The Empire Strikes Back, 1980
Probably the most anticipated film of my young adult life. Like Star Wars before it, in Phoenix, Empire was showing exclusively at the Cine Capri. I remember rushing down right after work to get in the line that had already stretched around the building and well into the parking lot. I bonded with fellow movie-goers, and I remember some of us walked the mile or so to McDonalds at 16th & Camelback (when it was on the northeast corner of the intersection, not on the south side of Camelback where it is now) to bring back food while the rest of the group remained in line. This was of course long before you could order movie tickets ahead of time, so you had to physically wait in line and plunk down your $3.50 (yes, THREE DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS) at the window to get a ticket.
As I recall, we got in for the 7:30 or 8 pm show, so we hadn't waited nearly as long as had been the custom for STAR WARS. When the lights finally dimmed and those famous words flashed on the screen "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…" the theater erupted in screams of joy.
I didn't see Empire nearly as meany times as I'd seen STAR WARS, yet it remains probably my favorite of the original first trilogy.
What are your memories of Empire? I know my readers tend to skew "older," so how many of you actually saw it in a theater when it came out?
Never did see it. Only saw Star Wars on its nearly last day in general release while in NYC on a vacation when it was raining outside and I thought, why not, good way to spend a couple of hours indoors.
Enjoyed it, y et never felt compelled to see any more of the series.