The Force Is with It

Everybody in Hollywood expected George Lucas' Return of the Jedi to do very well. Still, no one was prepared for the human tidal wave that has inundated the theaters since the film opened May 25. The first day set a box-office record of $6,219,629, and that was a Wednesday, usually a slow day in the movie business. Friday beat that record, with $6,437,005, and Sunday jumped to $8,440,105. When the week was over, Return of the Jedi had made $45,311,004, nearly double the amount of the previous highest scorer, E.T., which took in $25,030,276 during seven days last summer. If that blistering pace continues, the film will reach its break-even point, about $80 million, long before summer officially begins June 21.

In cities and towns all across the U.S. and Canada, fans camped out in front of the 1,002 theaters showing Jedi. Some were wearing the costumes of their favorite characters, from the furry Chewbacca to wise old Obi-Wan Kenobi. Many families ate in relays so that someone would always be there to hold a place in line. In Los Angeles one fan even brought a TV set and a video-recording machine so that he could watch Star Wars No. 1 while waiting to see No. 3.

Though a few films, like the 3-D Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, seemed to shrivel in Jedi's glare, others gained: many people who could not get into the Skywalker saga took second best and picked a film playing near by. The movie business was not the only one making money from the picture, however. Stores selling Jedi toys, books and T shirts were also busy. "Return of the Jedi items are flying out of here," said Marian Every, manager of an F.A.O. Schwarz toy store in Washington. Pepperidge Farm reported brisk sales of Jedi cookies: chocolate for the villains, vanilla for the good guys and peanut butter for the robots and assorted fuzzy-wuzzies.

The reviews were mixed, but many in the largely youthful audiences have already returned to see the picture a second or third time, giving some indication that Jedi may remain a box-office bonanza for weeks and months to come. "I saw the first two movies only 15 times each," apologized one young man in a Manhattan queue. "But my friend Abby saw them 150 times each. She even sounds like Darth Vader sometimes." However it sounds, such talk fills Hollywood with awe and sets gold chains tinkling with envy up and down Rodeo Drive. If George Lucas does not have the Force with him, he has something just as good: millions and millions of moviegoers, standing in line, eager to get inside. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.