Writer of Pop Culture

Cool and refreshing news about pop culture and entertainment.

This Day in Pop Culture

This Day in Pop Culture for May 25

On this day in pop culture history, two very different stories set in space were told.

May 25, 2020

2–3 minutes

1977: The Force Comes to Us

While hard to fathom now, but the original Star Wars movie only opened in 32 theaters when it premiered on this day in 1977. It was rumored that 20th Century Fox didn’t have a lot of faith in the new film.

After George Lucas scored a hit with American Graffiti, Fox allowed him to spend $9.5 million for the space epic. It took four years to create the cowboys and Indians tale told in space.

By the end of the film’s first week, the movie had made $3 million and by the end of summer it had made over $100 million. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won in six. The movie alone resurrected the idea that science fiction movies could be profitable. (Image: 20th Century Fox)

1979: When ‘Alien’ Landed

It was on this day in 1979 when Ridley Scott’s original British-American science-fiction horror film, Alien, opened in theaters and we first learned that “in space no one can hear you scream.”

The film starred Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto who all played members of a spaceship that were each taken down one by one by an alien.

Besides scaring audiences silly, the film received high praise from critics and received an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, three Saturn Awards for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Direction for Scott, and Best Supporting Actress for Cartwright, and a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. In 2002, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. It was later followed by Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) and two prequels: Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017). (Image: Wikipedia)

1969: “X” Marks the Spot

Directed by John Schlesinger, Midnight Cowboy was based off of James Leo Herlihy’s novel of the same name. It has been described as a movie about two men pursuing the American Dream only to miss it completely. The depressing movie has also been described as a story about how America can suck the life out of you. The movie starred Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles, John McGiver and Brenda Vaccaro.

It was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won three Oscars for Best Picture, Director and Screenplay. It is the only rated-X movie to win Best Picture.