UK Release Date For Star Wars - A New Hope

K

K.E

New member
I was wondering if any of the Star Wars experts could help me please...

I have recently been watching a few programmes on Star Wars and on them there have been several people and "Celebrities" saying that they remember seeing the film in 1977...

Now, I know that the film was released in 1977 in the US, but I was wondering if any of you could tell me when it was released in the UK ? As far as I know, and I will be the first to admit I'm not the greatest expert on such matters, lol But as far as I know it was released here in the UK in either very late 1977 or early 1978.

I saw the film in 1978 (The only reason I know that for sure is I used to have a photo of me with a broomstick trying to be a Jedi :p and on the back it said "... After seeing Star Wars in March 1978")

I was 7 at the time, and to be honest, I don't have much memory of the time, lol But it amazed me how people that would have been 3 or 4 at the time could be so adament that they saw it in 1977... A friend of mine also claims this even though he would have been less than 1 year old at the time, lol

None of this really matters of course, lol But I would be grateful if anyone could help me with this just so I know for sure :) Oh and to settle a bet with my friend :p
 
It was May 1977 in the UK. You my have seen a rescreening. In the original screening it was just called Star Wars. Episode 4: A New Hope wsn't added til 1979

I remember it was put through the cinemas again in 1979 as a reminder for the Empire Strikes Back. I think my local cinema in Chester-le-Street ran A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back in one go in 1980/1. My bum was numb afterwarRAB.

Just seen Episode 3 and after 2.5 hours my bum was numb,why can't they make cinema seats more comfortable?

David
 
Thanks for your reply ! :)

That's what I thought... I think it might have had an early preview in some cinemas but as far as I knew it was around that time when it was released.
 
Thanks for your reply ! :)

Oh... So it coincided with the US release then ? I did honestly think it was later that the UK got it...

I put Star Wars - A New Hope just so it would be very specific... But it was definitely March 1978 when I saw it, as I said the only reason I know that for certain is the photo :p
 
Seems I was wrong. The UK release of Star Wars was Jan 2nd 1978 through the premiere was 27th Dec 1977.

Any idea why we brits had to wait 7/8 months?

David
 
I've just been doing a hunt to try to find out when it was released here in the Uk and I came across this ...

The first place outside the United States to see Star Wars, in late June 1977, was (somewhat bizarrely) the Philippines, and by the time the film opened in Britain, it was also already playing in some European markets. SF lore has it that Star Wars opened in London on Boxing Day 1977, then opened nationally one week later on 2 January 1978, the same day that the first episode of Blake
 
This really annoys me when you hear celebs talking in these "I Love the 70s" type progrmmes who vividly remember going to see Star Wars at their local Odeon in 1977 - nonsense! Even Dermot O' Thingy did it on BBC3 the other night when he claimed to be a Star Wars nut. AND he got the date of Attack of the Clones wrong too!!

Anyway, it was definitely released in very late December 1977 in London and early 1978 elsewhere in the UK, and pretty much stayed on release for most of 1978.

Up until fairly recently it was quite common for films to open much later in the UK, and even then with staggered dates across the country, in fact as recently as 1999 Phantom Menace was released two months later in the UK. This is probably one of the reasons why the original Star Wars phenomenon lasted so long - word travels across from America which builRAB expectation, by which time some of the merchandising has made its way over here, and with no videos, DVRAB or computer games to while away a young mind's time there is not much else left to do but ride around on your Chopper or go to the cinema.

I was a very impressionable seven when I saw the film in the spring of 1978 - it had a massive impact on me and I bet most of the people sat with me in the Showcase cinema at 11 o'clock this morning - average age mid 30's!!

Sith is great by the way - don't believe the cynics and enjoy it for what it is. :)
 
That's actually one of the shows that got me thinking about all of this... It just amazed me that they could remember EVERY detail from some 25 or so years ago when they were 3 or 4 years old... I thought to myself how the hell do they remember all of this so vividly ? lol

As I said, I don't have much memory of it at the time, I don't even remember my Jedi broomstick, lol :p Then again, I can't remember last month that clearly, so that's not saying a lot, lol Maybe they just have better memories than I do, lol

I think it's one of those defining moments for a generation, and if you missed out on it then somehow your not as good as those who did see it when it first came out, which I think is sad... I missed 2001 when it was first released, but it didn't change the impact that it had on me when I first saw it !
 
And, I may be wrong about this, but "A New Hope" didn't appear on any of the posters at the time. It was not the "official" title of the film until the late 90s. It kind of annoys me to hear people use that name because for me the film is called Star Wars.
 
I'm pretty sure we didn't get it here until the xmas of 1977. I saw it in the school holidays which would have been January 1978.

It was never called Episode 4 A new Hope then . It was called Star Wars. I still call it Star Wars.
 
Yes it was in the introduction in the film, but it was never part of the official title until the special editions were released in the mid 1990s.
 
The thing with those 'I Love...' shows is that they are completely contrived. When they're asked to do the show the celebrities may or may not remember what they talk about, but the producers often jog their memories by giving them packs which detail some of the most important aspects of whatever subject they're discussing. So if they mention remembering doing something on a specific date it is most likely because they've just read that date. Of course let's not forget that we're only given a section of the interview and editors can do lots of interesting things to twist people's worRAB.

Also let's remember that piracy is a much bigger problem now then it was when the original Star Wars came out. Nowadays if you employed a steady roll-out strategy on a high profile film then many enterprising folks in the areas unlucky enough to get it last would simply download it. I remember this was quite a big problem when The Phantom Menace came out - plenty of my frienRAB just watched the pirate copies in the wait between the US and UK releases. Now it seems that one worldwide release helps prevent that, such a shame they can't extend the idea to DVRAB or video games.
 
So the others were named after their headline names
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI
but when the scroll says
A NEW HOPE
we don't refer to them as such?

Personally, to me, its A NEW HOPE.
 
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