On this date in Paris: Parisians discover Star Wars on the Champs-Élysées.

On October 19, 1977, Star Wars officially arrives in French cinema. In Paris, the future blockbuster is rolled out prominently along the Champs-Élysées, where audiences are introduced to George Lucas's galaxy.

A colossal spaceship that seems to glide endlessly across the screen, lightsabers, two chatty droids, and a menacing figure dressed in black... For the spectateurs parisiens of 1977, the journey begins. La Guerre des étoiles by George Lucas, officially lands in the cinémas français on October 19, 1977, almost five months after its U.S. release. On the Champs-Élysées, the film is shown notably at the Gaumont Champs-Élysées and at the Marignan. A few kilometres away, the Grand Rex also takes part in Paris's launch of the phenomenon.

The French release had originally been scheduled a week earlier, before being pushed back due to the preparation of the 70 mm prints. A technical footnote that recalls how big films were launched at the time: a handful of prestigious cinemas served as showpieces, with projection formats capable of turning a screening into a event.

Éphéméride du 19 octobre à Paris : Les Parisiens découvrent Star Wars sur les Champs-Élysées — Affiche française originale de La Guerre des étoiles, sortie en France le 19 octobre 1977. Le visuel de Tom Jung accompagne la première campagne française du film de George Lucas. Crédit : © 1977 Lucasfilm / 20th Century Fox – illustration Tom Jung.

The Gaumont Champs-Élysées is especially well equipped for the occasion. Opened in 1971, this cinema, now long gone, boasted a roughly 500-seat auditorium, a large screen, and gear capable of 70 mm projection. Typically oriented toward major cinematic exclusives, it will host, on October 19, this quirky American space opera. A few hundred meters further down, the Marignan also presents the film in this spectacular format.

The French, however, do not enter this new universe entirely unprepared. A few weeks earlier, Star Wars had been unveiled at the Deauville American Film Festival in September 1977, where its screening already drew attention. The American phenomenon was also amplified by the French media, which recounted the queues outside cinemas on the other side of the Atlantic, the record box-office takings, and the emergence of a significant merchandise industry. Parisian audiences thus know that an unusual film is on the way, even if they cannot yet gauge the place it will occupy in popular culture!

George Lucas's feature film stands out in the cinematic landscape of its era. Its story draws on chivalric films, Westerns, adventure movies and science fiction, while its space battles and special effects deliver imagery rarely seen on such a grand scale.

In addition, John Williams’ symphonic score soon defined the saga's sound, with its main theme becoming inseparably linked to the story. Darth Vader, Princess Leia, and the Force enter the French public’s imagination long before the sequels, prequels, TV series, and merchandise would turn Star Wars into one of the most recognizable franchises in the world.

The French critical reception, however, is far from unanimous. Some commentators enjoy the blend of a knightly saga with science fiction, while others are distinctly more wary of a show designed for a broad audience. Journalist and critic Jean-Louis Bory is among its defenders, notably praising its ability to rekindle the pleasure of grand adventure stories. Other observers question the emphasis on special effects and the spectacular entertainment.

But audiences didn't wait long! Star Wars became one of the big hits of 1977 in France, after it had already shaken up the American box office. The film went on to spawn two sequels in the following years: The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1983.

A detail, by the way, underlines how the 1977 audience was still discovering a saga that wouldn’t yet reveal its name. In October, nobody went to see Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope. The film was simply Star Wars in the United States and La Guerre des étoiles in France. The mention “Episode IV” and the title A New Hope would only be attached to the film later, once George Lucas had further developed the chronology of his universe!

Further reading:

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