20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
13. It Opened In Just 32 Theaters In North America
Fox's concern that Star Wars would be a box office failure was only exacerbated by the fact that less than 40 cinemas actually committed to screening it on its release week at the end of May 1977.
On Wednesday, May 25th, Star Wars opened to a pitiable 32 cinemas, a figure that seems practically inconceivable for any blockbuster today, before opening on an additional eight later in the week, bringing the first-week total to a round 40.
However, the strong word-of-mouth response and incredible per-screen box office performance quickly caused the film's demand to surge with exhibitors, and throughout the summer of 1977 up to 200 extra screens were added in North America alone on a weekly basis.
During its peak in August and September 1977, Star Wars was playing on 1,000 screens through the U.S. and Canada, which led it to overtaking Jaws as the highest-grossing film in North America within six months of its modest initial release.