Title | Format | Opening | Sound | Studio | Notes |
Billy Jack Goes To Washington | Panavision | NA (USA) | 6-Track Stereo | Taylor-Laughlin | US 70mm release unconfirmed. Title is listed in the book ‘Wide Screen Movies.’ |
Bridge Too Far, A | Panavision | June 23 (UK) | 6-Track Stereo | United Artists | US release: June 15. US 70mm release unconfirmed. Title is listed in the book “Wide Screen Movies.” |
Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Panavision | Nov 16 (USA) | 6-Track Dolby Stereo | Columbia | This version ran 135 min. Re-issued in 1980 at 132 min. The network TV version ran 143 min. 1998 LD and 2001 DVD run 137 min. |
Mohammad, Messenger Of God | Panavision | Mar 9 (USA) | 6-Track Stereo | Tarik | AKA: ‘The Message.’ Original Lebanese title: “Al-Risalah.” US 70mm release unconfirmed. Title is listed in the book ‘Wide Screen Movies.’ |
Orfeu Negro (Re-Issue) | Spherical (1.37:1) | NA (France) | 6-Track Stereo | Kino | AKA: “Black Orpheus.” US 70mm re-issue: Nov 3, 1978. Screened for one week in Seattle, WA, and advertised as: “North American premiere in 70mm & Stereo!” Screened in Washington, DC (and perhaps elsewhere) in 1979. Prints featured the original Academy image ‘tilt-and-scanned’ to fill the 70mm frame. Original 35mm release in 1959. |
Rollercoaster | Panavision | NA | 6-Track Stereo (Sensurround) | Universal | US 35mm release: June 10. 70mm release unconfirmed. Universal press material on Sensurround indicated 70mm print availablity. |
Star Wars | Panavision | May 25 (USA) | 6-Track Dolby Stereo | 20th Century Fox | Helped launch renewed interest in 70mm and multichannel sound presentations. First 70mm release to utilize "baby boom" low frequency enhancement. 70mm sound mix contained audible content differences when compared to some 35mm prints. Initially released with only a few 70mm prints, with additional 70mm prints issued in the months following the opening. "70mm" hyped heavily in newspaper advertisements, especially the engagements that switched to 70mm later in film's run. See article and 70mm engagements list on this site for more details. Some engagements added 70mm blow-up version of animated short "Duck Dodgers In The 24th And A Half Century".
Re-issues (with 70mm prints) in 78, 79, 81, 82, 83 and 97.
Re-titled "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" in 1981. |
“Tommy” (Re-Issue) | Spherical (1.85:1) | Sept 23 (USA) | 6-Track Stereo | Columbia | Re-issue advertised as: “Now...for the first time ever! In Supersonic 70mm and super-mind blowing Ultrasonic Stereo.” |
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