
Lombard – General Cinema YORKTOWN CINEMA I-II-III (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Machesney Park – United Artists THE MOVIES AT MACHESNEY PARK
Moline – Redstone PARKWAY (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Mount Prospect – General Cinema RANDHURST CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Niles – Essaness GOLF MILL 1-2-3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Northbrook – Center EDENS 1-2 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Peoria – Kerasotes BEVERLY (Dolby Stereo)
Quincy – Kerasotes SHOWCASE 4
Rockford – Plitt CHERRYVALE 1-2-3 (Dolby Stereo)
St. Charles – Essaness FOXFIELD 1-2-3 (Dolby Stereo)
Schaumburg – Plitt WOODFIELD 1-2-3-4 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Springfield – Wehrenberg FOX TOWN & COUNTRY
Tinley Park – Essaness BREMEN 1-2-3-4 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Vernon Hills – Plitt HAWTHORN 1-2-3-4 (Dolby Stereo)
Waukegan – General Cinema LAKEHURST CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)

INDIANA
Bloomington – General Cinema COLLEGE MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Columbus – General Cinema COURTHOUSE CENTER CINEMA I & II
Elkhart – Miller CINEMA 1
Evansville – Koewler EAST PARK CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Evansville – Stieler NORTH PARK CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Fort Wayne – General Cinema SOUTHTOWN MALL CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Fort Wayne – Mallers-Spirou HOLIDAY 1-2 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Gary – General Cinema RIDGE PLAZA CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Greenwood – Loews GREENWOOD 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Indianapolis – General Cinema GLENDALE CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI (Dolby Stereo)
Indianapolis – General Cinema LAFAYETTE SQUARE CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V (Dolby Stereo)
Indianapolis – Y&W EASTWOOD (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Kokomo – General Cinema KOKOMO MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Michigan City – General Cinema MICHIGAN CITY CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI
Muncie – General Cinema NORTHWEST PLAZA CINEMA I-II-III
South Bend – FORUM 1 & 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Terre Haute – General Cinema TOWNE SOUTH PLAZA CINEMA I-II-III
West Lafayette – CINEMA WEST

IOWA
Cedar Rapids – Dubinsky PLAZA (Dolby Stereo)
Davenport – General Cinema NORTHPARK CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Des Moines – Dubinsky RIVER HILLS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Dubuque – Dubuque CINEMA CENTER (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Sioux City – General Cinema SOUTHERN HILLS MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Waterloo – Carisch CROSSROADS 7

KANSAS
Hutchinson – Commonwealth ALCO PLAZA CINEMA TWIN
Lawrence – Commonwealth GRANADA
Manhattan – Commonwealth WAREHAM (Dolby Stereo)
Overland Park – Dickinson GLENWOOD I & II (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Topeka – General Cinema TOPEKA BOULEVARD CINEMA I-II-III
Wichita – Commonwealth TWIN LAKES (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Wichita – Dickinson MALL (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

KENTUCKY
Ashland – Midstates MIDTOWN CINEMAS 1-2-3 (Dolby Stereo)
Bowling Green – Martin PLAZA TWIN
Florence – Midstates FLORENCE CINEMAS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Lexington – General Cinema TURFLAND MALL CINEMA I & II
Lexington – Midstates SOUTHPARK 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Louisville – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Owensboro – Malco PLAZA TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Paducah – American Multi-Cinema PADUCAH CINEMAS 1 & 2

LOUISIANA
Alexandria – General Cinema ALEXANDRIA MALL CINEMA I & II
Baton Rouge – General Cinema CORTANA MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Baton Rouge – Gulf States UNIVERSITY 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Houma – Gulf States SOUTHLAND 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Lafayette – Gulf States WESTWOOD (Dolby Stereo)
Lake Charles – Ogden-Perry CHARLES CINEMA III (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Metairie – General Cinema LAKESIDE CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Monroe – Plitt PLAZA TWIN
New Orleans – Gulf States AURORA CINEMA 6
New Orleans – Gulf States PLAZA CINEMA 4 (Dolby Stereo)
New Orleans – Joy JOY 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Shreveport – General Cinema SOUTH PARK MALL CINEMA I & II
Shreveport – Gulf States SHREVE CITY 2 (Dolby Stereo)

MAINE
Auburn – Cinema Centers AUBURN MALL TWIN
Augusta – Melrose STATE STREET CINEMAS
Brewer – Cinema Centers BREWER CINEMA 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Bridgton – MAGIC LANTERN
Brunswick – Sonderling BRUNSWICK CINEMAS
Sanford – Spinelli SANFORD TWIN
South Portland – General Cinema MAINE MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI-VII (Dolby Stereo)
Waterville – Sonderling CINEMA CENTER
Windham – WINDHAM MALL CINEMAS

MANITOBA
Winnipeg – Odeon GRANT PARK (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

MARYLAND
Annapolis – Durkee PLAZA 1 & 2
Baltimore – General Cinema YORK ROAD CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Bel Air – Durkee HARFORD MALL CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Columbia – General Cinema COLUMBIA CITY CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Frederick – HOLIDAY CINEMAS
Gaithersburg – Roth MONTGOMERY 1 & 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Glen Burnie – Durkee GLEN BURNIE MALL
Hagerstown – Interstate LONG MEADOW CINEMAS
Laurel – District LAUREL TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Marlow Heights – Neighborhood MARLOW 1 & 2
New Carrollton – American Multi-Cinema CARROLLTON 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Ocean City – Manos SUN & SURF IV
Rossville – United Artists THE MOVIES AT GOLDEN RING
Salisbury – Regal MOVIES 3
Wheaton – S&H WHEATON PLAZA 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Woodlawn – General Cinema SECURITY MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston – Sack CHARLES 1-2-3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Braintree – General Cinema BRAINTREE CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Brockton – General Cinema WESTGATE MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V (Dolby Stereo)
Chelmsford – Melrose CHELMSFORD CINEMA 7
Chestnut Hill – General Cinema CHESTNUT HILL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Danvers – Sack DANVERS 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Dedham – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Framngham – General Cinema SHOPPERS WORLD CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI (Dolby Stereo)
Hadley – American Multi-Cinema HAMPSHIRE 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Hanover – General Cinema HANOVER MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV
Hyannis – Interstate AIRPORT CINEMA 4
Ipswich – STRAND
Lawrence – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Leominster – Sack LEOMINSTER CINEMA 7
Marlborough – Battaglino MARLBORO’S 1-2-3
Milford – Interstate MILFORD CINEMAS 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
North Dartmouth – General Cinema NORTH DARTMOUTH MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
North Falmouth – Interstate NICKELODEON CINEMAS
Pittsfield – Melrose PITTSFIELD CINEMA CENTER
Raynham – Melrose CHALET
Salisbury – Melrose ROUTE 95 CINEMAS
Saugus – General Cinema SAUGUS CINEMA I & II
Seekonk – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Somerville – Sack SOMERVILLE ASSEMBLY SQUARE 8 (Dolby Stereo)
West Springfield – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Woburn – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Worcester – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)

MICHIGAN
Ann Arbor – Butterfield CAMPUS (Dolby Stereo)
Battle Creek – Goodrich WEST COLUMBIA 3
Bay City – Butterfield STATE
Benton Harbor – United Artists FAIRPLAIN PLAZA CINEMA 5
Bloomfield Hills – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Dearborn – United Artists THE MOVIES AT FAIRLANE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Detroit – Suburban Detroit RENAISSANCE 1-2-3-4
East Lansing – Butterfield CAMPUS 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Farmington Hills – Suburban Detroit OLD ORCHARD 1-2-3
Flint – Butterfield FLINT (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Flint – Butterfield GENESEE VALLEY 1-2-3-4
Jackson – United Artists WESTWOOD CINEMA 1 & 2
Kalamazoo – United Artists THE MOVIES AT WEST MAIN
Kentwood – United Artists THE MOVIES AT WOODLAND (Dolby Stereo)
Livonia – Nicholas George MAI KAI (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Marysville – Butterfield PLAYHOUSE I & II
Midland – United Artists STADIUM CINEMAS
Monroe – Denniston DENNISTON CINEMA 1 & 2
Mount Pleasant – Butterfield BROADWAY
Muskegon – Loeks CINEMA 6
Oxford – Simmons OXFORD TWIN
Portage – Loeks PLAZA 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Rochester Hills – Nicholas George HAMPTON 3
Roseville – General Cinema MACOMB MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Saginaw – Goodrich QUAD 8
Southfield – Nicholas George AMERICANA COMPLEX (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Southgate – Nicholas George SOUTHGATE 4 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Sterling Heights – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Traverse City – Butterfield PLAZA CINEMA 1 & 2
Troy – United Artists THE MOVIES AT OAKLAND (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Warren – General Cinema WARREN CINEMA I-II-III-IV
Wyoming – Loeks STUDIO 28 SIXPLEX (Dolby Stereo)

MINNESOTA
Bloomington – General Cinema SOUTHTOWN CINEMA I & II (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Brooklyn Center – General Cinema BROOKDALE EAST CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Duluth – United Artists THE MOVIES AT MILLER HILL MALL
Mankato – Carisch CINE 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Maplewood – United Artists THE MOVIES AT MAPLEWOOD (Dolby Stereo)
Minneapolis – Plitt SKYWAY 1-2-3-4 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Minnetonka – Plitt RIDGE SQUARE 1-2-3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Rochester – Plitt CHATEAU
Roseville – General Cinema HAR-MAR CINEMA XI (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
West St. Paul – Engler SIGNAL HILLS 4 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

MISSISSIPPI
Biloxi – Gulf States SURFSIDE 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Columbus – Malco VARSITY TWIN
Gautier – Plitt SINGING RIVER MALL CINEMA IV
Gulfport – Plitt HARDY COURT TWIN 1-2
Hattiesburg – Gulf States HARDY STREET CINEMAS 2
Jackson – General Cinema METRO CENTER CINEMA I-II-III-IV
Meridian – Plitt VILLAGE
Tupelo – Malco TUPELO TWIN (Dolby Stereo)

MISSOURI
Cape Girardeau – Kerasotes TOWN PLAZA CINEMA 5
Chesterfield – General Cinema CHESTERFIELD MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Columbia – Commonwealth CINEMA (Dolby Stereo)
Crystal City – Mid-America TWIN CITY (Dolby Stereo)
Hazelwood – Mid-America VILLAGE 3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Independence – Mid-America BLUE RIDGE EAST 5 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Kansas City – American Multi-Cinema METRO NORTH 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Kansas City – Commonwealth BANNISTER MALL 5 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Mehlville – General Cinema SOUTH COUNTY CINEMA I & II
Richmond Heights – Mid-America ESQUIRE 4 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
St. Charles – Wehrenberg CINEMA 4 CENTER (Dolby Stereo)
Sikeston – Malco TRIO
Springfield – General Cinema BATTLEFIELD MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI
Sunset Hills – General Cinema SUNSET HILLS CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)

MONTANA
Billings – Theatre Operators BABCOCK
Bozeman – Theatre Operators CAMPUS SQUARE 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Great Falls – Carisch FOX
Helena – Theatre Operators CIRCUS TWIN
Kalispell – Associated LIBERTY (Dolby Stereo)
Missoula – Commonwealth VILLAGE TWIN

NEBRASKA
Lincoln – Dubinsky STUART (Dolby Stereo)
Omaha – Commonwealth INDIAN HILLS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Omaha – Douglas Q CINEMA 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

NEVADA
Las Vegas – Syufy CINEDOME 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Reno – United Artists GRANADA A & B (Dolby Stereo)

NEW BRUNSWICK
No theaters in New Brunswick opened “Return of the Jedi” on May 25.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Claremont – CLAREMONT TRIPLE (Dolby Stereo)
Concord – Sack MERRIMACK 1-4
Hanover – NUGGET I & II
Londonderry – O’Neil APPLE TREE MALL CINEMA IV
Manchester – Canad SOUTH WILLOW STREET CINEMAS I-IV
Nashua – General Cinema NASHUA MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Portsmouth – Northeast JERRY LEWIS TWIN

NEW JERSEY
Bricktown – Music Makers MALL CINEMA TRIPLEX (Dolby Stereo)
Deptford – General Cinema DEPTFORD MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI (Dolby Stereo)
East Brunswick – General Cinema BRUNSWICK SQUARE CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Edison – General Cinema MENLO PARK CINEMA I & II (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Egg Harbor – Frank TOWNE 4
Flemington – Nathan CINEMA PLAZA
Fort Lee – Lightstone SHARON
Freehold – Music Makers FREEHOLD QUAD
Hanover – General Cinema MORRIS COUNTY MALL CINEMA I & II
Jersey City – General Cinema HUDSON PLAZA CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Kearny – LINCOLN TRIPLEX
Lawrenceville – SamEric TWIN LAWRENCEVILLE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Middletown – United Artists THE MOVIES AT MIDDLETOWN
Moorestown – SamEric TWIN PLAZA MOORESTOWN (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Ocean – General Cinema SEAVIEW SQUARE CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Paramus – RKO Century ROUTE 4 SEVENPLEX (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Rockaway – American Multi-Cinema ROCKAWAY 12 (Dolby Stereo)
Sayreville – Redstone AMBOY MULTIPLEX CINEMAS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Toms River – General Cinema OCEAN COUNTY MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Totowa – General Cinema TOTOWA CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Vineland – General Cinema CUMBERLAND MALL CINEMA I & II
Voorhees – General Cinema ECHELON MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV
Watchung – General Cinema BLUE STAR CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
West Orange – General Cinema ESSEX GREEN CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)

NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque – General Cinema LOUISIANA BLVD. CINEMA I-II-III (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Farmington – Allen ALLEN
Las Cruces – Allen RIO GRANDE
Santa Fe – Commonwealth LENSIC

NEW YORK
Amherst – General Cinema BOULEVARD MALL CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Babylon – RKO Century BABYLON TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Big Flats – General Cinema CINEMA I & II ON THE MALL
Carmel – United Artists PUTNAM PLAZA TWIN
Cheektowaga – General Cinema THRUWAY MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Colonie – RKO Century FOX COLONIE I & II (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Commack – RKO Century COMMACK TWIN
DeWitt – Carrols SHOPPINGTOWN 1 & 2
East Meadow – United Artists MEADOWBROOK QUAD (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
East Setauket – RKO Century FOX
Easthampton – United Artists CINEMAS
Fishkill – Cinema Centers MOVIES 4 FISHKILL
Floral Park – RKO Century FLORAL
Garden City – RKO Century ROOSEVELT FIELD TRIPLEX (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Great Neck – United Artists SQUIRE TRIPLEX
Greece – Jo-Mor STONERIDGE PLAZA 1 & 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Hicksville – RKO Century TWIN SOUTH (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Huntington – RKO Century SHORE QUAD (Dolby Stereo)
Ithaca – Cinema Centers PYRAMID MALL CINEMA 4
Johnson City – CinemaNational OAKDALE MALL CINEMAS
Kingston – Cinema Centers HUDSON VALLEY MALL CINEMAS
Lockport – CinemaNational MALL CINEMA 1 & 2
Massapequa – United Artists PEQUA
Middletown – Flagship CINEMAS 6
Mohegan Lake – General Cinema WESTCHESTER MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV
New Hartford – CinemaNational SANGERTOWN SQUARE CINEMA 6 (Dolby Stereo)
New Rochelle – RKO Century PROCTORS FIVEPLEX
New Windsor – Cinecom SQUIRE I & II
New York (Bronx) – Itoa-Acorn ALLERTON TRIPLEX
New York (Bronx) – RKO Century FORDHAM QUAD (Dolby Stereo)
New York (Bronx) – United Artists INTERBORO QUAD
New York (Brooklyn) – Florin-Creative CANARSIE TRIPLEX
New York (Brooklyn) – Golden BENSON TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
New York (Brooklyn) – Golden FORTWAY FIVEPLEX (Dolby Stereo)
New York (Brooklyn) – RKO Century KENMORE QUAD (Dolby Stereo)
New York (Brooklyn) – RKO Century KINGSWAY QUAD (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
New York (Manhattan) – Loews 34th STREET SHOWPLACE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
New York (Manhattan) – Loews ASTOR PLAZA (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
New York (Manhattan) – Loews ORPHEUM (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
New York (Queens) – CINEMA CITY FIVEPLEX
New York (Queens) – JACKSON
New York (Queens) – RKO Century KEITHS TRIPLEX (Dolby Stereo)
New York (Queens) – United Artists MIDWAY QUAD
New York (Queens) – United Artists THE MOVIES AT BAYSIDE
New York (Staten Island) – RKO Century FOX PLAZA TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Niagara Falls – General Cinema SUMMIT PARK MALL CINEMA I & II
Olean – Manos OLEAN CENTER MALL CINEMAS IV (Dolby Stereo)
Patchogue – United Artists PATCHOGUE ALL-WEATHER INDOOR
Pittsford – Loews PITTSFORD TRIPLEX (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Plattsburgh – Cinema Centers PLATTSBURGH CINEMA 1 & 2
Poughkeepsie – JULIET QUAD
Queensbury – Cinema Centers ROUTE 9 CINEMA 5 (Dolby Stereo)
Rockville Centre – RKO Century ROCKVILLE CENTRE TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Saratoga Springs – Cinema Centers SARATOGA CINEMA 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Suffern – Venturini LAFAYETTE (Dolby Stereo)
Valley Stream – Redstone SUNRISE MULTIPLEX CINEMAS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Watertown – Cinema Centers STATEWAY PLAZA CINEMA CENTRE
White Plains – United Artists CINEMA (Dolby Stereo)
Williamsville – General Cinema EASTERN HILLS CINEMA I-II-III
Yonkers – General Cinema CENTRAL PLAZA CINEMA I & II (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

NEWFOUNDLAND
St. John’s – Famous Players AVALON MALL 4

NORTH CAROLINA
Asheville – Irvin-Fuller MERRMON TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Burlington – Plitt TERRACE 1-2
Chapel Hill – Plitt CAROLINA 1-2
Charlotte – General Cinema EASTLAND MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Charlotte – Plitt PARK TERRACE 1-2-3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Concord – Litchfield CAROLINA MALL 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Durham – Plitt CENTER 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Fayetteville – General Cinema CROSS CREEK MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Gastonia – Martin EASTRIDGE 4
Goldsboro – Stewart & Everett BERKELEY CINEMA 4
Greensboro – American Multi-Cinema CAROLINA CIRCLE 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Greensboro – General Cinema FOUR SEASONS MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Greenville – Stewart & Everett PLAZA CINEMA 1-2-3
Hickory – Plitt TERRACE 1-2
High Point – Martin CAPRI TRIPLE
Jacksonville – Plitt CARDINAL 1-2-3
Raleigh – Litchfield MISSION VALLEY CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Salisbury – Plitt TERRACE
Wilmington – Stewart & Everett OLEANDER CINEMA 1 & 2
Winston-Salem – Plitt THRUWAY 1-2 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

NORTH DAKOTA
Bismarck – Midco KIRKWOOD PLAZA 1-2-3
Grand Forks – Midco PLAZA TWIN
Minot – Carisch DAKOTA SQUARE CINE 5 (Dolby Stereo)

NOVA SCOTIA
Halifax – Famous Players SCOTIA SQUARE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

OHIO
Akron – General Cinema CHAPEL HILL MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Avon Lake – National AVON LAKE 4
Beavercreek – Midstates BEAVER VALLEY 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Boardman – National SOUTHERN PARK TWIN
Canton – General Cinema MELLETT MALL CINEMA I & II
Cincinnati – Midstates NORTHGATE 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Cleveland – Loews RIVERSIDE 1 & 2
Columbus – General Cinema EASTLAND MALL CINEMA I & II
Columbus – General Cinema GREAT WESTERN CINEMA I & II
Columbus – General Cinema NORTHLAND MALL CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Columbus – Loews ARLINGTON 1 & 2
Dayton – Chakeres DAYTON MALL 8 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Fairlawn – National SUMMIT MALL 1 & 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Lima – Frontier EASTGATE TWIN
Maple Heights – General Cinema SOUTHGATE CINEMA I-II-III
Mentor – National GREAT LAKES MALL 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Milford – Midstates 275-EAST 4
Newark – CINEMA FOUR
Niles – National EASTWOOD 1 & 2
North Olmsted – National GREAT NORTHERN 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Ontario – General Cinema RICHLAND MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Parma – General Cinema PARAMTOWN CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Richmond Heights – Loews RICHMOND TRIPLEX
Springdale – Midstates TRI-COUNTY 5 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Springfield – General Cinema UPPER VALLEY MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Toledo – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Trotwood – Midstates SALEM MALL 4 (Dolby Stereo)

OKLAHOMA
Lawton – Litchfield CACHE CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Midwest City – Commonwealth HERITAGE PARK 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Norman – Video SATELLITE TWIN
Oklahoma City – Commonwealth ALMONTE 6
Oklahoma City – Commonwealth NORTH PARK 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Tulsa – General Cinema SOUTHROADS MALL CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Tulsa – General Cinema WOODLAND HILLS CINEMA I-II-III

ONTARIO
Hamilton – Famous Players TIVOLI (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Kingston – Famous Players CAPITOL 4
Kitchener – Premier LYRIC (Dolby Stereo)
London – Famous Players PARK (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Oshawa – Famous Players REGENT
Ottawa – Odeon SOMERSET (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
St. Catharines – Famous Players LINCOLN MALL 3
Toronto – Famous Players CEDARBRAE 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Toronto – Famous Players CUMBERLAND 4 “LA RESERVE” (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Toronto – Famous Players RUNNYMEDE 1 & 2 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Toronto – Famous Players TOWNE AND COUNTRYE 1 & 2 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Toronto – Famous Players UNIVERSITY (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Windsor – 20th Century VANITY

OREGON
Beaverton – Luxury WESTGATE TRIPLEX (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Bend – Luxury TOWER TWIN
Corvallis – Moyer CORVALLIS CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Eugene – Moyer WEST 11th TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Klamath Falls – Redwood TOWER 1 & 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Medford – Lippert HOLLY
Milwaukie – Luxury SOUTHGATE QUAD
Portland – Moyer ROSE MOYER 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Salem – Luxury ELSINORE (Dolby Stereo)

PENNSYLVANIA
Allentown – SamEric ALLENTOWN 5 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Altoona – Manos LOGAN VALLEY MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Bethel Park – Cinemette VILLAGE 5
Camp Hill – United Artists CAPITOL CITY MALL CINEMAS
Concordville – SamEric TWIN CONCORDVILLE
Connellsville – Manos LAUREL MALL CINEMAS IV
Easton – SamEric EASTON 4 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Erie – General Cinema MILLCREEK MALL CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Fairless Hills – SamEric FAIRLESS HILLS 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Feasterville – American Multi-Cinema BUCKS COLONIAL 2
Glenolden – SamEric TWIN MacDADE MALL
Greensburg – General Cinema GREENGATE MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Harrisburg – SamEric TWIN EAST PARK CENTER (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Johnstown – RICHLAND MALL TWIN
King of Prussia – SamEric KING TWIN
Lancaster – SamEric PACIFIC 4
Lebanon – Fox FOX
Monaca – General Cinema BEAVER VALLEY MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV
Monroeville – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS EAST (Dolby Stereo)
Montgomeryville – SamEric 3 MONTGOMERYVILLE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Philadelphia – General Cinema NORTHEAST CINEMA I-II-III-IV
Philadelphia – SamEric SAMERIC 3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Philadelphia – SamEric TWIN CHESTNUT HILL
Pittsburgh – Cinemette NORTH HILLS
Reading – SamEric TWIN READING
Robinson – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS WEST (Dolby Stereo)
Scranton – General Cinema VIEWMONT MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V (Dolby Stereo)
Selinsgrove – Fox SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY MALL 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Stroudsburg – Music Makers STROUD MALL 5 (Dolby Stereo)
West Mifflin – Cinemette CINEMA WORLD
Wilkes-Barre – General Cinema WYOMING VALLEY MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V (Dolby Stereo)
Wynnewood – SamEric WYNNEWOOD
York – Budco YORK CINEMA 4

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
No theaters in Prince Edward Island opened “Return of the Jedi” on May 25.

QUEBEC
Montreal – United CLAREMONT (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo) <opened May 27>
Montreal – United IMPERIAL (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Quebec City – United CANADIEN (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

RHODE ISLAND
Middletown – SSC STARCASE CINEMA I-II-III
Warwick – Redstone SHOWCASE CINEMAS (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Westerly – UNITED

SASKATCHEWAN
Regina – Odeon CENTRE
Saskatoon – Famous Players PARAMOUNT

SOUTH CAROLINA
Anderson – Plitt ANDERSON MALL
Charleston – General Cinema CITADEL MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI
Columbia – General Cinema BUSH RIVER MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV
Columbia – Plitt RICHLAND MALL 1-2
Florence – Litchfield CROWN (Dolby Stereo)
Greenville – Plitt CAMELOT 1-2
Myrtle Beach – Stewart & Everett DUNES CINEMA 1-2-3
North Charleston – Plitt NORTHWOODS
North Myrtle Beach – Stewart & Everett OCEAN CINEMA 1-2-3
Spartanburg – Consolidated PINEWOOD TWIN
Surfside Beach – Plitt PLITT 1-2-3

SOUTH DAKOTA
Rapid City – Commonwealth ELKS
Sioux Falls – Midco PLAZA TWIN

TENNESSEE
Antioch – Consolidated HICKORY HOLLOW 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Chattanooga – Martin NORTHGATE 6
Chattanooga – Plitt EASTGATE 1-2-3 (Dolby Stereo)
Clarksville – Martin MARTIN 4
Goodlettsville – Consolidated CINEMA 6 NORTH
Jackson – Malco MALCO TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Johnson City – Plitt JOHNSON CITY MALL 1-2
Kingsport – Martin MARTIN TWIN
Knoxville – Plitt WESTOWN 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Memphis – General Cinema MALL OF MEMPHIS CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V (Dolby Stereo)
Memphis – General Cinema RALEIGH SPRINGS MALL CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Memphis – Malco HIGHLAND QUARTET (Dolby Stereo)
Murfreesboro – CINEMA ONE
Nashville – Martin BELLE MEADE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Nashville – Consolidated CINEMA 4 SOUTH
Oliver Springs – TRI-COUNTY TWIN
Powell – Consolidated POWELL CINEMAS 1 & 2

TEXAS
Abilene – General Cinema WESTGATE MALL CINEMA I & II
Addison – United Artists PRESTONWOOD CREEK 5 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo) (THX)
Amarillo – United Artists CINEMA 6
Arlington – American Multi-Cinema FORUM 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Austin – American Multi-Cinema AQUARIUS 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Austin – General Cinema HIGHLAND MALL CINEMA I & II (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Baytown – General Cinema GOOSE CREEK CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI
Beaumont – General Cinema GATEWAY CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Brownsville – Plitt CINEMA TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Bryan – Schulman MANOR EAST III (Dolby Stereo)
Corpus Christi – United Artists CINE 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Dallas – General Cinema NORTHPARK CINEMA I & II (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo) (THX)
Dallas – General Cinema RED BIRD MALL CINEMA V-VI-VII-VIII-IX-X
Dallas – United Artists WALNUT HILL 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Denton – Plitt CINEMA 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
El Paso – General Cinema CIELO VISTA MALL CINEMA I-II-III
El Paso – United Artists UNIVERSITY CINEMA 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Fort Worth – United Artists HULEN 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Galveston – General Cinema GALVEZ MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Harlingen – Plitt CINEMA TRIPLE
Houston – American Multi-Cinema ALMEDA 9 (Dolby Stereo)
Houston – American Multi-Cinema NORTH OAKS 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Houston – General Cinema GREENSPOINT MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V
Houston – General Cinema GULFGATE CINEMA I & II
Houston – General Cinema MEYERLAND PLAZA CINEMA I-II-III (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Houston – General Cinema WESTWOOD MALL CINEMA I-II-III
Houston – Loews SAKS TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Houston – Plitt WOODLAKE 1-2-3
Huntsville – CINEMA 1-2-3 (Dolby Stereo)
Irving – American Multi-Cinema IRVING 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Killeen – United Artists CINEMA 4
Lake Jackson – LAKE I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Laredo – United Artists CINEMA DEL NORTE 4
Longview – Martin CARGILL 6
Lubbock – Video WINCHESTER TWIN (Dolby Stereo)
Lufkin – Martin ANGELINA TWIN
McAllen – Plitt CINEMA TWIN
Mesquite – General Cinema TOWN EAST CINEMA I & II (Dolby Stereo)
Midland – United Artists CINE 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Oak Ridge North – Cineplex OAK RIDGE CINEMA 8 (Dolby Stereo)
Odessa – GRANDVIEW
Port Arthur – United Artists CINEMA 6
Richmond – LAMAR
San Angelo – United Artists SUNSET 4 (Dolby Stereo)
San Antonio – Santikos CENTURY SOUTH 8 (Dolby Stereo)
San Antonio – Santikos GALAXY 10 (Dolby Stereo)
San Antonio – Santikos NORTHWEST 6 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Sherman – United Artists SHER-DEN MALL CINEMA 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Temple – Texas CINEMA 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Texarkana – Gulf States OAKLAWN
Tyler – Plitt BERGFELD CENTER CINEMA I & II
Victoria – Frels PLAYHOUSE 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Waco – Plitt RICHLAND MALL 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Wichita Falls – Plitt PARKER SQUARE CINEMA 1-2

UTAH
Logan – Westates CAPITOL (Dolby Stereo)
Orem – Plitt UNIVERSITY 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)
Riverdale – Tullis-Hansen CINEDOME 70 TWIN (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Salt Lake City – Plitt CENTRE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
South Salt Lake – Syufy CENTURY 5 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

VERMONT
Burlington – NICKELODEON CINEMAS
Rutland – PLAZA CINEMA 1 & 2
St. Albans – WELDEN I & II

VIRGINIA
Bristol – American Multi-Cinema BRISTOL MALL 6
Charlottesville – Roth GREENBRIER 1 & 2
Chesapeake – Plitt PLITT 4
Fairfax – Showcase FAIRFAX CIRCLE (Dolby Stereo)
Fredericksburg – Regal VIRGINIANS 4
Hampton – General Cinema COLISEUM MALL CINEMA I & II
Lynchburg – General Cinema RIVER RIDGE CINEMA I-II-III-IV (Dolby Stereo)
Manassas – Showcase MANAPORT
McLean – Neighborhood TYSONS CENTER 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Petersburg – Neighborhood CRATER CINEMA 4
Portsmouth – Schoenfeld PLAZA 3 (Dolby Stereo)
Richmond – Neighborhood RIDGE CINEMAS (Dolby Stereo)
Richmond – Plitt CLOVERLEAF MALL 1-2
Roanoke – Plitt TERRACE
Springfield – General Cinema SPRINGFIELD MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Virginia Beach – Plitt PEMBROKE 1-2 (Dolby Stereo)

WASHINGTON
Bellevue – General Cinema OVERLAKE CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Bremerton – Luxury ROXY
Federal Way – American Multi-Cinema CENTER PLAZA 6 (Dolby Stereo)
Lacey – Luxury LACEY CINEMAS
Lakewood – General Cinema VILLA PLAZA CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Pullman – CORDOVA (Dolby Stereo)
Renton – General Cinema RENTON VILLAGE CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Seattle – General Cinema AURORA CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Seattle – United Artists CINEMA 150 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Spokane – Luxury NORTH DIVISION 6
Spokane – United Artists CINEMAS
Vancouver – Luxury CASCADE PARK 4
Wenatchee – Sterling LIBERTY III (Dolby Stereo)

WEST VIRGINIA
Barboursville – General Cinema HUNTINGTON MALL CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI
Charleston – Greater Huntington PARK PLACE CINEMA 7
Huntington – Greater Huntington KEITH-ALBEE 1-2-3-4 (Dolby Stereo)
Vienna – General Cinema GRAND CENTRAL MALL CINEMA I & II

WISCONSIN
Kenosha – Carmichael MARKET SQUARE 1 & 2 (Dolby Stereo)
La Crosse – Plitt HOLLYWOOD
Madison – Capitol ORPHEUM (Dolby Stereo)
Madison – General Cinema EAST TOWNE MALL CINEMA I-II-III (Dolby Stereo)
Milwaukee – Marcus NORTHTOWN 4 (Dolby Stereo)
Milwaukee – United Artists SOUTHGATE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
Oconomowoc – Scotsland SCOTSLAND 1 & 2 (Dolby Stereo)
Racine – Marcus MARC 1 & 2
Wauwatosa – United Artists MAYFAIR (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)
West Allis – Marcus SOUTHTOWN 3 (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

WYOMING
Casper – Commonwealth AMERICA
Cheyenne – Commonwealth COLE SQUARE 3

“JEDI” NUMBER$ AT A GLANCE

1 = Rank among top-grossing movies of 1983
3 = Consecutive weeks nation’s top-grossing movie (and 6 of first 7)
3 = Rank on all-time list of top-grossing movies at close of original run
15 = Minimum number of weeks first-wave theaters were contractually required to play the movie
15 = Rank on current list of all-time to-grossing movies (adjusted for inflation)
23 = Number of days movie took to gross $100 million*
25.2 = Percentage of second-week drop-off in box-office gross
33 = Number of months between theatrical release and home-video release
38 = Rank on current list of all-time top-grossing movies
68 = Number of days movie took to gross $200 million*
164 = Number of 70mm prints*
1,002 = Number of working prints (70mm & 35mm) during opening-weekend
1,764 = Peak number of theaters showing the movie (week of Aug 5-11)

$6.2 million = Opening-day box-office gross*
$8.4 million = Highest single-day gross (May 29)*
$11.3 million = Box-office gross of 1985 re-release
$23.1 million = Opening weekend box-office gross (3-day)*
$30.5 million = Opening weekend box-office gross (4-day holiday)*
$32.5 million = Production cost
$41.1 million = Opening week box-office gross (6-day)*
$45.5 million = Box-office gross of 1997 re-release
$75.7 million = Production cost (adjusted for inflation)
$168.0 million = Box-office rental (% of gross paid to distributor) of original release
$252.6 million = Box-office gross of original release
$309.3 million = Cumulative domestic box-office gross (1983+1985+1997)
$475.1 million = Cumulative worldwide box-office gross
$746.8 million = Cumulative all-time domestic box-office gross (adjusted for inflation)
$1.1 billion = Cumulative all-time worldwide box-office gross (adjusted for inflation)

*Established new industry record
Figures are domestic except where noted

NOTEWORTHY QUOTES

“Special effects don’t make the movie, and they are only important to tell the story and to give the characters credibility. If the characters are not there or the acting isn’t good, the movie will fall apart. It can’t sustain itself. People think these are special-effects movies. I would say the effects contribute maybe 15 to 20 percent to the enjoyability, effectiveness, and popularity of the movie.” — George Lucas

“This is the biggest release of a movie in 70mm ever.” — Producer Howard Kazanjian

“George Lucas is in the mold of Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner, Adolph Zukor, Darryl F. Zanuck, the great pioneers of the industry. He’s absolutely one of them. No one tells George Lucas what to do or how to do it. He is the epitome of America and the free mind working, and we’re getting better entertainment for it.” — Albert Szabo, Manager, GCC Avco Center Cinema, Los Angeles

A SAMPLING OF MOVIE REVIEWER QUOTES

“With Jedi, George Lucas may have pulled off the first triple crown of motion pictures.” — Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times

“Return of the Jedi doesn’t really end the trilogy as much as it brings it to a dead stop. The film is by far the dimmest of the lot. Let’s face it, Luke, the magic’s gone.” — Vincent Canby, The New York Times

“An exciting, technically astounding wrap-up to the Star Wars trilogy. The probability of success is about as definite as death and taxes.” — Jimmy Summers, Boxoffice

“If a producer wants backing for a new project, there’d better be a video game in it. Producers are putting so much action and so little character or point into their movies that there’s nothing for a viewer to latch on to. The battle between good and evil, which is the theme of just about every big fantasy adventure film, has become a flabby excuse for a lot of dumb tricks and noise.” — Pauline Kael, The New Yorker

“Two thumbs up!” — Siskel & Ebert At The Movies

“Third installment in the Star Wars[/b] saga is a sheer delight. Some routine performances are compensated for by ingenious new characters and special effects.” — Leonard Maltin, Entertainment Tonight

“Let’s not pretend we’re watching art!” — Rex Reed, New York Post

“From the moment that the familiar Star Wars introduction words begin to crawl up the screen, Return of the Jedi is a childlike delight. It’s the best video game around. And for the professional moviegoers, it is particularly enjoyable to watch every facet of filmmaking at its best.” — Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

“John Williams’ music consists almost entirely of themes and variations on themes he composed for the two earlier movies. This, unfortunately, will be a complaint that many people will make against Return of the Jedi. They will feel that they have seen and heard it all before.” — Scott Cain, The Atlanta Constitution

"May the force stay with George Lucas and company. They crank out some of the most exciting films America has ever seen." — Kathy Thomas, The (Vacaville) Reporter

“Return of the Jedi is a triumph of movie wizardry; a snappy, dazzling celluloid comic book, capturing our emotions between its magical pages and holding them within a prison of wonderment. It’s a virtual toy box of dreams and surprises for children and adults of all ages.” — Steve White, The Worcester Telegram

“The Star Wars films have a mystic allure. They are clearly designed to appeal to the best in all of us and to exemplify universally admirable virtues—courage, the strength to fight against evil, romance, belief. They are built around the notion of a magic force in the universe which might be God or might be gravity; this force, in turn, is serviced by a knights’ order that is almost a clergy. The entire cosmology is rent by a titanic conflict between good and evil.” — Stephen Hunter, The (Baltimore) Sun

TRIVIA AND FACTOIDS

In lieu of a formal premiere for Return of the Jedi, Lucasfilm and Fox chose to hold regional charity previews between May 22-24. The cities in which these screenings were held included Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Flint, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, San Francisco, Toronto, and Tucson. As well, the movie was screened as a part of the Seattle International Film Festival.

The original title was Revenge of the Jedi. The title was changed a few months before release. Trailers and other promotional material with the original title had been issued prior to the title change, instantly turning such items into collectibles.

Blue Harvest was the production title used during location filming in California. The bogus, intentionally misleading title was used to (1) avoid drawing unnecessary attention by Star Wars fans, and (2) to deter production vendors from raising their rates to capitalize on a big-budget, high-profile production.

Disasters and mayhem: One of Jedi’s seven reels was missing from the print delivered to the Sweetwater 6 in National City, California, causing a riot when the first-show crowd realized twenty minutes of the movie was missing. A 70mm print of the film valued at $12,000 was stolen at gunpoint from the Glenwood in Overland Park, Kansas. The print destined for the Bush River Mall Cinema I-II-III-IV in Columbia, South Carolina, mysteriously failed to be delivered in time for its first scheduled showing, prompting the theater to hastily request a replacement print. The Centre in Salt Lake City, Utah, experienced some weather-related damage, prompting its engagement to be relocated for a two-week period to the Regency. An engagement at the Continental in Denver, Colorado, was terminated following damage from a fire.

The pilots of the Imperial AT-ST Walker commandeered by Chewie and a couple of Ewoks were played by director Richard Marquand and co-producer Robert Watts.

The Imperial soldier that commanded Han and the rebels to “Freeze!” during the Endor bunker scene was played by sound designer Ben Burtt. During his fall after being struck by Han, he gives a “Wilhelm”-style scream as a tribute to a famous sound effect.

Among Jabba the Hutt’s henchmen were characters named Klaatu, Barada and Nikto, a nod to the 1951 science-fiction classic The Day the Earth Stood Still.

The THX Sound System and Theatre Alignment Program (TAP) were introduced in conjunction with the release of Return of the Jedi.

At the time of its 1983 release, Return of the Jedi had the largest order of 70-millimeter prints struck for a North American film release. The expensive and time-consuming-to-manufacture 70mm print run was so large that the lab was unable to deliver every print in time for opening day, leaving some theaters to open their engagement with a 35mm back-up print until their 70mm print arrived over the course of the first few days of the release.

Southern California fans David Maples and Patricia Smith, dressed as Han Solo and Princess Leia, were married while in line at the Egyptian in Los Angeles. A fan dressed as Yoda presided over the ceremony.

Jedi was screened for Lucasfilm employees and their families on May 7, 1983, at the Coronet in San Francisco.

A music video was produced for the musical number “Lapti Nek” performed by Jabba the Hutt’s palace band. The video was broadcast during summer 1983 on music video channels such as MTV. (The song was replaced in the Special Edition version.)

“Celebrate the Love” is the English lyric featured in the Ewokese victory celebration song. (This music was replaced in the Special Edition with a new composition.)

Despite the intense secrecy surrounding the movie’s plot and relationship between characters, the novelization was released to bookstores two weeks before the movie’s release. As well, on the day of the movie’s release, hundreds of newspapers across the United States published an Associated Press article which included a paragraph that revealed major plot points and character details.

Two original making-of television documentaries were created. (Star Wars and Empire each had a single making-of documentary.) Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi was broadcast on CBS on November 21, 1983. From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga was broadcast on PBS on December 3, 1983.

In North America, Return of the Jedi was re-released on March 29, 1985. On March 28, the day before its re-release, nine cinemas in eight markets showed for charity a Star Wars triple feature. The eight markets chosen for the one-day-only 70mm event were Chicago (Carnegie), Dallas (Northpark), Denver (Continental), Los Angeles (Avco and Egyptian), New York (Warner Twin), San Francisco (Coronet), Seattle (Cinema 150), and Toronto (Uptown). Jedi was also re-released, as a Special Edition, on March 14, 1997.

In the United States, Return of the Jedi was released to the home video market in February 1986, thirty-three months after its theatrical release. (A six-month window was the industry norm at the time.) The first network television broadcast was on NBC on March 19, 1989. Its first letterboxed release (on LaserDisc) was in 1990. Its first DVD release (Special Edition) was in 2004. Its first DVD release featuring the original version was issued in 2006. Its first Blu-ray release was in 2011.

AWARDS

Visual Effects (Special Achievement Oscar), Best Actor (Mark Hamill, Saturn), Best Costumes (Saturn), Best Make-Up (Saturn), Best Science-Fiction Film (Saturn), Best Special Effects (Saturn), Best Special Visual Effects (BAFTA), Best Dramatic Presentation (Hugo), Favorite Motion Picture (People’s Choice Award). The film was nominated for an Academy Award in the categories of Art Direction, Original Score, Sound, and Sound Effects Editing. John Williams’ original score was also nominated for a Grammy.

SPECIAL THANKS: Jim Barg, Paul Bubny, Raymond Caple, Kevin Chatham, Bill Kretzel, Ronald Lee, Mark Lensenmayer, Paul Linfesty, Adam Martin, Scott Neff, Jim Perry, Vince Young, and a huge thank you to all of the librarians who helped with the research for this project.

SOURCES/REFERENCES: Numerous newspaper articles, film reviews and theater advertisements; various articles published in Bantha Tracks, Boxofficemojo, The Hollywood Reporter, Time Magazine, and Variety, and the books George Lucas’s Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success (George Lucas Books/Harper Collins, 2010) and The Making of Return of the Jedi (Ballantine, 1983).

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-26-2013, 01:13 AM:

quote:
Idaho Falls – Mann PARAMOUNT

Yep, I opened this on that day, in 1983 being Chief Projectionist of this theatre. I also have video clips of that opening that I copied off on VHS from our local TV station since we had a big opening that day in May.

We had the typical lines around the block and I had an interview from the local media on this (my name wasn't mentioned, nor was I captured on camera) in my booth showing the XL's and Peerless lamphouses, being that I was still a carbon arc booth.

quote:
Salt Lake City – Plitt CENTRE (70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo)

A month later, I did go down to SLC to see this film in 70mm at this above location - being the last SW being shown at this location (location had Bauer U2's, Strong Futura II's with 13.6 carbons) when it came down along with the block almost 10 yrs later.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 05-26-2013, 12:54 PM:

The Winchester Twin in Lubbock also had Blue Thunder, which was alleged to be, according to our manager, the OTHER Summer blockbuster of 1983. There was talk of the twin, which both auditoriums could seat well over 400 people each, would be inundated that weekend.
Jedi kept them busy, yes.
Blue Thunder, not so much.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 05-28-2013, 10:36 PM:

As Michael's list of theatres listing the opening of THE RETURN OF THE JEDI with it's first run engagements, Honolulu was not among them because of a dispute Pacific Theatres , owners of Hawaii's Consolidated Theatres had with Fox about the cost of opening the movie on day one. Pacific decided to hold off on the opening until it got a better financial deal and the waiting period took about a month. RETURN OF THE JEDI opened at the Cinerama Theatre in Honolulu on June 24th in 70mm and I think I waited a month to see it and when I did, I enjoyed the film very much.

-Claude

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 05-31-2013, 03:24 PM:

Can someone explain how in a span of six days this thread manages only three comments? What a disappointment! Film-Tech activity must be way down, people are burned out on "Star Wars" or there's some anti-Coate sentiment in effect.

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 05-31-2013, 03:36 PM:

Bump?

Posted by Terry Lynn-Stevens (Member # 7349) on 05-31-2013, 06:08 PM:

Going to the movies was so much better back then.

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 05-31-2013, 06:27 PM:

Michael:

Yes, beyond the shadow of a doubt, and it depends on who you ask.

OBTW, I see you've taken over the late Barrie Maxwell's spot over at the Digital Bits. Good on 'ya.

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 05-31-2013, 06:37 PM:

I was alive in 83. I was not even 2 yet when it was released. Needless to say all I got to see was the 97 edition on the big screen.

Better than nothing.

AJG

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 05-31-2013, 07:37 PM:

I feel so blessed at my age to have been around when all of the new motion picture technology such as dual projection 3-D, Cinerama, CinemaScope, Stereophonic Sound, VistaVision, 70mm were introduced The only things I did not witness was the introduction of the format, sound on disc/film and color because I was not yet born. 1939 the year I was born is considered to be the most productive year in film history when among many other great films GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ were released. I am very proud to have seen all of the great movies during their first run from the mid forties to the present and among them, all three of the STAR WARS in 70mm at the Cinerama Theatre . I actually saw the first STAR WARS film for the first time in 35mm in a large hotel ballroom in Chicago on a large screen and 70mm at the Coronet in San Francisco on my way home from a convention before I saw it at the Cinerama.

-Claude

Posted by Jarod Reddig (Member # 6363) on 06-01-2013, 01:13 AM:

An incredible job and write up man!! Cheers!! Im a Star Wars nut and am extremely jealous of anyone that got to see any of the original Trilogy on opening day as I wasn't old enough at the time. Hell I wasn't even born yet when EP IV premiered.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-01-2013, 02:01 AM:

I saw 'em all (except maybe the original Star Wars) on opening weekend. Not that it makes any difference at all now. The only thing I seem to remember about the original Star Wars was that it was only playing at two theaters that were even somewhat close to me and that was why the lines were so long. One was a big theater and the other one was something smaller that only gross poor people went to. I remember thinking that was kind of stupid and they should have put it in more theaters.

Posted by Tim Asten (Member # 4051) on 06-01-2013, 07:54 AM:

If this thread is morphing into a 'where did you see the original trilogy' then I will start; Star Wars - Odeon, Manchester 1977. Empire - again Odeon, Manchester 1980. Cant remember if they were 35mm or 70. Jedi - Odeon Brighton, 30 years ago this week. The print was 35mm. I was an usher at this cinema and was learning projection, and I remember running this print a few times.

A couple of weeks into the run we had a Star Wars triple bill, with Jedi in 70mm - Twin Vic 8's on change overs. Glory days. Sadly all gone now.
.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-01-2013, 09:36 AM:

"Return of the Jedi" was only the second of the Star Wars movies to play at our theatre during its first release. We never played the original "Star Wars" until it was re-released, due to a split agreement between our theatre and the now-defunct drive-in up the street.

In 1983, playing movies on-the-break was still far in the future, so we didn't play "Return of the Jedi" until August 18...which was an agonizingly long wait for the fans, but better than "The Empire Strikes Back" -- we didn't play that until November '80!

To this day I haven't seen "Return of the Jedi" all the way through. I bought the most recent Blu-ray package of the original trilogy so I'm hoping to rectify that at some point.

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 06-01-2013, 10:37 AM:

Mike, if you haven't seen Jedi yet, I'd avoid the Blu-ray: it's full of some horrendous changes that make the 97 Special Edition seem tame.

If you can, hunt down the 83 version on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, or certain places on the internet in HD. It's much much better.

AJG

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-01-2013, 02:39 PM:

I saw the original trilogy at the only (decent) theatre we had in Nassau (Bahamas) back in those days. It was a single screen that sat about 868 people. (I'm 99% certain that's the actual seat count.) The balcony offered reserved seating, with seat assignments. My favorite was A-8. Oh! and back in those days, smoking was permitted in the balcony! [Eek!]

That theatre only had mono sound until the release of "The Last Boy Scout" in 1991 -- so I saw the originals in mono sound until I got them on VHS-HiFi, and then LaserDisc.

Opening night of Jedi -- reels got messed up and we cut to the middle of the battle on Endor sooner than we should have. Oops.

I was very young when the first one came out -- When I saw it again on video, I only remembered "Would somebody get this walking carpet out of my way?" and the rope swing. The rope swing was particularly memorable because it was (for me) the hightlight of my Super-8 digest, which I had until a Hurricane (Andrew?) ruined it (and my poster collection, which included ones from the original SW movies).

SW Toys -- I still have most of my action figures. They were originally called "mini action figures" because there were also larger ones (about 12" tall for Vader). Of the ships, my fave was the snow speeder and the AT-AT, although I remember wishing they had made them proportional to each other. My least-favorite SW toy would probably have to be the inflatable light sabre.

Empire Strikes Back -- this movie, along with the 1978 Superman -- made me want to make movies. I was especially interested in special effects. I think I still have my Betamax copy of "SPFX: The Making of The Empire Strikes Back" which I recorded off-the-air from the original broadcast. Also, an entire edition of "World" magazine (Nat. Geo. for kids) was devoted to the making of "Empire." Great edition.

Jedi -- I have both "Making of" programs on VHS, as well as the Ballantine book. Back in those days, it was a lot harder to find reliable information about how movies were made. Every month, I'd scour the "M" section of the TV Guide, looking for anything that started with the words, "Making of.." and there was a special wall-size calendar on the back of my bedroom door with only those shows.

Special Editions -- I saw all three of the "Special Editions" at Mann's Chinese in Hollywood. The first two had lines that formed hours in advance, and wrapped around the block -- My spot in line was about half-way up Orange Drive. The line for "Jedi" was noticeably shorter, but maybe I wasn't there on the first night.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-01-2013, 03:47 PM:

That doesn't surprise me....I hadn't really seen the original Star Wars all the way thru until that 1997 re-issue and even as just a casual fan at best, it was easy to pick out the additions. I thought it detracted.

Sad to say, I don't have a laserdisk or VHS player anymore, but I do have the DVD set from a few years back that (I think?) had the original theatrical cut in it. Haven't ever watched it, but I've heard that version doesn't look too good.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 06-02-2013, 02:29 AM:

Looking over the list of theaters that played the film in 1983 is almost a complete list of theaters which cease to exist anymore. Looking at the Texas list, the only theater that may still somewhat exist is the UA Prestonwood 5, where UA unveiled it's THX system (as did the General Cinema Northpark 1 and 2.) Last I read it is a Studio Movie Grill or similar venue. (Unless it's a different Prestonwood cinema that was converted...seems AMC had a theater near there.)
In Lubbock, the Winchester was demolished to make way for the first Market Street United Supermarket. It was here that Tech Basketball coach Bobby Knight had a temper tantrum with the Chancellor of Tech, who's name I can't recall, being the target. At the salad bar. Made the national media as it was a slow news day. Some of the reporters for the national press had trouble describing the venue as it seemed odd to them that people would have lunch inside a supermarket...

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-02-2013, 10:07 AM:

I thought the Prestonwood theater was demolished. The Prestonwood Town Center Mall went bust and was demolished a long time ago. I thought the movie theater nearby met with the wrecking ball about the same time. It was a pretty good theater. I watched Speed there in 1994 (THX-DTS).

A lot of the movie theaters that were in business in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the early 1990s no longer exist. Many of them were shut in the late 1990s as theater circuits raced to build new stadium seated theaters.

Dallas had a lot of THX certified theaters prior to the stadium seated theater building boom started in 1995 by AMC's Grand 24. Today, I'm not sure if the DFW metroplex has any movie theaters with THX certified screens.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 06-02-2013, 12:58 PM:

It probably was demolished. I took a gander in the picture warehouse and found the UA Prestonwood was reconfigured as the Grenada Prestonwood. Studio Movie Grill nor Movie Tavern had anything to do with it. The projection equipment was the original UA acquired, with ORC consoles in a few houses and Christie in others.
After Jedi opened, UA started building what I call their "Ugly Eights." South 8 near I 20 south of Red Bird Mall, Northstar 8 in Garland, Bowen 8 in Arlington. Most of those shuttered after the Grand changed the landscape with all stadium, the first one being South 8. In 1999, UA and GCC went bankrupt, which some still speculate was to rid themselves of their lease obligations to the existing twins, threes, fours...
I'm currently working in Lubbock's oldest theater, which opened as a 12 in 1990, has been added to, retrofitted for stadium seating and has an XD screen. Tinseltown opened in 1998, followed in 2012 by Premiere Cinema 16 with Imax (just a half mile East of my theater as the crow flies). Alamo Drafthouse is building an 8 screen to the North. None of which any of us considered possible back in May of 1983. 21 screens, 6 theaters in 1983. 57 screens, 4 complexes by 2014. (If Alamo opens by May of that year, as planned.)
Boy howdy.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-02-2013, 01:28 PM:

But are any of those new theaters THX certified?
[Razz]

According to the THX web site there are no longer any theaters in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex carrying THX certification. Some theaters still in existence, such as the UA complex in Garland, were originally built for THX standards. But they didn't pay the yearly fee to keep the certification (same thing happened here in Lawton with the Carmike 8).

The tiny town of Candadian, TX (up in the northern part of the TX Panhandle) has a theater that's still THX. I think it has a Sony 4K projector as well.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 06-02-2013, 01:52 PM:

At my theater, auditoriums 3, 4 and 15 were certified until late 1994 or early 1995. I don't think the newer breed of movie patron knows the existence of THX, but they seem to know of Imax. The larger screened auditoriums have struck their fancy as of late.
Canadian Texas is the only THX location around here that I am aware of. I am not aware of any new THX installs. Interest in THX seemed to wane around the late 1990s.

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 06-02-2013, 03:39 PM:

Two screens at the Mishawaka Cinemark Movies 14 (10 when it opened in 1995) were supposedly built to THX specs but never certified. To this day, those two houses still sound better. Those baffle walls really do help.

AJG

Posted by Jarod Reddig (Member # 6363) on 06-03-2013, 02:23 PM:

Does anyone know roughly how much the fee is to keep renewing THX certification at a theater? Is it charged per theater thats been certified or one fee for the whole house?