Letters of Note

Share this post

May the Force always be with you

news.lettersofnote.com

May the Force always be with you

When filmmakers lose a crown

Shaun Usher
May 5, 2023
88
5
Share
Share this post

May the Force always be with you

news.lettersofnote.com

This was meant to reach you yesterday, on Star Wars Day, but life got in the way. May the Fifth be with you.


In 1977, when Star Wars took the “domestic film rentals” crown from Jaws, Steven Spielberg wrote a congratulatory letter to George Lucas and had it printed full page in Variety—a charming move, tastefully done, that kickstarted a tradition amongst filmmakers and studios that continues to this day. The result: whenever some kind of box office record is broken, the loser of the crown, be it a director or studio, publicly pats the victor on the back with a nice message. Spielberg’s was accompanied by an illustration of R2-D2 snagging Jaws on a fishing line; six years later, when E.T. broke Star Wars’ record, Lucas returned the favour with a letter of his own, published in the same paper, beneath a picture of E.T. being held aloft by Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Spielberg and Lucas even signed them. As far as I can tell, these popped up in Variety four times, the final one arriving in 1998 when Titanic sank Star Wars, for which George Lucas wrote a letter of three whole words—two of which were names—to James Cameron, beneath an illustration of the Titanic surrounded by Star Wars characters as it plunged into the ocean.

And then there seems to be a large gap, until 2015, when Jurassic World had a huge opening weekend that provoked a congratulatory message from Marvel boss Kevin Feige. Sadly, he just slapped it on his Twitter account because it’s cheaper, quicker, and will be read by more people than would ever pick up a trade magazine. All of which makes me, a grumpy, greying man with a letter obsession, feel sad.

Anyway, judge for yourself. Below are the ones I could find. If I’ve missed any, let me know in the comments.


1977

The letter that began it all. Star Wars defeats Jaws.

From Variety (2nd Dec 1977)

[2nd December 1977]

Dear George.

Last week “Star Wars” moved ahead of “Jaws” in domestic film rentals.

Your hyperspace performance package really did the trick.

Congratulations to the Cantina crowd and all the forces of your imagination that made “Star Wars” so worthy of the throne.

Wear it well.

Your pal,
Steven Spielberg


1983

Six years later, E.T. topples Star Wars at the box office.

From Variety (1983)

[1983]

Dear Steven,

Congratulations to you and your Extra-Terrestrial buddy. This week E. T. moved ahead of STAR WARS to take first place in domestic film rentals.

E.T.’s adventure on earth and his gift of intergalactic friendship continue to touch us all.

May the Force always be with you.

Your Pal,
George Lucas


1997

Thanks to the theatrical release of the special edition of the Star Wars trilogy, E.T. is knocked from the top.

From Variety (1997)

[1997]

Dear George,

Congratulations for renewing the most enduring motion picture in history.

Your pal,
Steven


1998

A year later, Titanic dethrones Star Wars.

From Variety (1998)

JIM,

CONGRATULATIONS!

GEORGE



2015

Jurassic World has the largest ever worldwide opening for a movie, stealing the title from Avengers.

From Marvel boss Kevin Feige on Twitter (16th Jun 2015)

Marvel Studios congratulates Jurassic World on being the new opening weekend KING!


2015

And almost immediately, Star Wars smashes the record.

From Jurassic World producer Frank Marshall on Twitter (21st Dec 2015)

Universal Pictures, Steven, Frank and Colin congratulate STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS on the BIGGEST OPENING WEEKEND IN GALACTIC HISTORY


2018

Three years later, Lucasfilm hands the baton/lightsaber to Marvel following the success of Avengers: Infinity War.

From Star Wars on Twitter (1st May 2018)

From a galaxy far, far away… to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. CONGRATULATIONS on the biggest opening weekend in history!

From Kathy and everyone at Lucasfilm!


2019

Avengers beats Titanic.

From James Cameron on Instagram (9th May 2019)

[May 2019]

To Kevin and everybody at Marvel,

An iceberg sank the real Titanic. It took the Avengers to sink my Titanic. Everyone here at Lightstorm Entertainment salutes your amazing achievement. You’ve shown that the movie industry is not only alive and well, it’s bigger than ever!

Jim Cameron


2019

Avengers: Endgame continues to break records, unseating Avatar.

From Avatar on Twitter (22nd Jul 2019)

[July 2019]

OEL NGATI KAMEIE

1
, I SEE YOU MARVEL –

CONGRATULATIONS TO AVENGERS ENDGAME ON BECOMING THE NEW BOX-OFFICE KING.

JIM CAMERON


2019

Joker beats Deadpool 2 to become the top-grossing R-rated film of all time.

From Ryan Reynolds on Twitter (25th Oct 2019)

YOU
MOTHER
F*CKER

❤️
DEADPOOL
NEO
PENNYWISE
JESUS
HUGH JACKMAN
THE WOLFPACK
MR. GREY
TED


2021

Avatar reclaims the crown from Avengers.

From the Russo Brothers on Instagram (13th Mar 2021)

AVATAR

1

You don’t need me to tell you that “Oel ngati kameie” is Na’vi for “I see you.”

88
5
Share
Share this post

May the Force always be with you

news.lettersofnote.com
Previous
Next
5 Comments
Jenovia
Writes Jenovia’s Web
May 5

These were so fun to read!!

Expand full comment
Reply
Denise Lindgren McCabe
May 5

I love ❤️ these! Classy and charming

Expand full comment
Reply
3 more comments…
Top
New
Community

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Letters of Note
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing