Star Wars Story 5-25-77 Comes Out On Home Video This 11-22-22

Disc Announcements, News

Are you old enough to remember when Star Wars originally ran in movie theaters? It was a rather exciting time as kids would brag how many times they had gone over the summer. They’d produce a fat pile of movie ticket stubs to prove they had barely been out in the sun. It was unknown who had really seen it the most. But the one thing we pondered was who had seen it the first. Turns out that honor belonged to Patrick Read Johnson. His story about how he became the first outside eyeballs to see that galaxy far far away is recounted in 5-25-77. You can tell this is a legit story since Gary Kurtz is the producer. He also produced Star Wars. 5-25-77 comes out on Blu-ray and DVD on 11-22-22. Here’s the press release from MVD Visual with all the details:

True Life Comedy About the Very First Fan of the Movie That Changed Everything: Star Wars

Writer/Director and visual effects artist Patrick Read Johnson recounts how he became the first outsider to see the almost-finished cut of Star Wars, and how this event changed his life, in the charming coming-of-age film, 5-25-77.

This highly-anticipated movie is set in the spring of 1977, in the tiny town of Wadsworth, IL., where Pat is a sci-fi obsessed teenager making increasingly ambitious 8mm films in the hopes of heading for Hollywood one day. As he tries (and fails) to balance running his “studio” with chasing the girl of his dreams, Linda, a courageous phone call, placed by his concerned mother, results in Pat taking “the ultimate trip” to Hollywood, meeting a couple of industry titans, and getting an early look at an upcoming sci-fi film, unlike any he’s ever seen before. Now, Pat is forced to choose – between chasing a seemingly impossible dream…or accepting the comforting familiarity of home. 

Johnson has worked in Hollywood since 1980, in a career spanning everything from his early miniature and VFX work on films like Bill & Ted’s Excellent AdventureDead Heat, and Warlock, to developing numerous motion picture and TV projects for 20th Century Fox, Warner, The Jim Henson Company, and Universal, (including authoring the original story for Dragonheart), to directing such films as Spaced Invaders, Baby’s Day OutWhen Good Ghouls Go Bad, and Angus

5-25-77 was produced by Gary Kurtz, (Star WarsThe Empire Strikes Back, American Graffiti, Fred Roos (The Godfather Part II, Lost in Translation, The Black Stallion) and Leigh Jones (Here Alone), and features a stellar cast, including John Francis Daley, Austin Pendleton, Colleen Camp, and Neil Flynn. Along with the beautiful symphonic score by David Russo (Gotham, Angus, Spaced Invaders), the music in the film features hit songs of the day from The Alan Parsons Project, Queen, Supertramp, 10cc, Ambrosia, Focus, Argent, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, and more! 

MVD Visual will be releasing 5-25-77 on both Blu-ray and DVD on November 22, in celebration of the 45th anniversary of the original release of Star Wars! Special features include audio commentary track, Q&A from 2014 Fantasia Film Festival, three trailers, and three behind-the-scenes photo galleries.

Bonus Materials
Audio Commentary with writer/director Patrick Read Johnson, moderated by Seth Gaven, founder of the A.V. Squad and editor of the film ‘Spaced Invaders’
Q&A from the 2013 Fantasia Film Festival with director Patrick Read Johnson
3 Theatrical Trailers
3 Photo Galleries
Optional English Subtitles
Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.