Star Wars posters!

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

BoxOfficeMojo confirms that Star Wars was playing in 104 theaters in April 1978, when the Star Wars birthday cake poster was printed.

So the 250 "usable posters printed" estimate by the Gore Graphics employee is very plausible, since that would allow more than two posters per eligible theater:

[wonka]

I really don't believe those print runs stories.  Revenge of the Jedi, dated or not, Star Wars style C, PG or not, Anniversary poster, blah blah blah.  Ron Kalter... who the fuck is that?  All of these posters show up and can be obtained at any time.  I have 5 Revenge posters, a friend of mine has 3, plenty of collectors have them... and yet, they still pop up at auctions.  All dealer's schemes to sell their shit for more money.

T

[eatbrie]

So the 250 "usable posters printed" estimate by the Gore Graphics employee is very plausible, since that would allow more than two posters per eligible theater:

This is not how it works, Mel.  They don't count the number of theaters and say let's print 2 posters per theaters.  They just print posters and destroy whatever they don't need.  Some are sent to theaters, some are taken by employees, some are lost in transit, some rot in a Fox warehouse in Cincinnati...  Posters get printed by multiple printing facilities.  it doesn't mean anything to studios.  Posters are worthless to them and it's much cheaper to print a 1,000 than to run the press for 250.

T

[brude]

This is not how it works, Mel.  They don't count the number of theaters and say let's print 2 posters per theaters.  They just print posters and destroy whatever they don't need.  Some are sent to theaters, some are taken by employees, some are lost in transit, some rot in a Fox warehouse in Cincinnati...  Posters get printed by multiple printing facilities.  it doesn't mean anything to studios.  Posters are worthless to them and it's much cheaper to print a 1,000 than to run the press for 250.

T

Exactly.

[brude]

Yes, I second that, do ask him Ted, and get a pic if he has one...

Will do. 

[erik1925]

Even a print run of only 1000 is very small. It would have to be more than that to be cost effective. Look at Mondo. Some of their "limited editions" are 250 prints, so there is no way a major studio like Fox ever just ran off 250 copies.

Studios were (and are) not in the business of running off limited print runs of their theatrical posters. Cost is an ultimate deciding factor for them. 

[Charlie]

This is not how it works, Mel.  They don't count the number of theaters and say let's print 2 posters per theaters.  They just print posters and destroy whatever they don't need.  Some are sent to theaters, some are taken by employees, some are lost in transit, some rot in a Fox warehouse in Cincinnati...  Posters get printed by multiple printing facilities.  it doesn't mean anything to studios.  Posters are worthless to them and it's much cheaper to print a 1,000 than to run the press for 250.

T

Wasn't there an auction a while back of posters from Lucas.  I wonder how many posters a Director/Producer would take.  A roll at least right?  I imagine to give out to friends/collaborators?

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

Emovie sold a BC poster in 2005 consigned by Craig Miller, who worked directly for Lucas and who was given two BC posters.  This blurb tends to confirm the report that most of the posters (however many were printed) were given in rolled condition to Lucasfilm/20th CF employees:

[eatbrie]

Emovie sold a BC poster in 2005 consigned by Craig Miller, who worked directly for Lucas and who was given two BC posters.  This blurb tends to confirm the report that most of the posters (however many were printed) were given in rolled condition to Lucasfilm/20th CF employees:

Wait a minute...  Didn't you just say they were sent to 250 theaters?

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

This topic has been beaten to death but I asked Paul for more information:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Paul Wilson <mail@starwarsmovieposter.com>
Date: Sun, Jan 27, 2013 at 3:33 PM
Subject: RE: Star Wars Birthday Cake poster - how many printed?
To: Mel <alphamel1968@gmail.com>
 
When I interviewed the traffic manager at Gore Graphics who was in charge of this particular poster he said that there were approx. 500 printed, but because of quality control issues only 250 were really usable, which was fine because this poster was really just printed for fun. If you have ever looked at many of the copies they all have defects and blotches – even the good ones. Most of the print run, after they were sent over to 20th Century FOX, were taken home by employees of Lucasfilm and Fox. That’s why you find the majority of them still rolled and in “unused condition”. Occasionally you see ones folded and these were ones that actually got sent to the theatres for use at the anniversary mark.
 
So how many were sent to theaters? Who knows? We know about 60 theaters had been continuously playing Star Wars for a year.  100 theaters in total were playing it in May 1978.

I tracked the last 15 known sales and 10 out of 15 were rolled, which would tend to confirm the above info.

The most important thing for me is that I got a pretty good deal based on these sales - the average sale price has been $1500.

[eatbrie]

This topic has been beaten to death but I asked Paul for more information:

It has been beaten to death because you keep coming up with trivia that is completely irrelevant to the discussion.  250 posters printed for whatever number of theaters (a number no one knows for sure), printed for studio employees (absurd)...  No studio would EVER print 250 posters.

Bottom line is, we don't know and there is no way to know one way or the other.  Records were not kept.  Boxoffice numbers were completely wrong at that time, most of them massively inflated to get a movie at the top.  So I can't imagine records of the number of theaters still playing a movie, or print run of a given poster.

T

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

It has been beaten to death because you keep coming up with trivia that is completely irrelevant to the discussion.  250 posters printed for whatever number of theaters (a number no one knows for sure), printed for studio employees (absurd)...  No studio would EVER print 250 posters.

Bottom line is, we don't know and there is no way to know one way or the other.  Records were not kept.  Boxoffice numbers were completely wrong at that time, most of them massively inflated to get a movie at the top.  So I can't imagine records of the number of theaters still playing a movie, or print run of a given poster.

T

There could not possibly be more relevant evidence than an interview with the printing manager of this poster. To call that "trivia" is irrational. The author of the Star Wars Poster Book also relied heavily on interviews with the printers both regarding this poster, the ROTJ, and other SW posters.

You insist that no studio would ever print 250 posters but you simply ignore the unique circumstances of this poster. The number of theaters showing Star Wars is not rocket science and that number was widely discussed and analyzed at the time because Star Wars was such a sensation. We have a very specific list of fifty theaters showing it in May 1978. Furthermore the printer himself said 500, not 250, were ordered.

So the logical question is, why would the studio have printed tons of posters for a ONE DAY event for a relative few theaters? THAT makes no sense.

The Star Wars Poster Book also reports that only 18 posters were printed for the triple showing on March 28, 1985 for nine theaters. That's two posters per theater. So I guess you're going to insist that's wrong too because studios NEVER print small numbers of posters, even for one day events?

[eatbrie]

Yes I do.  Maybe 18 posters went out to these theaters, but not 18 posters were printed.  No one would print 250 posters, let along 18, especially in those days.  It is not economically rational, and studios are not in the business of printing posters in the event the movie becomes a hit and they can sell their left overs for money.  Studios do not care about posters.  They are just a mean to an end.  I've worked long enough for studios to know that.  It is pocket change to them.  And the interview of a printing manager 30 years after the fact doesn't mean shit either, at least to me.  The only thing that matters is whether a poster is hard to find or not.  I will agree that the SW Birthday poster is hard to find.  Not impossible, but harder than most from the same era.  But I will never put out numbers, just because some dude at a printing shop says so.  That is irrational to me.

And like you said, we all made our point, people can believe whatever they read or hear.  Nothing else to add to the conversation, I'm done here.

T

[Zorba]

We run printed plastic bags. The day we run 250 well....It is NEVER going to happen. NEVER.

The smallest run I have seen is 5,000.

Plates cost too much to do something as stupid as that.

[50s]

We run printed plastic bags. The day we run 250 well....It is NEVER going to happen. NEVER.

The smallest run I have seen is 5,000.

Plates cost too much to do something as stupid as that.

Do you take home some plastic bags?

[Zorba]

Do you take home some plastic bags?

No. 

Maybe some of the garbage bags. 

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

Not sure why I didn't think of this before but I "checked" the Star Wars checklist. Jeff Kilian in 1985 comprehensively investigated ALL the Star Wars posters.  This was just 7 years after Star Wars Birthday poster came out.  He had the full cooperation of Lucasfilm.  

He reported that this poster was "released to theaters still playing the movie. It is probable that 500 or less of these posters were ever printed, and they are very difficult to obtain."


Even back in 1985, he estimated the price for a mint SW Bday poster was $300, BY FAR the highest price of any Star Wars poster.  (With inflation that's $617).

[eatbrie]

He reported that this poster was "released to theaters still playing the movie. It is probable that 500 or less of these posters were ever printed, and they are very difficult to obtain."
[/b]

Again, he doesn't know.  Keep 'em coming.

T

[50s]

Yes Mel, do some research

[Neo]

In this case, I tend to agree with the people who were involved in the printing of this particular poster, and the experts for the movie.  Some people will not believe certain things unless there is a "smoking gun", so to speak.  Based on the circumstances and the preponderance of the evidence, it's a convincing argument that the numbers that Mel and the others have presented are factual.

[Silhouette]

In this case, I tend to agree with the people who were involved in the printing of this particular poster, and the experts for the movie.  Some people will not believe certain things unless there is a "smoking gun", so to speak.  Based on the circumstances and the preponderance of the evidence, it's a convincing argument that the numbers that Mel and the others have presented are factual.

+1

[50s]

The cheese is on the nose

[Ari]

Sacre bleu !

[Zorba]

[Matt]

Can anyone tell me what you were doing on that day the birthday poster was printed in 1978?