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This story originally ran in the July 28, 1977, edition of Sidelines. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of all things Sidelines 100.

“Star Wars mania” is here.

Inspired by one of the most lavish and fun science fiction movies ever, thousands of people are following the adventures of Luke Skywalker, hero of “Star Wars.”

The success of the film is bringing smiles to the faces of theatre owners everywhere, as they watch the summer release try and catch the all-time box office suc- cess-1975’s thriller, “Jaws.”

From all indications, the new science fiction epic is proceeding on that course at light speed.

Here in Murfreesboro, Cinema One theatre opened with “Star Wars” about two weeks ago. It’s been playing to packed houses ever since.

“After the first five days of showing the film, the movie was doing better than ‘Jaws’…but it’s still a little early to say how it will do in the long haul,” according to Cinema One owner Hal Christiansen.

The success that the movie might have in catching the shark flick depends on whether the movie has “legs,” Christiansen explained. “To overtake ‘Jaws’ it must attract viewers for a second, third or even fourth look,” he explained.

Playing to local townfolk and the meager summer school population, the movie is on the brink of breaking records here. Christiansen says he hopes to keep “Star Wars” here “until the snow flies.”

Realistically, Christiansen explained that Cinema One’s current record holder (“Jaws,” of course) played for four weeks.

A lot of talk in the media has concerned the reason for “Star Wars”” success. Christiansen views it as a matter of “bad versus good…this is a family movie, refreshing and different.”

Although rated PG, he insists that it is “almost a G … there are few offensive things to be seen in the movie. There’s some violence, but it’s not the kind of Sam Peckinpah violence that viewers are used to.

“This movie is like an old-time Western … there’s no mistaking the bad and good,” Christiansen added.

The “Star Wars” audience has been “totally diverse…it has broken through all lines of popularity,” the theatre owner observed. “We haven’t shown as many family-oriented movies as we’d like to, but this one … well, it’s attracting people from nine to 90.”

Christiansen noted the “natural” market for “Star Wars” spinoffs… books, posters, t-shirts and more. And, he notes with some optimism, there’s already talk of a “Star Wars” sequel, probably in the middle of next year.

“This is a natural for a sequel,” Christiansen said. “They had all the good guys on stage at the end, and left the bad guy spinning out there in space…I thought to myself, ‘Oh boy, here we go again’.”

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