Chapter 239: BttF Release
On Wednesday... July 3, 1985... audiences got to see the first official screening of a movie that would launch a cultural phenomenon.
On that day, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale's time travel comedy Back to the Future influenced a multi-media franchise of films, comic books, theme park rides, video games, and even a retro-flashback band, The Flux-Capacitors.
That was the old timeline though...
Due to a certain Chaos Butterfly... a lot of things had changed... but ultimately, still followed a similar course of events.
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On Friday... July 5, 1985... premiere audiences got to see the first official screening of a movie that would launch a cultural phenomenon.
On this day, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale and the yet-to-be-of-import "screenwriter" Alex Creed's time travel comedy film had been shown.
Back to the Future I would come to influence a multi-media franchise of films, comic books, theme park rides, video games, and even a retro-flashback band, The Flux-Capacitors.
On this day, Alexander and Sullivan Creed's biggest stake in establishing their family legacy even further would finally be pitted against the whims of the world.
Back to the Future I may just be a movie but it held great importance to those that worked hard in making it happen!
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To showcase their visions!
To cement their legacies in the film industry!
To raking earnings by virtue of box office!
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Speaking of box office, there were many other factors involved here, not the least was the fact that a number of people were already ready to pay and see this particular movie...
Back to the Future had made its way into one of the summer's must-watch films, after all!
There are a lot of factors that made that happen but the collaborative effort of the people involved should be the one that makes up the entire cake.
There are the film endorsements and teaser trailers that popped up in opportune places. By placing BttF information in the right place, right time, and right medium... the attention being thrown into the film should pretty much be present.
With the advent of days and weeks... and continuing with those endorsements and teasers... the interest in the film should grow and grow.
As these things progress, more and more potential viewers will start paying attention to what is going on and why they might be interested.
In doing so, they'll learn about some more exciting and entertaining aspects of the film and maybe even get some of their conceived expectations on what they'll want to see.
These teasers are "teasers" for a reason... they give a chance and a taste of what the film has to offer.
However, the real prize would probably have to be seen by viewers themselves when the film finally comes out.
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Of course, teasers and whatnot are not the only ones that propelled BttF into a considerable contender for people to watch out for.
Film trailers tease people about what they would be in for, however... actors of the film are in the spotlight for many media articles and what a significant portion of potential viewers are pining for.
Does this actor or actress look good? A vain and judging question... but it is what is subconsciously asked by people looking to watch some movies.
Fortunately, Back to the Future has positioned itself to be a sci-fi adventure with considerably attractive cast members.
Perhaps Michael J. Fox is the most notable name and face throughout the whole cast... his work in Family Ties did give him a considerable number of fans, after all.
This is also the reason why some of the BttF trailers had somehow squeezed into Family Ties' commercial breaks.
Who wouldn't want to squeeze out the support of a reasonably-established fanbase? The distributing Columbia and producing Creed Pictures wouldn't pass up on that potential stocks at all.
Anyways, the other actors must have fanbases of their own and this is why the visibility and media coverage of the cast members became noticeably higher in a number of publications.
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Of course, aside from all that had been covered, the coverage of newsprint media for the film could not be discounted in making Back to the Future as a must-watch.
Just a few hours before the premiere and total theatrical release of Back to the Future, many articles covering the new film appeared in publications.
One such example is one from the New York Times:
[IN 'FUTURE,' BOY RETURNS TO THE PAST]
By Janet Maslin
July 5, 1985
THE people in Robert Zemeckis's films have the great fun of living out their craziest daydreams.
And the crazier the better: Mr. Zemeckis, together with his screenwriting partner Bob Gale, has progressed from teen-age kamikazes willing to risk anything to meet the Beatles (''I Wanna Hold Your Hand,'') to salesmen ready to peddle any form of figurative snake oil (''Used Cars'') to a timid pulp novelist who travels to the tropics (''Romancing the Stone,'' with a screenplay by Diane Thomas) and becomes her own most adventuresome heroine.
Mr. Zemeckis has now gone himself one better with ''Back to the Future,'' about a boy who wonders what his parents were like in their salad days and is miraculously given the chance to find out.
What child wouldn't love the chance to tell the two lovestruck teen-agers who will someday become his mother and father: ''Hey, if you guys ever have kids and one of them, when he's 8 years old, accidentally sets fire to the living room rug - go easy on him, will ya?''
''Back to the Future,'' which opens today at Loew's State and other theaters, takes this sweet, ingenious premise and really runs with it.
In less resourceful hands, the idea might quickly have worn thin; it might have taken an uncomfortable turn since the story's young hero must face the transformation of his plump, stern, middle-aged mother into a flirtatious young beauty.
But Mr. Zemeckis is able both to keep the story moving and to keep it from going too far. He handles ''Back to the Future'' with the kind of inventiveness that indicates he will be spinning funny, whimsical tall tales for a long time to come.
The hero of the film is named Marty McFly, though his mother insists, when he ventures back in time 30 years, on calling him, Calvin Klein.
The film's observation that, in those days, a name sewn onto the back of one's pants was probably one's own is only one of the shrewd, rueful contrasts it draws between 1955 and the present day.
Once Marty (played winningly by Michael J. Fox) steps into the specially equipped DeLorean owned by a mad scientist friend of his and floors the accelerator, he finds himself in a much simpler world.
The neighborhood where he will someday live hasn't even been built.
The local soda jerk thinks anyone who orders a Pepsi Free (''If you want a Pepsi you gotta pay for it!'') is being a wise guy.
The town's movie theater is playing a Ronald Reagan film, and when Marty announces that Mr. Reagan will be President some day, he is met with a stare of disbelief and a sarcastic remark about Vice President Jerry Lewis.
While keeping the film well stocked with similar witticisms and giving the production the muted, well-groomed look of 1950's advertising and television, Mr. Zemeckis keeps the film firmly anchored in McFly family history. Dad (Eric Stoltz) is a nerd, while Mother (Lea Thompson) is a demure beauty; it should be noted that Mr. Stoltz and Miss Thompson are funny and credible both as parents and as teen-agers.
But there is a danger that they will never meet, particularly since Marty's arrival has permanently altered their history. This, and Marty's decade-hopping rapport with the mad scientist (Christopher Lloyd) whose DeLorean he borrowed, keeps ''Back to the Future'' very busy indeed. Even so, it still manages to end with a surprise.
One of the most appealing things about ''Back to the Future'' is its way of putting nostalgia gently in perspective.
Like Marty, Mr. Zemeckis takes a bemused but unsentimental view of times gone by. And he seems no less fascinated by the future, which is understandable. His own looks very bright.
''Back to the Future'' is rated PG (''Parental Guidance Suggested.'') It contains some strong language.
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Not everybody wanted to know exactly how their potential movie to watch was going to end up. But those who loved the snippets did get more intrigued about it.
This is just one of the articles that help the film in its notoriety and visibility as it sets up what to expect... but also to intrigue the readers some more.
From all that had been covered... it can be seen that Columbia, Creed, and all those involved had given it their all to push Back to the Future to its potential.
A movie's concept had to be big and powerful enough to win the heart and imaginations of millions of people. BttF had that covered.
They just had to go big and powerful in their methods of film dissemination to match the great potential that they believe the film to have.
In any case, Back to the Future's path had long been set and would only continue onwards.
With 1,340 theaters freeing up their screens due to Columbia's efforts... the film's true theatrical release was finally at play!
Visions, legacies, and box office were finally going to be set straight with the much-awaited BttF release!