@@chrislaidlow3886 Guess I hit a nerve there bub. Off you go, there's a soy latte waiting for you somewhere. Don't forget to pick up your tampons for that mangina of yours also.
@@dignes3446 I saw it in the theater at age 6. I don't remember any lines to get in or anything, but I probably didn't see it opening weekend. I didn't know anything about Star Wars at that time other than that my older brother had a beat up Landspeeder toy in the bathroom. I instantly became obsessed with the movie and the franchise after seeing ROTJ though. Got the other movies in audio cassette storybook versions, started collecting the action figures and bought "knockoff" red and green lightsabers which we fought with inside the house. Every kid at that time had Star Wars merchandise in their house. Always had a lot of debates going on about favorite characters or secret meanings in the plot. Was Boba Fett female? Was Obi-Wan secretly OB-1, a droid?
I prefer watching shit at home but probably the reason why is because I've never experienced a theater like this. The last movie I watched in theaters was Encanto (absolutely amazing shit by the way, 18/10, in the greatest of all time tier of movies) and it was at 9:30 with only 1 other group. Me and my 3 homies I watched it with could've talked freely during the movie if we wanted. Before that, it was Ghostbusters: Afterlife (pretty alright, 7.3/10, better than the original but that's not hard to do) and the theater I watched it at had some pretty terrible seats and the group behind me wouldn't shut the fuck up. Before then, it was almost 2 years ago that I saw Rise of Shitwalker in theaters. Holy fuck I've never seen anything worse in a theater. So yeah, it sucks that I never got to be a part of something like this. I sure do hope a movie that's a genuine masterpiece can get this level of hype around it
@@blitzn00dle50 The problem is with reserved seats and pre-sold tickets, you'll never see lines like this outside a theater again. I've been in some sold out screenings for premieres of movies but it's hard to tell because the seats just slowly fill in.
I could not enjoy a movie with a bunch of screaming and hollering fans losing their shit every time something happens on screen. Ofc this doesnt happen over here because I dont live in the US.
It's kinda ironic that social media that was supposed to make us closer actually did the opposite. Look at this wholesome bunch sharing a unique experience together in actual life. I miss those times.
I'm 57, and yes, that's what it was pretty much like back then.... Block Buster action packed thriller, Enthusiastic people, electricity in the air, the lines and the crowds, $2.50 to $3 movies. People having a great time.
There were assholes back then too believe me. The main difference is that when you went and stood in line like that there was NOTHING to do except TALK TO EACH OTHER! I don't think phones are bad but things are defibrillator different now. Its just the way it is and in many ways its better that we have smart phones. We've lost a lot of that kind of forced interaction. Not necessarily a bad thing just different.
@@notsogreatsword1607 One day, technology will allow everyone to read everyone else's mind and society will just have to deal with it. People will no longer be offended or embarrassed by anything because we all know what everyone else is thinking, but the only thing that matters is our _actions._ For example, mind reading technology will let you know that someone is racist, and they'll know YOU know they're racist, but as long as they treat people equally it ultimately doesn't matter what anyone thinks. You'll know if someone finds you attractive and they'll know if you find them attractive, but it ultimately doesn't matter because attraction is normal, so everyone will just get on with their lives (unless you're both seeking a partner, in which case you two can pair up). I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I guess I was just thinking about how the technology changes society, itself. In 1980, there were no smartphones, so everyone in public was forced to interact with each other. Perhaps in the future, other kinds of technology will fundamentally change the way social interactions play out. I just used mind reading technology as an example.
I've heard from people over the years that some people disliked Star Wars after 1983 because to them 'ewoks ruined Star Wars'. so even within the OT there's a divide
My mom was six months pregnant with my little sister and she took me to see Jedi on opening day.i was 5 years old. I still remember it all. Being scared in a big crowd of people. Mom leading us to our seats. Watching the movie and cheering because other people were cheering. Going to get Stuffy's afterwards. I miss you so much mom. Star Wars isn't the same without you.
Nobody is talking about the fact that this film marked the first time we witnessed the debut of the THX Sound System in which has made an impact on the Audio and Filmmaking industry up to this day...
THANKS FOR ALSO NOTICING THAT THIS WAS THE LANDMARK FIRST FILM IN THE SAGA TO USE THX SINCE 1977 and 1980 HAD NO THX BIG AUDIO YET BUT RETURN USED THAT TO PERFECT EFFECT! GEORGE LUCAS LANDMARKED THE SAGA AND JJ ABRAMS ALSO DID SO WITH FORCE AWAKENS AND RIAN JOHNSON DID ALSO FOR LAST JEDI!!!!!!!!!!
I sometimes wish I could've been born in the late 70s/early 80s. It honestly looks like fun being in those lines for hours, camping in the streets, and chatting with other while waiting for the movies. Nowadays you just click a few buttons on your phone and buy the tickets online.
@@xcell5215 it was! I was a child back then but I still remember seeing empire and return in theatres. I remember the excitement and crowed cheering on opening weekend of both films shown on amazing 70mm. It was a different time back then no tension or anger, people didn’t give a fuck who was president or prime minister depending on what country you lived in. It was just pure and good old fans being fans of a franchise. Now I’m sitting her 46 years old 2021 hating everything. Notice how no one wants to stay in the 2000’s or 2010s, no one wants to go back to the 50s,60s or 70s. Everyone wants to go back to the 80s and 90s it was that glorious and fun. No one gave a fuck who you were in the 80s 90s or what you did either now everything is hate hate hate because the media wants to divide us. Sorry for the rant I hate the 2010s and this new fucked up decade
@@xcell5215 I was born in the 1970s and never stood in a line for a movie until the Spider-Man 3 midnight showing in 2007. I always just waited until the crowds died down to see something. There really was not much opening weekend hype back then. That's a very new phenomenon. These lines you're seeing in these news clips only ever happened in the biggest cities and for probably nothing but Star Wars.
Star Wars was always meant to be a 9 part film series according to George Lucas, but he only made 4, 5 and 6 because the technology wasn't advanced enough for him to do the whole thing. That's why it took forever for the other movies to be made.
@@avisco01 I'm not sure how I feel about Lucas doing the sequels. The sequels we got were abysmal, but if Lucas did them he would probably make them about as mid as the original trilogy. Then they'd be torn to shreds by the critics because we all saw what the critics said about the first 2 sequels. But then again, ROTS seemed to take Star Wars in a completely new and significantly better direction, so if Lucas was to make the entire sequel trilogy like ROTS they could end up being really good.
As a 6-year-old kid watching Jedi, I didn't really see it as a movie or a part of the culture. I just believed it was a document of something that really happened out there in space. I think Last Crusade in 1989 was the first time I really felt the hype of anticipating a movie and then also being completely satisfied with the experience. I was hyped for Ghostbusters II too, but it was disappointing. Batman 1989 was a good experience, but I really hadn't been looking forward to it, we just went and saw it because it was constantly in the news.
@@jedijones yeah I saw ROTJ as part of a school excursion back when it released. I wasn't a big Star Wars fan as a kid but sure was hyped after seeing it, making lightsabers out of cricket stumps by painting them green and stuff like that....then it all quickly faded again. Didn't really get hyped over the release of Phantom Menace either, saw it at a social club function where I worked and fell asleep halfway through. Wasn't until AOTC was coming out that I was getting back into Star Wars and becoming a big fan again and of course that skyrocketed as ROTS came out. Ironically, Disney made me an even bigger fan....well, made me appreciate the OT more but also stuff like Rogue One and The Mandalorian were great, though of course the ST left a bit to be desired.
When no spoilers were around, when you had to patience to see something, when you had to plan the evening in advance and be there because you couldn't record nor put it on pause, when you had to take your time to see something, when you REALLY ENJOYED a movie! When you REALLY got surprised... Wonderful!
Cinefantastique Magazine spilled the beans months before it came out, yoda dies, Vader is Luke’s father and the emperor shows up. So, there were spoilers then.
@Abstract I disagree. Unless you're meaning ONLY LITERALLY being there. But why would you, when this magical effect of the movie (and its tone frame) extends so far as to be felt by people even today?
@Abstract True, you can't interact with them. But you never really would interact much with fellow fans back when these films were released. You just knew they liked the same thing you liked, and it was pretty great to have that community. Same thing here. The guy likes Star Wars, and that resonates with a lot of people. So to me, he's part of our great and crazed Star Wars community; only sensing that enthusiasm, while we can only remember it.
I was there opening day in 1983! Ten years old. Saw it in Louisville, Kentucky. Huge lines around the theater to get in. The movie was awesome, and so was the audience reaction.
Exactly. Now the message is everybody is grey, the baddies are good guys, the good guys are dark too...even Luke Skywalker, or Jake Skywalker to be precise
Lol what? The movie doesn’t say that it’s just that she says that LIKE WHAT SHE SAYS! Good does prevail and “we will all conquer” in a positive way but not in the way that she says as there’s clearly WAY more to it than that that the movie itself says!
@@JoseyWales44s Fandom was diverse, that doesn't mean Star Wars itself was. I am sure a lot of them wanted to be represented in the films, after all, it's absurd there are only white humans in a story that happens in a darn galaxy.
@@darthnater9731You DEFINITELY didn’t grow up in the early 80’s. I REMEMBER the long gas lines. Hell, I remember when the inflation started in the 70’s!
I worked all night the day Jedi was released. I drove to Newberry Park in California to see it on zero sleep. I stood in line three hours to see it the first screening.
Nothing beats the theater experience for me! The top-notch surround sound, the smell of popcorn and candy, and now a lot of theaters have huge comfy seats that you can pick when you buy your ticket. Watching a new movie at home just isn’t the same, I even love the previews.
There's actually an interview with Mark Hamill where he said Lucas had plans for prequels next back in 1980. Lucas had the whole saga written down before the first Star wars.
We knew back then, it was always talked about, and even reported on the news as you can see. One of the movie adaptation novels also talked about Darth Vader being burned in lava while fighting Obi-Wan in the Clone Wars. You have to understand once a number like Episode 5 and 6 started appearing on the movies, it sparks conversation about how many other parts there are. The problem is Lucas decided to wrap up the saga early in Return of the Jedi. "The other" would've been Luke's sister, not Leia, who had a bigger part in Episodes 7-9. We didn't realize at the time that Return of the Jedi would be the last movie. People got really bored with Star Wars by 1986 when the other movies didn't materialize.
Once again, this is a misconception. THX played in only two theaters during Return of the Jedi. The theaters in this video did not have the THX logo. THX in the old day was a special Theater like IMAX and Dolby Cinema are. THX cannot play in every theater because not all theaters are fit to play THX.
I remember being 9 years old in Neptune, New Jersey eating a McRib combo at McDonald's and then seeing Return of the Jedi for the first time. It was great!
Half the movie experience was waiting in line for an hour or two while anticipation was building in the crowd. Lawn chairs, picnics, card games, radios, pizza runs, and just great conversations. I’m sure these things still happen somewhere but not as much as they used to.
I took a bus to the Roosevelt Field mall with a few friends to see this when we were in 6th grade. I remember how psyched we were to be going on our own, we were men! The best times, and the best friends!
I was there. Tickets were sold out for Wednesday. I waited until Saturday only to find out that was sold out also. I got up early the next Saturday and rode my bike to the mall. I waited from 9ish AM until 12 noon for the first showing that day. These teenagers kept cutting in line in front of me until an older gentleman behind me gave them a warning. At the time, it was the greatest movie experience ever for me since it was the first time I went to see a film by myself. Best $4.50 I've ever spent.
I was 11 years old, did not get to see it on the big screen. Parents going through a divorce so money was tight and the closest theater was 75 miles away. But I can still remember the news and the people standing in line for days, many camping out for a week before the first ticket would sale. Crazy is what I thought, but it is a trend with Star Wars, people that seem like they are from out of this world to camp out at a theater for a week or more. Fuuny thing is I would just wait a couple weeks and the ticket would be just a dollar.
My dad took me to see it when I was about 4 years old. I since saw it in theaters through the last 40 years about 3 times. I plan to take my 5 year old son for the 40th anniversary re-release this wkend.
I was a baby when it came out so I never saw it until I finished watching a new hope and empire. This was the last good star wars movie alongside revenge of the sith, which I saw at a near sold out crowd at the now closed succasunna cinema. When disney took over, they did ok on force awakens, then released last jedi which was so so. When rise of skywalker came out it was bad. In between there were spinoffs like solo which was good and rogue one which was amazing. A new venture that disney is revisiting but succeeding is television, this time on disney plus with shows such as mando and bad batch which delve deeper into the star wars mythos.
I came here looking for a video showing audience reactions to the ending in the theater. Oh well. I can tell an amusing story for how the ending was received in one suburban theater in my country. A friend from school was taken to see Return of the Jedi on the opening weekend. He told us that when Darth Vader saved Luke by throwing the Emperor into the Death Star reactor core, people cheered. Some were being silly. They put on voices and said, "Yee ha. Hallelujah, brother!"
This was a time when Star Wars brought the whole country together regardless of color, race political beliefs it was good over evil and Star Wars brought us all together maybe when Star Wars is in a true fans creator again Star wars can bring us all together again like it did for 20 plus years let's hope may the force be with you.
i remember paying $5 for the first showing. most moves were $4. but because this ws a STAR WARS movie, the theatre owners jacked up the admission price. and it's funny now cuz we used to think $5 was a lot to see a movie. nowadays it's like $12
The reason people are so blown away is not because of the special FX, but because of the incredible story of Good vanquishing evil. Star Wars came out at a time when there were a lot of darker more edgier films, and here was an innocent story about the light. We need this to return to the world again.
3:02 min in the reporter says "Return of the Jedi " is part of a 9 part series." I was led to believe that the series was just three and that Lucas and was making it up as he went along....but how did she know that in 1983?
@@wonderfulwookiee6443 Back in the day, George wasn't sure how many movies he wanted to do (at some point ROTJ was the ninth movie & boba as the main baddie of the episode 5 sequel). Even after that, there was a sequel trilogy script that was written back in the mid/early 80's. Theres a few people who were even under contracts to not release any details about how the stories went.
Great to see this! I turned 7 the week ROTJ came out, and I saw it in the theater in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I can't even convey the amount of hype and anticipation there was for this. Everyone wanted to know how it would end. My brother had a friend who claimed that he'd seen it and everyone died; but I knew he was an idiot so I didn't believe him, lol.
All these people seem surprisingly chill. Weird to see normal people from the 80’s were the majority of Star Wars fan.
There also wasnt the internet yet, they knew everyone would see them so they didnt act crazy
Now it would be do I look hot....
$4.50 to $5 but ppl don’t mind. What a time to be alive.
I don't think Star Wars was nerdy until the early 90s
Jeez you act like we’re not chill
What a time to be alive. No controversy, not intended to be divisive, no hatred, just good a good movie, and good times
Yeah, Twitter dwelling, woke SJW libtards have ruined all that today.
@@ulysses2162 Unironically saying the word libtards? You might be the sensitive one bud. You are probably 11.
@@chrislaidlow3886 or you're just a liberal.
@@chrislaidlow3886 Guess I hit a nerve there bub. Off you go, there's a soy latte waiting for you somewhere. Don't forget to pick up your tampons for that mangina of yours also.
@@ulysses2162 lol actual wee freak so you are. loser
I was there. I saw ROTJ at age 10. Standing in lines that wrapped around the theater several times. Great memories.
Saw it at ten years old too man! Great movie memory.
@@danielm3192 Share more details you guys!
Wow, cool... one moment: Was the movie from age 10?!
@@dignes3446 I saw it in the theater at age 6. I don't remember any lines to get in or anything, but I probably didn't see it opening weekend. I didn't know anything about Star Wars at that time other than that my older brother had a beat up Landspeeder toy in the bathroom. I instantly became obsessed with the movie and the franchise after seeing ROTJ though. Got the other movies in audio cassette storybook versions, started collecting the action figures and bought "knockoff" red and green lightsabers which we fought with inside the house. Every kid at that time had Star Wars merchandise in their house. Always had a lot of debates going on about favorite characters or secret meanings in the plot. Was Boba Fett female? Was Obi-Wan secretly OB-1, a droid?
I don't believe you. Nothing happened before 1997. There is no proof.
That dude deadass revealed that Vader gets unmasked
Bruhhh my deadass thought it was Bill Nye the Science Guy HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAH
How is a that a reveal though? The reveal is more about WHAT he looks like, rather than IF you see him (which you partially already did see in TESB).
and he called him Dark Vader
No he didn’t. He said “dark” Vader. Totally different character.
"tickets are going for 4.50 to 5 dollars"
Those were the days!
This is exactly the reason why I prefer the cinema instead of watching movies at homes. I miss being able to watch movies like this.
I prefer watching shit at home but probably the reason why is because I've never experienced a theater like this. The last movie I watched in theaters was Encanto (absolutely amazing shit by the way, 18/10, in the greatest of all time tier of movies) and it was at 9:30 with only 1 other group. Me and my 3 homies I watched it with could've talked freely during the movie if we wanted. Before that, it was Ghostbusters: Afterlife (pretty alright, 7.3/10, better than the original but that's not hard to do) and the theater I watched it at had some pretty terrible seats and the group behind me wouldn't shut the fuck up. Before then, it was almost 2 years ago that I saw Rise of Shitwalker in theaters. Holy fuck I've never seen anything worse in a theater.
So yeah, it sucks that I never got to be a part of something like this. I sure do hope a movie that's a genuine masterpiece can get this level of hype around it
@@blitzn00dle50 The problem is with reserved seats and pre-sold tickets, you'll never see lines like this outside a theater again. I've been in some sold out screenings for premieres of movies but it's hard to tell because the seats just slowly fill in.
Well, Return of the Jedi is in theaters again.
I could not enjoy a movie with a bunch of screaming and hollering fans losing their shit every time something happens on screen.
Ofc this doesnt happen over here because I dont live in the US.
@@_FimbulWinters Where do you live, Vulcan?
It's kinda ironic that social media that was supposed to make us closer actually did the opposite. Look at this wholesome bunch sharing a unique experience together in actual life. I miss those times.
Barbenheimer brought back this vibe.
@@user-ux3vw6mb4k for 2 weeks
Who believes social media was created to make us closer? It wasn't
I read this in JC Denton’s voice.
Government has divided us. It's on purpose.
I'm 57, and yes, that's what it was pretty much like back then.... Block Buster action packed thriller, Enthusiastic people, electricity in the air, the lines and the crowds, $2.50 to $3 movies. People having a great time.
57 here too. It was definitely a better experience back then.
2:41
“It was a fantastic movie, but it was good.”
Well said.
You know, there are people who don't like fantasy / fiction movie, so that is a big compliment
🤣🤣
But atleast it was really, really good
@@brezzainvernale To me fantastic is just another word for good
@@mariguana7918 Look the word up, that's not what it actually means.
It’s weird to see actual nice people
There were assholes back then too believe me. The main difference is that when you went and stood in line like that there was NOTHING to do except TALK TO EACH OTHER!
I don't think phones are bad but things are defibrillator different now. Its just the way it is and in many ways its better that we have smart phones. We've lost a lot of that kind of forced interaction. Not necessarily a bad thing just different.
@@notsogreatsword1607 One day, technology will allow everyone to read everyone else's mind and society will just have to deal with it. People will no longer be offended or embarrassed by anything because we all know what everyone else is thinking, but the only thing that matters is our _actions._ For example, mind reading technology will let you know that someone is racist, and they'll know YOU know they're racist, but as long as they treat people equally it ultimately doesn't matter what anyone thinks. You'll know if someone finds you attractive and they'll know if you find them attractive, but it ultimately doesn't matter because attraction is normal, so everyone will just get on with their lives (unless you're both seeking a partner, in which case you two can pair up).
I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I guess I was just thinking about how the technology changes society, itself. In 1980, there were no smartphones, so everyone in public was forced to interact with each other. Perhaps in the future, other kinds of technology will fundamentally change the way social interactions play out. I just used mind reading technology as an example.
I remember back then people had conversations at bus stops now their just plugged in!@@notsogreatsword1607
Yeah people of the ‘70s and ‘80s were much nicer and kinder, and friendlier than now.
@@faisalmemon285 Pol Pot?
I worked in a movie theater that summer. Every show was sold out all summer.
Whoever went to see this back in 1983 how does it feel to be a true OG Star Wars fan
I was 5 years old and saw it in the theater!
@@AlanAvis I was 6.
I've heard from people over the years that some people disliked Star Wars after 1983 because to them 'ewoks ruined Star Wars'. so even within the OT there's a divide
I was 13 when RotJ came out, and I still love the franchise, even the newer Disney stuff all these sniveling dorks are ranting about 24/7.
My mom was six months pregnant with my little sister and she took me to see Jedi on opening day.i was 5 years old. I still remember it all. Being scared in a big crowd of people. Mom leading us to our seats. Watching the movie and cheering because other people were cheering. Going to get Stuffy's afterwards. I miss you so much mom. Star Wars isn't the same without you.
Nobody is talking about the fact that this film marked the first time we witnessed the debut of the THX Sound System in which has made an impact on the Audio and Filmmaking industry up to this day...
@Cristian Rodas Do you know what the THX logo is at the beginning of movies?
THANKS FOR ALSO NOTICING THAT THIS WAS THE LANDMARK FIRST FILM IN THE SAGA TO USE THX SINCE 1977 and 1980 HAD NO THX BIG AUDIO YET BUT RETURN USED THAT TO PERFECT EFFECT! GEORGE LUCAS LANDMARKED THE SAGA AND JJ ABRAMS ALSO DID SO WITH FORCE AWAKENS AND RIAN JOHNSON DID ALSO FOR LAST JEDI!!!!!!!!!!
DOLBY ATMOS BETTER
Only in a handful of venues back then though
Going to the movies seemed so fun back then
I sometimes wish I could've been born in the late 70s/early 80s. It honestly looks like fun being in those lines for hours, camping in the streets, and chatting with other while waiting for the movies. Nowadays you just click a few buttons on your phone and buy the tickets online.
Also they had good movies
@@xcell5215 it was! I was a child back then but I still remember seeing empire and return in theatres. I remember the excitement and crowed cheering on opening weekend of both films shown on amazing 70mm. It was a different time back then no tension or anger, people didn’t give a fuck who was president or prime minister depending on what country you lived in. It was just pure and good old fans being fans of a franchise. Now I’m sitting her 46 years old 2021 hating everything. Notice how no one wants to stay in the 2000’s or 2010s, no one wants to go back to the 50s,60s or 70s. Everyone wants to go back to the 80s and 90s it was that glorious and fun. No one gave a fuck who you were in the 80s 90s or what you did either now everything is hate hate hate because the media wants to divide us. Sorry for the rant I hate the 2010s and this new fucked up decade
@@xcell5215 it was the best time to be born, ngl.
@@xcell5215 I was born in the 1970s and never stood in a line for a movie until the Spider-Man 3 midnight showing in 2007. I always just waited until the crowds died down to see something. There really was not much opening weekend hype back then. That's a very new phenomenon. These lines you're seeing in these news clips only ever happened in the biggest cities and for probably nothing but Star Wars.
I saw ROTJ three times in the movies at the tender age of 11 and I can still remember when that giant star destroyer went down, everybody cheered
Yup, I remember the cheers in my theater too.
"third flick in a nine part series". Omg she knew
Star Wars was always meant to be a 9 part film series according to George Lucas, but he only made 4, 5 and 6 because the technology wasn't advanced enough for him to do the whole thing. That's why it took forever for the other movies to be made.
It’s weird to hear that it was known back then that it was 9 parts. If only Lucas did the sequels 😢
@@avisco01 His plans for the sequels involved even more midichlorian stuff, you know the stuff that fanboys hate
@@avisco01 I'm not sure how I feel about Lucas doing the sequels. The sequels we got were abysmal, but if Lucas did them he would probably make them about as mid as the original trilogy. Then they'd be torn to shreds by the critics because we all saw what the critics said about the first 2 sequels. But then again, ROTS seemed to take Star Wars in a completely new and significantly better direction, so if Lucas was to make the entire sequel trilogy like ROTS they could end up being really good.
@@blitzn00dle50 The Prequels were beyond AWFUL after the seeing the OT.
I wish I had gotten to watch Star Wars like this. It's just so treasured in this clips.
As a 6-year-old kid watching Jedi, I didn't really see it as a movie or a part of the culture. I just believed it was a document of something that really happened out there in space. I think Last Crusade in 1989 was the first time I really felt the hype of anticipating a movie and then also being completely satisfied with the experience. I was hyped for Ghostbusters II too, but it was disappointing. Batman 1989 was a good experience, but I really hadn't been looking forward to it, we just went and saw it because it was constantly in the news.
@@jedijones yeah I saw ROTJ as part of a school excursion back when it released. I wasn't a big Star Wars fan as a kid but sure was hyped after seeing it, making lightsabers out of cricket stumps by painting them green and stuff like that....then it all quickly faded again. Didn't really get hyped over the release of Phantom Menace either, saw it at a social club function where I worked and fell asleep halfway through. Wasn't until AOTC was coming out that I was getting back into Star Wars and becoming a big fan again and of course that skyrocketed as ROTS came out. Ironically, Disney made me an even bigger fan....well, made me appreciate the OT more but also stuff like Rogue One and The Mandalorian were great, though of course the ST left a bit to be desired.
When no spoilers were around, when you had to patience to see something, when you had to plan the evening in advance and be there because you couldn't record nor put it on pause, when you had to take your time to see something, when you REALLY ENJOYED a movie! When you REALLY got surprised... Wonderful!
Cinefantastique Magazine spilled the beans months before it came out, yoda dies, Vader is Luke’s father and the emperor shows up. So, there were spoilers then.
No spoilers except when news reports included stuff like 2:24
'It was a fantastic movie, but it was good. It was really really good.'
He's like "I'm not stupid, but I'm really, really dumb."
@@citygirl5705 Fantastic can also mean "imaginative or fanciful; remote from reality", so I think he was using this definition instead.
It sure was fantastic! And it was good too.
@@TheDinozRule I think in his mind, "fantastic" meant it had great special effects on spectacle, but "good" meant it had a good story.
Definitely a psycho
I also liked when Dark Vader unveiled himself to his son.
Spoiler 😅
He most likely was talking about the climax of The Empire Strikes Back so that couldn’t have necessarily had been a spoiler.
And then he turned out to be Light Vader.
I wish I could be a part of a movie like this.
You're here watching this video... You're part of the club, my friend. 🤝
@@bgaona lol that doesn't count and you know it😂
@Abstract I disagree. Unless you're meaning ONLY LITERALLY being there. But why would you, when this magical effect of the movie (and its tone frame) extends so far as to be felt by people even today?
@@bgaona Because you can't interact with any of them. There's no sense of real-time connection.
@Abstract True, you can't interact with them. But you never really would interact much with fellow fans back when these films were released. You just knew they liked the same thing you liked, and it was pretty great to have that community. Same thing here. The guy likes Star Wars, and that resonates with a lot of people. So to me, he's part of our great and crazed Star Wars community; only sensing that enthusiasm, while we can only remember it.
"exactly as it had to be!" Amen and yes it was.
Minus the ewoks.
@@mhoroky ☝️🤓
@@mhorokyThat‘s, what I wanted to write! 😊 E IV = A+, E V = A+ and E VI = A (-) until the Ewoks came. Then … a … ??? C(-)???
Wish I was there
Imagine these guys watching the The Mandalorian now.
"All I've got to say: THAT was The Mandalorian".
There have to be so old now
They don’t like Star Wars anymore thanks to............
the The 😂 Hilarious
@@jandyb79 🦝
I was15 in 83. What a great time to be a teenager.
It was even better to be a little bit younger, to play the whole childhood with Kenner’s Star Wars toys 😍
I was there opening day in 1983! Ten years old. Saw it in Louisville, Kentucky. Huge lines around the theater to get in. The movie was awesome, and so was the audience reaction.
"i'm a new woman. good prevails. we will all conquer." wish more movies had that kind of message these days
Exactly. Now the message is everybody is grey, the baddies are good guys, the good guys are dark too...even Luke Skywalker, or Jake Skywalker to be precise
They don’t make them like they used to.
Lol what? The movie doesn’t say that it’s just that she says that LIKE WHAT SHE SAYS!
Good does prevail and “we will all conquer” in a positive way but not in the way that she says as there’s clearly WAY more to it than that that the movie itself says!
@@BuscaLoEsencialbut we got The First Avenger and Wonder Woman. Suck at villain department tho, but the goodies are actually good and heroic.
@@Gadget-Walkmenwrong
Disney: “Star Wars needs to be diverse”.
1983: “It always was”.
There was only one important black character
@@alexandercastillo8792 Guess you missed all the diverse fans who were enjoying the film even though it didn't have racial quotas.
@@JoseyWales44sI mean, I don’t entirely disagree with your statement, but you’re conflating fandom with actual people in the films
@@officialmonarchmusic Actually, I'm just articulating what the OP was stating.
@@JoseyWales44s Fandom was diverse, that doesn't mean Star Wars itself was. I am sure a lot of them wanted to be represented in the films, after all, it's absurd there are only white humans in a story that happens in a darn galaxy.
2:13 and 2:25
I didn't know Eddie Murphy and Bill Nye were at the premier 😂
man, movies used to be so different before my time. It's like I miss it when I never got to even experience it in the first place.
so watch them... no one is preventing you from watching them NOW
1:15 I actually have that Yoda puppet. Absolutely crazy to me how it’s stayed in such good condition after 39 years.
That’s awesome
I mean, isn’t he 900 years old or so? What’s another 39 years.
If only we could all return to the 80’s. Nowadays, everyone is so ridiculously uptight and angry.
That's because back then the economy wasn't fucked up and people could actually afford things
@@darthnater9731Um...the 1980s (especially the early 80s) was a horrible economic period.
@@daustin8888 better than it is today.
@@darthnater9731You DEFINITELY didn’t grow up in the early 80’s. I REMEMBER the long gas lines. Hell, I remember when the inflation started in the 70’s!
@@darthnater9731horrible economy, AIDS epidemic, threat of nuclear annihilation. Sounds wonderful.
"I'm a new woman" is by far the best review 😂👏👏👏
That sentence has a different meaning in 2024, lmao.
@@kevinzhang6623 LOLL!! underrated reply 🤣🤣😆
Watching this now makes me happy that there was a time where there was peace and unity. Nowadays with the acolyte it's nothing but chaos.
I worked all night the day Jedi was released. I drove to Newberry Park in California to see it on zero sleep. I stood in line three hours to see it the first screening.
_“Good over Evil, always.”_
Strength Vs. Power. Apathy is Death
Today people likes evil
These people are so 80’s. I love ‘em
Because.... this is..... 1983..... hence..... the 80s...
Nothing beats the theater experience for me! The top-notch surround sound, the smell of popcorn and candy, and now a lot of theaters have huge comfy seats that you can pick when you buy your ticket. Watching a new movie at home just isn’t the same, I even love the previews.
I love Return Of The Jedi. it’s one of my favorite Star Wars films next to The Empire Strikes Back and A New Hope from the original trilogy.
It's getting even better with the Mandalorian for me. I always liked it now it's growing to love
the ONLY thing is the endor fight should have been longer but the movie is PERFECT like the FIRST TWO IN THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY!
0:46 These people be rushing in like it was black Friday. 😁 I LOVE IT ❤
Love being a star wars fan
A golden time that is gone forever, I’m glad I was a kid in those times
3:01 dang...
crazy to think most people knew sequels were eventually coming even back then
I believe that was because Lucas had stated that at some point back then.
There's actually an interview with Mark Hamill where he said Lucas had plans for prequels next back in 1980. Lucas had the whole saga written down before the first Star wars.
We knew back then, it was always talked about, and even reported on the news as you can see. One of the movie adaptation novels also talked about Darth Vader being burned in lava while fighting Obi-Wan in the Clone Wars. You have to understand once a number like Episode 5 and 6 started appearing on the movies, it sparks conversation about how many other parts there are. The problem is Lucas decided to wrap up the saga early in Return of the Jedi. "The other" would've been Luke's sister, not Leia, who had a bigger part in Episodes 7-9. We didn't realize at the time that Return of the Jedi would be the last movie. People got really bored with Star Wars by 1986 when the other movies didn't materialize.
2:11 "The biggest surprise was to see them all of them together at the end having a great time"
If he only knew what the sequel trilogy had in store😢.
I wanted to see their reaction to the THX Logo because this was the first move to be certified by THX.
Once again, this is a misconception. THX played in only two theaters during Return of the Jedi. The theaters in this video did not have the THX logo. THX in the old day was a special Theater like IMAX and Dolby Cinema are. THX cannot play in every theater because not all theaters are fit to play THX.
Look at all these happy people.
We queued twice around the Gaumont Cinema in Birmingham, UK. Happy days.
2:30 clearly, she was ahead of her time, unlike literally everyone and anyone in this video/interview back then😂💯👍👌
I remember being 9 years old in Neptune, New Jersey eating a McRib combo at McDonald's and then seeing Return of the Jedi for the first time. It was great!
I was born in 1971 and I believe now with all my heart that I was born during the best time possible
Plot twist: The kid never came back from London. He started a lucrative career as a lorry driver and a lift operator on the side.
I turned 19 that summer. It was such a different time. People were not so angry and eager to hate one another. Oh how I miss those days.
Half the movie experience was waiting in line for an hour or two while anticipation was building in the crowd. Lawn chairs, picnics, card games, radios, pizza runs, and just great conversations. I’m sure these things still happen somewhere but not as much as they used to.
I don't think that will ever happen again.
sadly.
The internet has really separated us, huh?
Unfortunately so…
People who think that are online too much or need to move apparently. Lol
I took a bus to the Roosevelt Field mall with a few friends to see this when we were in 6th grade. I remember how psyched we were to be going on our own, we were men! The best times, and the best friends!
Sadly i wasnt born until 4 years after the 3rd movie came out. But I still have memory of my dad taking me to see episode 1.
4:06 $4.50 to $5?!? Those were the days!
I was there. Tickets were sold out for Wednesday. I waited until Saturday only to find out that was sold out also. I got up early the next Saturday and rode my bike to the mall. I waited from 9ish AM until 12 noon for the first showing that day. These teenagers kept cutting in line in front of me until an older gentleman behind me gave them a warning. At the time, it was the greatest movie experience ever for me since it was the first time I went to see a film by myself. Best $4.50 I've ever spent.
The 80s seemed amazing i am sad i didn't live through a time like this.
I was 11 years old, did not get to see it on the big screen. Parents going through a divorce so money was tight and the closest theater was 75 miles away.
But I can still remember the news and the people standing in line for days, many camping out for a week before the first ticket would sale. Crazy is what I thought, but it is a trend with Star Wars, people that seem like they are from out of this world to camp out at a theater for a week or more. Fuuny thing is I would just wait a couple weeks and the ticket would be just a dollar.
0:05 Love her reaction!
In this video You see people wear the shirts that says 'Revenge of the Jedi' because that was the original title of this movie
My dad took me to see it when I was about 4 years old. I since saw it in theaters through the last 40 years about 3 times. I plan to take my 5 year old son for the 40th anniversary re-release this wkend.
0:05
I love how she’s got one of the shirts from the working title Revenge of the Jedi. Little things like that are always great to see.
I was a baby when it came out so I never saw it until I finished watching a new hope and empire. This was the last good star wars movie alongside revenge of the sith, which I saw at a near sold out crowd at the now closed succasunna cinema. When disney took over, they did ok on force awakens, then released last jedi which was so so. When rise of skywalker came out it was bad. In between there were spinoffs like solo which was good and rogue one which was amazing. A new venture that disney is revisiting but succeeding is television, this time on disney plus with shows such as mando and bad batch which delve deeper into the star wars mythos.
I like how the mention back then that it was the 3rd of a 9 part series.
Yeah what's that all about?
I came here looking for a video showing audience reactions to the ending in the theater. Oh well. I can tell an amusing story for how the ending was received in one suburban theater in my country. A friend from school was taken to see Return of the Jedi on the opening weekend. He told us that when Darth Vader saved Luke by throwing the Emperor into the Death Star reactor core, people cheered.
Some were being silly.
They put on voices and said,
"Yee ha.
Hallelujah, brother!"
I missed the 80s, but grew up in the early 90s and loved the old theater experience.
I miss this. I was lucky to experience lines like for call of duty releases.
2:34 Tfw you will never be a 5 year old kid in 1983 seeing Return Of The Jedi for the first time
I already was. Well, 6.
This was a time when Star Wars brought the whole country together regardless of color, race political beliefs it was good over evil and Star Wars brought us all together maybe when Star Wars is in a true fans creator again Star wars can bring us all together again like it did for 20 plus years let's hope may the force be with you.
Agreed ❤
Best time to be alive. 40 years later? Well, not so much.
My first SW in theatre experience at 7 yo, the last space battle with the Death Star was just insane 😮
This is when Star Wars was for EVERYONE, not just Star Wars fans.
i remember paying $5 for the first showing. most moves were $4. but because this ws a STAR WARS movie, the theatre owners jacked up the admission price.
and it's funny now cuz we used to think $5 was a lot to see a movie. nowadays it's like $12
Inflation... $5 ist more than $14 today.
2:42 "It was a fantastic movie. But it was good'. WTF LOL
Today is May 25, 2023...this I believe was exactly 40 years ago when "Jedi" opened!
I lost it when that guy shouted "move it move it move it!"
Back when Star Wars was beautiful and unspoiled by Disney, good times !
The reason people are so blown away is not because of the special FX, but because of the incredible story of Good vanquishing evil. Star Wars came out at a time when there were a lot of darker more edgier films, and here was an innocent story about the light. We need this to return to the world again.
It was ominous when the guy said "I like when they killed the emperor. Hopefully he doesn't somehow return in 36 years"
I can’t believe everyone in this video are likely grandmothers, grandfathers, or even great grandmothers and fathers
Should make you appreciate older people more
They know more than people think old people would know
Wow this is history that I wish i could be there and be able to watch the movie in theaters
Epic at the time. And then 15 years later, a prequel.
And then the sequels
I saw it in 1983 and the moment R2 popped up the lightsaber and Luke did his flip! Goddamn place lost their mind! best ever!
It was always going to be tough following The Empire Strikes Back, but I enjoyed it.
Are you going to back for more?
“For sure as soon as I get back from London” Chad
"I want him to get Luke" lol
It sad that things like this won’t happen anymore
3:02 min in the reporter says "Return of the Jedi " is part of a 9 part series." I was led to believe that the series was just three and that Lucas and was making it up as he went along....but how did she know that in 1983?
He said there would be 9 back in 1977 if I'm not mistaken
Well, the 7-9 we got certainly weren't what had planned back in the 70s & 80s
@@timewarpdrive77 no, the plots of those were sort of developed as they went along...
@@wonderfulwookiee6443 Back in the day, George wasn't sure how many movies he wanted to do (at some point ROTJ was the ninth movie & boba as the main baddie of the episode 5 sequel).
Even after that, there was a sequel trilogy script that was written back in the mid/early 80's. Theres a few people who were even under contracts to not release any details about how the stories went.
He should have stopped at Jedi.
Imagine seeing these movies when they actually came out
Great to see this! I turned 7 the week ROTJ came out, and I saw it in the theater in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I can't even convey the amount of hype and anticipation there was for this. Everyone wanted to know how it would end. My brother had a friend who claimed that he'd seen it and everyone died; but I knew he was an idiot so I didn't believe him, lol.
OK, Luke Skywalker didn't die, but Darth Vader did!
1:27
Move it, move it, move it!!!
He unironically sounds like Luke
Ready to feel old, you gen x'ers? This was almost 39 years ago now.
The best years of my life how I miss it so.😢
People that doesn't like Return of the Jedi doesn't understand it
Well said
Return Of the Jedi Is My Favorite of all of Them.
Lig, your comment is correct of every film including the prequels of the star wars prequel trilogy and 7 and 8 of the sequels so far!!
you can't convince me that anyone born in the 80's or before doesn't like ROTJ
I didn’t care for the Ewoks
0:26 notice the shirt "revenge of the jedi"
Was the original name for the movie
2:41 I have a Star Wars nerd friend who looks and sounds exactly like this
"As soon as I get back from London" kind of weird flex, but cool kid
I saw this in old school 3d in 1983. Wild show for a kid.
3:01 the third flick in a 9 part series!
Back before all the reporters screamed at the viewers and before it all became doom and gloom! Take me back there! Please!