Editing American Graffiti (section)

==Release==
Despite unanimous praise at a January 1973 [[test screening]] attended by Universal executive Ned Tanen, the studio told Lucas they wanted to re-edit his original cut of ''American Graffiti''.<ref name=Jesus>Hearn, pp. 67–69</ref> Producer Coppola sided with Lucas against Tanen and Universal, offering to "buy the film" from the studio and reimburse it for the $775,000 (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|775000|1972|r=-5}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}){{Inflation-fn|US-GDP}} that it had cost to make it.<ref name=San/> 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures made similar offers to the studio.<ref name=Whatev/> Universal refused these offers and told Lucas they planned to have [[William Hornbeck]] re-edit the film.<ref name=France/>

When Coppola's ''[[The Godfather]]'' won the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]] in March 1973, Universal relented and agreed to cut only three scenes (amounting to a few minutes) from Lucas's cut. These include an encounter between Toad and a fast-talking car salesman, an argument between Steve and his former teacher Mr. Kroot at the sock hop, and an effort by Bob Falfa to serenade Laurie with "[[Some Enchanted Evening (song)|Some Enchanted Evening]]". The studio initially thought that the film was only fit for release as a television movie.<ref name=San/>

Various studio employees who had seen the film began talking it up, and its reputation grew through [[word of mouth]].<ref name=San/> The studio dropped the TV movie idea and began arranging for a [[limited release]] in selected theaters in Los Angeles and New York.<ref name=Kurtz/> Universal presidents [[Sidney Sheinberg]] and [[Lew Wasserman]] heard about the praise the film had been garnering in LA and New York, and the marketing department amped up its promotion strategy for it,<ref name=Kurtz/> investing an additional $500,000 (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|500,000|1973|r=-5}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}){{Inflation-fn|US-GDP}} in marketing and promotion.<ref name=Whatev/> The film was released in the United States on August 11, 1973<ref name="boxoffice"/> to [[sleeper hit]] reception.<ref name=box/> The film had cost only $1.27&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|1,270,000|1972|r=-5}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}){{Inflation-fn|US-GDP}} to produce and market, but yielded worldwide box office gross revenues of more than $55&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|55,000,000|1973|r=-6}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}).{{Inflation-fn|US}}<ref name=radio/> It had only modest success outside the United States and Canada, but became a [[cult film]] in France.<ref name=France/>

Universal reissued ''Graffiti'' on May 26, 1978, with [[Dolby]] sound<ref>{{cite magazine|title=9 New Releases, Plus 'Graffiti,' On U Sked To July|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|page=3|date=April 12, 1978}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Holiday Ups L.A.; 'Friday' Boff $277,000, 'Graffiti' Smash 211G, 'Wednesday' Splashy $159,000|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|page=8|date=May 31, 1978}}</ref> and earned an additional $63&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|63,000,000|1978|r=-6}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}),{{Inflation-fn|US}} which brought the total revenue for the two releases to $118&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|118,000,000|1978|r=-7}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}).<ref name=Whatev/>{{Inflation-fn|US}} The reissue included stereophonic sound<ref name=radio/> and a couple of minutes the studio had removed from Lucas's original cut.<ref name=":27">{{Cite web|last=Coate|first=Michael|date=August 1, 2013|title=Where Were You In '73? Remembering American Graffiti On Its 40th Anniversary|url=https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/history-legacy--showmanship/where-were-you-in-73-american-graffiti-40th|access-date=December 27, 2021|website=The Digital Bits|language=en-gb}}</ref> All [[home video]] releases also included these scenes.<ref name=San/> Also, the date of John Milner's death was changed from June 1964 to December 1964 to fit the narrative structure of the upcoming sequel, ''More American Graffiti''. At the end of its theatrical run, ''American Graffiti'' had one of the greatest profit-to-cost ratios of a motion picture ever.<ref name=Whatev/>

Producer Francis Ford Coppola regretted having not financed the film himself. Lucas recalled, "He would have made $30&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|30,000,000|1973|r=-7}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}){{Inflation-fn|US}} on the deal. He never got over it and he still kicks himself."<ref name="France">Pollock, pp. 120–128</ref> It was the 13th-highest-grossing film of all time in 1977<ref name="box">{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americangraffiti.htm |title=American Graffiti |work=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=May 3, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090416224124/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americangraffiti.htm| archive-date= April 16, 2009 |url-status = live}}</ref> and, adjusted for inflation, is currently the 43rd highest.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm | title = Domestic Grosses Adjusted For Inflation | work = [[Box Office Mojo]] | access-date = May 3, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090504000735/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm| archive-date= May 4, 2009 |url-status = live}}</ref> By the 1990s, ''American Graffiti'' had earned more than $200&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|200,000,000|1990|r=-7}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}){{Inflation-fn|US}} in box-office gross and home video sales.<ref name="Whatev" /> In December 1997, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reported that the film had earned an additional $55.13&nbsp;million in rental revenue (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|55,130,000|1997|r=-6}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}).{{Inflation-fn|US}}<ref>{{cite news | author = Staff | url = https://variety.com/1997/digital/features/rental-champs-rate-of-return-1116680329/ | title = Rental champs: Rate of return | date = December 16, 1997 | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | access-date = May 3, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120122111704/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1116680329| archive-date=January 22, 2012|url-status = live}}</ref>

[[Universal Pictures Home Entertainment|Universal Studios]] first released the film on DVD in September 1998,<ref>{{cite book | title = American Graffiti (1973) |isbn = 078322737X}}</ref> and once more as a [[double feature]] with ''[[More American Graffiti]]'' (1979) in January 2004.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000VD128 | title = American Graffiti / More American Graffiti (Drive-In Double Feature) (1979) | work = [[Amazon.com]] | date = January 20, 2004 | access-date = May 3, 2009 | archive-date = April 10, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160410021256/http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000VD128 | url-status = live }}</ref> The 1978 version of the film was used, with an additional digital change to the sky in the opening title sequence.<ref name=":27" /> Additionally, the 1998 DVD and VHS releases were both [[THX]] certified as well.<ref>{{cite news |last=Halperin |first=Frank |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/courier-post-a-silver-anniversary/108367049/ |title=A silver anniversary
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829170518/https://www.newspapers.com/article/courier-post-a-silver-anniversary/108367049/ |date=November 6, 1998 |access-date=August 29, 2024 |archive-date=August 29, 2024 |page=79 |publisher=[[Courier-Post]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> Universal released the film on [[Blu-ray]] with a new digitally remastered picture supervised by George Lucas on May 31, 2011.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Universal/Disc_Announcements/American_Graffiti_Blu-ray_Detailed/6837 | title = 'American Graffiti' Blu-ray Detailed | work = High-Def Digest | access-date = May 5, 2011 | archive-date = May 8, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110508134819/http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Universal/Disc_Announcements/American_Graffiti_Blu-ray_Detailed/6837 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AQMBDM | title = American Graffiti (Special Edition) [Blu-ray] (1973) | work = [[Amazon.com]] | access-date = May 5, 2011 | archive-date = April 10, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160410021311/http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AQMBDM | url-status = live }}</ref> In celebration of its 50th anniversary, a [[4K resolution|4K]] restoration of the film updated with a brand new [[5.1 surround sound|5.1 sound mix]] was re-released domestically on August 27 and 30 before a [[Ultra HD Blu-ray]] release on November 7, 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=Watch American Graffiti in 4K Ultra HD and with Fathom Events |url=https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/american-graffiti-4k/ |website=Lucasfilm |access-date=March 16, 2024 |date=August 3, 2023}}</ref>