The Star Wars budget

I'm speaking off the top of my head, without the benefit of looking at papers and records, so I hope I'm basically right.

When Gary and George first presented The Star Wars budget to Fox, it was a very low figure, like $7.8M. The Fox accounting people looked at the breakdown and found it unrealistic. Fox accounting raised the budget to something like $9.8M. That was very early on. Then George and Gary went into preproduction, and left for the UK. I did a presentation for Fox's Board of Directors and part of the presentation was to ask for more money. This was the legendary Board of Directors meeting where someone asked if STAR WARS was a battle between Hollywood actors. Regardless of the confusion, the budget went up. Laddie effectively presented that the cost of ILM effects wasn't really known because nothing like this had been done before. The end budget was over $11M. The evolution of STAR WARS' budget would have been a subject which Jim Nelson could have expertly answered if he was still alive. RIP, Jim

May The Fourth Be With You

Given today is May the Fourth be with you, I'm going to upload Star Wars documents I have previously uploaded. This is a report from Brian Doyle, SW Unit Publicist, reporting on -- among other things -- Lucas' meeting with Kingsley Amis, and Amis response to writing up Star Wars.

Minimum guarantee of Star Wars Box Offices Report tally sent to Ashley Book, 20th Century Fox, on March 23, 77, two months before film opened.

Star Wars international distribution schedule made July 29, 77, two months after Star Wars opened in US. This schedule lays out when the film will open in various international territories so that everything connected to the release is coordinated, including subtitling or dubbing of prints, getting ad campaign out, and merchandise.

Two days before STAR WARS international distribution schedule was made up, this is a fax sent by Peter Beale, who was Fox's man stationed in London. Peter was head of 20th Century Fox's UK operations. Think he was Head of Productions. He coordinated the EU end of things. Here, he talks about going to a marketing conference to license merchandise in EU.

On Aug 10, 77 this correspondence took place between Marc Pevers, 20th Century Fox LA, and Peter Beale, 20th Century Fox EU, about the licensing of Star Wars in the EU. As you can see from reading the telex, our strongest relationship was with Kenner, and looking for European affiliates, we were letting Kenner take the lead... And fanboys and girls, I'm hoping the contact names and their phone numbers are so old they're obsolete, but you know --- DON'T! Don't be tempted to try these numbers. Really, restrain yourself. It does no good calling folks who've been involved with your favorite franchise except make fandom look bad.

On Aug 11, 1977, the Star Wars merchandising discussion between Marc Pevers and Peter Beale was updated with the following information about specific STAR WARS merchandising rights and how they would be handled.

Fox Exhbitors Convention

This is probably one of the rarest photos of me. It's from the Fox Exhbitors Convention in January, 1976. This is where I first did the "26 for 76" Star Wars slide show. I was hustling the Fox theater owners while George and Gary were off making the film... and remember, unlike other films with stars that could bring in a guaranteed box office like Anne Bancroft, George Peppard, Mel Brooks or Jane Fonda, all we had was George. George was the director of a very successful AMERICAN GRAFFITI but George was not a Jason Robards or Vanessa Redgrave. Let's face it -- R2D2 and C3PO had more sex appeal at a premiere than shy, taciturn George. So don't even go to the "poor rejected Star Wars didn't even get a premiere" place. If we tried for a big Hollywood premiere, we would've fallen flat on our face.