Editing 1979 in film (section)

==Major events==
* March 2 – [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista]] release their first film since the advent of U.S. movie ratings to not be [[G-rated]], ''[[Take Down (1979 film)|Take Down]]''.
* March 5 – Production begins on ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]''.
* March – [[Frank Price]] becomes president of [[Columbia Pictures]].
* May 25 – ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'', a landmark of the [[science fiction]] genre, is released.
* May 29 - [[Mary Pickford]], a silent screen legend and Hollywood pioneer who was, at the height of her career, the most famous woman in the world, dies of a stroke.
* May 31 – ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'', [[Jim Henson]]'s [[Muppets]]' first foray into the world of feature-length motion pictures, is released in United Kingdom.
* June 11 – [[John Wayne]], a famous Western movie actor, dies at the age of 72 from [[stomach cancer]].
* June 27 – [[20th Century Fox|20th Century Fox Pictures]] president [[Alan Ladd Jr.]] and vice-presidents [[Jay Kanter]] and [[Gareth Wigan]] agree to leave Fox. 
* June 29 – ''[[Moonraker (film)|Moonraker]]'', the 11th film in the James Bond franchise, is released in the United States and goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year worldwide.
* August 15 – ''[[Apocalypse Now]]'' is released to worldwide critical acclaim and box office success. Heralded as one of the greatest films ever made to this day.
* September 19 – [[Don Bluth]] and a group of fellow animators resign from [[The Walt Disney Company]]'s animation department to set up a rival studio, [[Don Bluth Productions]].
* October 1 – Alan Ladd Jr., Jay Kanter and Gareth Wigan who agreed to leave Fox earlier in the year formally announce the creation of [[The Ladd Company]].
* October 3 – producers [[Benjamin Melniker]] and [[Michael E. Uslan]] purchase the [[film rights]] of [[Batman]] from [[DC Comics]]. It would be another ten years, before a [[Batman (1989 film)|Batman feature film]] would be fully realized.
* November 1 – Production begins on ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''.
* December 7 – ''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]'' debuts in the United States to mixed reviews but blockbuster box office, launching a film franchise that leads to 9 sequels and 3 reboots over the next 37 years. It also leads to the creation of five spin-off television series based upon [[Gene Roddenberry]]'s creation.
* [[Allied Artists Pictures Corporation|Allied Artists]] files for bankruptcy.