Via Variety.com:

On March 24, 1976, Variety reported that George Lucas had begun filming “Star Wars,” an $8 million film for Fox, in Tunisia. Alec Guinness would play “a bearded old desert rat who was once a leading general in galactic wars.” The article continued that the three younger leads hadn’t yet been revealed, but a few weeks later, Mark Hamill was announced as Luke Starkiller — yes, that was his name then — in “the outer-space comedy-adventure.”

After the movie’s May 25, 1977, opening, our front page proclaimed “Star Wars Best Start Since Jaws,” citing the nearly $2.6 million at 43 locations (an average of almost $60,000 per theater). On June 10, Variety reported “The direct cost of the film was about $10 million. Fox has 60% of the profits, Lucas 40% (from which he dealt out points to others). Break-even is estimated in the neighborhood of $22 million-$25 million.”

In 2017, it’s shocking to think anyone even speculated about whether “Star Wars” would break even.

At the end of 1977, Variety said the film’s domestic total for the year was $197 million, with rentals (the portion of the box office returned to the studio) at a huge $125 million. As of 2017, the estimated worldwide take is $775 million.

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