Editing To Fly! (section)

== Release ==

=== NASM ===
{{Listen
| filename     = Canon (2004) - Strolling Strings - United States Air Force Band.mp3
| title        = "Pachelbel's Canon"
| description  = An unrelated rendition of [[Pachelbel's Canon]], which played in ''To Fly!''{{'s}} NASM screenings as an [[Overture#Film|overture]]
}}

The first press announcements of ''To Fly!'' were issued on May 16, 1976,<ref name="Pierce">{{Cite news|date=May 16, 1976|title=Spectacular Movie Has No Stars but it's Big|page=12|last=Douglas|first=David|work=[[Fort Pierce, Florida|Fort Pierce]] News Tribune|location=[[Philadelphia]]|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-may-16-1976-3079000/|url-status=live|access-date=December 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307075418/https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-may-16-1976-3079000/|archive-date=March 7, 2022|via=[[NewspaperArchive]] {{Open access}}}}</ref> and the film was previewed to members of the [[US Congress]] on June 24 at the NASM's IMAX theater<ref name=":12" /> (later renamed Samuel Pierpoint Langley,<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 4, 1981 |title=NASM Theater Renamed After Langley |url=https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_1742 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729053030/https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_1742 |archive-date=July 29, 2021 |access-date=August 23, 2023 |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution Archives]]}}</ref> then [[Smithsonian Theaters|Lockheed Martin]]).<ref name=":11">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/smithsoniannatio0000unse/ |title=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: An Autobiography |date=October 2, 2020 |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]]|editor-last=Neufeld |editor-first=Michael J. |editor-link=Michael J. Neufeld |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |publication-date=October 26, 2010 |pages=270 & 307|isbn=9781426206535 |access-date=December 1, 2021 |editor-last2=Spencer |editor-first2=Alex M. |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Two days prior to the preview, Freeman died in a helicopter crash while finding locations for a commercial at the Sierra Nevada.<ref name=":12" /> Grief-stricken, MacGillivray initially doubted he could continue filmmaking but decided to retain, keeping the company's name, [[MacGillivray Freeman Films]] (MFF), as a tribute.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McLellan |first=Dennis |date=March 10, 1996 |title=Getting the Big Picture : Filmmaker Greg MacGillivray of Laguna Beach Sees the Imax Format as a Way to Create a Lasting Impression |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-10-ls-45405-story.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122065912/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-10-ls-45405-story.html |archive-date=November 22, 2021 |access-date=November 22, 2021 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

''To Fly!'' premiered on July 1, 1976, labeled as sponsored by Conoco.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news|last=Russell|first=John|date=May 8, 1980|title=Film: 'To Fly,' Irresistible Fantasy|edition=National|page=0|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/08/archives/film-to-fly-irresistible-fantasy.html|url-status=live|url-access=limited|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721094625/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/08/archives/film-to-fly-irresistible-fantasy.html|archive-date=July 21, 2021}}</ref> The New York City-based Lawrence Associates handled theatrical distribution.<ref name=":21" /><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Carr |first1=Robert E. |title=Wide Screen Movies: A History and Filmography of Wide Gauge Filmmaking |last2=Hayes |first2=R. M.|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |year=1988 |isbn=978-0899502427|page=439}}</ref> With [[underwriting]] concerns, the Smithsonian prohibited Conoco from using the Smithsonian's name for commercial uses, but granted "limited right" to use Conoco's name for it.<ref name=":16" />{{Rp|226}} It was later relabeled as sponsored by parent company [[DuPont]].<ref name="MFF" /> MacGillivray assisted the inexperienced projectionists and frequently visited the booth to ensure that the film roll was in consistently mint condition.<ref name=":8" /> A [[Pachelbel's Canon]] rendition was played as an [[Overture#Film|overture]]; it was praised as being memorable and evocative. ''The Washington Post'' credited the film alongside ''[[Ordinary People]]'' (1980) for the music's popularity.<ref name=":18" /><ref name=":24">{{Cite web|last=McDougall|first=Walter A.|date=December 1, 2003|editor-last=Kuehner|editor-first=Trudy|title=The Ecstasy and the Agony of Our Romance With Flight: A Meditation on the Centennial of the Wright Brothers Triumph|url=https://www.fpri.org/article/2003/12/the-ecstasy-and-the-agony-of-our-romance-with-flight-a-meditation-on-the-centennial-of-the-wright-brothers-triumph/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122070727/https://www.fpri.org/article/2003/12/the-ecstasy-and-the-agony-of-our-romance-with-flight-a-meditation-on-the-centennial-of-the-wright-brothers-triumph/|archive-date=January 22, 2021|access-date=November 19, 2021|publisher=[[Foreign Policy Research Institute]]}}</ref> The NASM also released [[pin-back buttons]] depicting a hot air balloon, manufactured by Horn Co.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Air and Space Museum To Fly |url=https://www.buttonmuseum.org/buttons/national-air-and-space-museum-fly |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228121241/https://www.buttonmuseum.org/buttons/national-air-and-space-museum-fly |archive-date=28 February 2021 |access-date=12 October 2023 |publisher=Busy Beaver Button Museum |publication-place=[[Chicago]]}}</ref>

The film was initially scheduled for a one-year run, as were other Bicentennial films, but was retained due to high demand.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Freishtat |first=Sarah |date=July 12, 2012 |title='To Fly!': Air and Space Museum opened in 1976 with film's first screening |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/12/to-fly-air-and-space-museum-opened-in-1976-with-fi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408080806/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/12/to-fly-air-and-space-museum-opened-in-1976-with-fi/ |archive-date=April 8, 2020 |access-date=June 30, 2021 |website=[[The Washington Times]] |publisher=Operations Holdings}}</ref> At times, there were 14 shows daily.<ref name=":4" /> In the 1990s, attempts were made again to remove ''To Fly!'', but due to public grievances it was decided that a [[special edition]] be made in conjunction with the theater's digital sound system upgrade,<ref name=":11" /> released for its 20th anniversary in 1996.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=To Fly! |url=https://macgillivrayfreeman.com/project/to-fly/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320124336/https://macgillivrayfreeman.com/project/to-fly/ |archive-date=March 20, 2023 |access-date=July 1, 2021 |publisher=[[MacGillivray Freeman Films]]}}</ref> The audio was [[digitally remastered]] with new sound effects, a new narrator, and alterations of the score such as trimming, editing, and adding choral sounds. The Lake Powell-Monument Valley scene and space sequence have their music changed, and two existential narrations from the space sequence were cut.<ref name="MFF" /><ref name=":41" /> Celebrating its [[silver jubilee]] in 2001, a screening was made free.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bly |first=Laura |date=July 29, 2001 |title=This is the place for Air and Space |page=D01 |work=[[USA Today]] |publisher=[[Gannett]] |publication-place=[[McLean, Virginia]] |issn=0734-7456 |id=[[ProQuest]] [https://www.proquest.com/docview/408830136/3E8BFFF271B4732PQ/1 408830136]}}</ref> During its 35th anniversary in 2011, screenings were charged at 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children, the same price up to the 1980s;{{Efn-la|As of {{Inflation/year|US}}, 50 cents is ${{Inflation|US|0.50|1980}}, and 25 cents is ${{Inflation|US|0.25|1980}}.<ref name="conv" />}}<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite press release|title=Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Turns 35 Friday|date=June 29, 2011|publisher=[[National Air and Space Museum]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/newsroom/press-releases/smithsonians-national-air-and-space-museum-turns-35-friday|access-date=July 7, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707234619/https://airandspace.si.edu/newsroom/press-releases/smithsonians-national-air-and-space-museum-turns-35-friday|archive-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref> in 1976, it was charged at $1 for adults and 50 cents for children,<ref name=":35" /> but fearing they were making too much profit, it was halved six months later.{{Efn-la|As of {{Inflation/year|US}}, $1 is ${{Inflation|US|1|1976}}, 50 cents is ${{Inflation|US|0.5|1976}}, and 25 cents is ${{Inflation|US|0.25|1976}}.<ref name="conv">{{cite web|url=https://www.minneapolisfed.org/about-us/monetary-policy/inflation-calculator/consumer-price-index-1800- |title=Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–|publisher=[[Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis]]|access-date={{TODAY}}}}</ref>}}<ref>{{Cite interview |last=MacGillivray |first=Greg |subject-link=Greg MacGillivray |interviewer=Prodan, Dave |title=Greg MacGillivray Talks A Career In Surf Filmmaking, "Five Summer Stories", Plus His New Memoir |type=[[YouTube]] podcast |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdY-55qF6rA |access-date=July 25, 2023 |work=The Lineup |publisher=[[World Surf League]] |date=November 9, 2022|archive-url=https://conifer.rhizome.org/gerald90x/default-collection/20230907063306/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdY-55qF6rA|archive-date=September 7, 2023|url-status=live}}{{cbignore}} 01:03:04 to 01:03:26.</ref> The Airbus IMAX Theater of the NASM's annex, the [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]], has also been screening ''To Fly!''.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |title=To Fly! |url=https://www.si.edu/imax/movie/fly |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019020544/https://www.si.edu/imax/movie/fly |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |access-date=August 5, 2021 |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |at=See also [https://web.archive.org/web/20130705031123/http://www.si.edu/Imax/Movie/1 July 5, 2013] archive.}}</ref>

=== Other venues ===
''To Fly!'' spurred the mass construction of IMAX theaters in various countries.<ref name=":22" /> The Smithsonian later also built an IMAX theater at the NMNH.<ref name=":16" />{{Rp|227}} Due to the film's intrigue, especially the transformative opening sequence, various museums established IMAX theaters.<ref name=":40" /> Other screening formats include the dome-shaped [[Omnimax]]<ref name=":3" /> and the digital [[IMAX with Laser]]. For the first 15 months since its opening in April 1983, ''To Fly!'' was the only film shown at the IMAX theater at the [[National Museum of Photography, Film & Television]] (NMPFT) in [[Bradford, England]], and its reception made them retain the theater. It was rescreened in 2013 for the museum's 30th anniversary.<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |last=Vaughan |first=Dick |date=June 13, 2013 |title=Bringing the first permanent IMAX installation to Bradford |url=https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/installing-the-first-permanent-imax-cinema-in-europe-30th-birthday-countdown/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122055547/https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/installing-the-first-permanent-imax-cinema-in-europe-30th-birthday-countdown/ |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |access-date=August 9, 2021 |publisher=[[National Science and Media Museum]] |location=[[Bradford]]}}</ref><ref name=":27">{{Cite sign |title=To Fly |date=1983 |publisher=[[National Museum of Photography, Film & Television]] |place=[[Bradford]] |type=Leaflet |url=https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/TtMAAOSw8xRfJp-N/s-l1600.jpg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220120123/https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/TtMAAOSw8xRfJp-N/s-l1600.jpg |archive-date=December 20, 2021 |url-status=dead|access-date=December 20, 2021}} Via [[eBay]].</ref> [[Michael Kernan]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' credited [[word of mouth]] to the popularity because advertising was mainly via brochures, newspapers,<ref name=":18" /> and television.<ref name="Cinesphere">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqxWukZNTF8 |title=To Fly! |date=November 11, 2020 |type=[[TV spot]] |publisher=[[Ontario Place]] |orig-date=1994 |publication-place=[[Toronto]] |access-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823074010/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqxWukZNTF8 |archive-date=August 23, 2021 |url-status=live |via=The Tape Keeper (on [[YouTube]])}}</ref><ref name=":31">{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Steven W. |date=April 28, 2018 |title=IMAX Pictorium, Gurnee 1979 — 2018 |url=https://www.greatamericaparks.com/category/show-operations/pictorium/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123165558/https://www.greatamericaparks.com/category/show-operations/pictorium/ |archive-date=January 23, 2021 |access-date=July 1, 2021 |publisher=GreatAmericaParks.com}}</ref> MacGillivray noted a 1981 ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' interview of him and Thompson by [[Tom Brokaw]] as among the things that led to the film's continued popularity,<ref name=":12" /> though said he did not expect such popularity.<ref name=":1" />

Several theaters played the film in a [[double feature]], like the NASM<ref name=":18" /> and [[American Museum of Natural History]]'s Naturemax Theater (February 11, 1982),<ref>{{Cite web |date=1982 |title=American Museum of Natural History Naturemax Theater photographic slides of "To Fly", 1982 |url=https://data.library.amnh.org/archives/repositories/3/resources/5280 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609214749/https://data.library.amnh.org/archives/repositories/3/resources/5280 |archive-date=June 9, 2023 |access-date=September 7, 2023 |publisher=[[American Museum of Natural History]] |id=PSC 61C}}</ref> who bundled it with ''Living Planet'' (1979){{Efn-la|Directed by Moore and also produced by Thompson<ref name="NY" />}} and ''Man Belongs to the Earth''.<ref name="NY">{{Cite magazine|title=Museums, Societies, Etc.|magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|date=March 28, 1983|volume=16|issue=13|issn=0028-7369|page=93}}</ref> The NASM later replaced ''Living Planet'' with MFF's ''[[Speed (1984 film)|Speed]]'' (1984).<ref>{{Cite news|title=OPENING|newspaper=[[The Fresno Bee]]|publisher=[[McClatchy]]|date=April 14, 2001|page=E2|issn=0889-6070}}</ref> ''To Fly!'' was put with ''[[Blue Planet (film)|Blue Planet]]'' (1990) at the [[Montreal Science Centre|Montreal]] and [[Maryland Science Center]] as they similarly showcase spaceflight.<ref name="Montreal">{{cite news|last=Griffin|first=John|date=December 1, 1990|title=Imax shows us our home; Astronaut worked camera for Blue Planet|edition=Final|newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]]|publisher=[[Postmedia Network]]|page=E1|issn=0384-1294|id=[[ProQuest (identifier)|ProQuest]] [https://www.proquest.com/docview/432059234/ 432059234]}}</ref><ref name=":23" /> It was also the premiere film for IMAX theaters of theme parks like [[Six Flags Great America]]'s Pictorium (1979), [[Dreamworld (Australia)|Dreamworld]] in [[Gold Coast, Australia]] (1981), and [[Speelland Beekse Bergen]] at [[Hilvarenbeek]], Netherlands (June 19, 1981). Dreamworld founder John Longhurst was inspired to build the theater after seeing ''To Fly!''.{{Efn-la|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name=":29" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Dreamworld History|url=http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Schools/pdf/DW-Schools-History.pdf|url-status=dead|publisher=[[Dreamworld (Australia)|Dreamworld]]|page=3|access-date=March 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230185146/http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Schools/pdf/DW-Schools-History.pdf|archive-date=December 30, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=June 2, 2015|title=Beekse Bergen ziet sterren|trans-title=Beekse Bergen sees stars|url=https://www.regionaalarchieftilburg.nl/home/blog-detail/algemeen/2015/06/02/beekse-bergen-ziet-sterren/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228042822/https://www.regionaalarchieftilburg.nl/home/blog-detail/algemeen/2015/06/02/beekse-bergen-ziet-sterren/|archive-date=February 28, 2021|access-date=November 25, 2021|publisher=[[:nl:Regionaal Archief Tilburg|Regionaal Archief Tilburg]]|language=nl}}</ref>}}

Overall, the film has screened in over 24 countries,<ref name=":22" /> including Germany, Japan, Mexico,<ref name=":18" /> and Indonesia ([[Taman Mini Indonesia Indah|Keong Emas IMAX Theater]], [[Jakarta]]).<ref>{{Cite book |title=Taman Mini Indonesia Indah dalam Satu Dasawarsa |publisher=[[Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Indonesia)|Departemen Penerangan Republik Indonesia]] |year=1986 |page=50 |language=id |trans-title=Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in A Decade |oclc=17202027}}</ref> It has been translated to 10 languages and screened at around 150 theaters worldwide. It was also shown in festivals<ref name=":1" /> like the [[1976 Toronto International Film Festival]], who took it from the [[Edinburgh International Film Festival]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Agnew|first=J. W.|date=September 27, 1976|title=Toronto's Festival of Festivals Planned as Major Cinema Event|magazine=[[Boxoffice Pro|Boxoffice]]|volume=109|issue=25|page=K-1|publisher=Associated Publications}}</ref> and the 2019 [[Royal British Columbia Museum|IMAX Victoria]] Film Festival who made a double feature with ''North of Superior'' titled "The Dawn of IMAX Filmmaking".<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Dawn of IMAX Filmmaking|url=https://imaxvictoria.com/movie/the-dawn-of-imax-filmmaking/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216110110/https://imaxvictoria.com/movie/the-dawn-of-imax-filmmaking/|archive-date=December 16, 2021|access-date=December 16, 2021|publisher=[[Royal British Columbia Museum|IMAX Victoria]]}}</ref> Conoco also distributed ''To Fly!'' to schools, organizations, and non-IMAX theaters after September 6, 1976 ([[Labor Day]]),<ref name=":35" /> but the lack of non-IMAX screenings made it unpopular among filmgoers.<ref name=":7" /> They also sent 16&nbsp;mm copies of the film to all 600 existing [[List of independent television stations in the United States|independent television stations in the US]] to be aired for free, as a marketing strategy.<ref name=":12" /> On May 28, 2023, the non-IMAX theater [[Cleveland Cinematheque]] put it together with MFF's ''Great Barrier Reef'' (2018) and ''Great Bear Rainforest'' (2019), in a series of MFF double features.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=TO FLY! |url=https://www.cia.edu/cinematheque/film-schedule/2023/05/to-fly |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528053625/https://www.cia.edu/cinematheque/film-schedule/2023/05/to-fly |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |access-date=August 24, 2023 |publisher=[[Cleveland Institute of Art]]}}</ref>

=== Home media ===
[[File:1.33_vs_1.43_vs_1.78_frame.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Comparison between the [[1.33:1]] (dark blue), 1.44:1 (light gray), and [[1.78:1]] aspect ratios (the entire frame)|alt=refer to caption]]
In 1985, ''To Fly!'' was released on videocassette formats [[Betamax]] and [[VHS]],<ref name=":17">{{Cite web|last=Hasan|first=Mark R.|date=September 3, 2014|title=Beta: To Fly! (1976)|url=https://kqek.com/mobile/?p=9557|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815201314/https://kqek.com/mobile/?p=9557|archive-date=August 15, 2020|access-date=August 15, 2021|publisher=KQEK.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hasan|first=Mark R.|date=September 3, 2014|title=MacGillivray Freeman Films, Part 1|url=https://kqek.com/mobile/?p=9570|access-date=August 25, 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530005357/https://kqek.com/mobile/?p=9570|archive-date=May 30, 2023|publisher=KQEK.com}}</ref> while its [[LaserDisc]] was in 1991 by Lumivision, catalog number LVD9113. The latter,<ref name=":41">{{Cite AV media |title=To Fly |date=1991 |publisher=Lumivision |type=[[LaserDisc]] & backcover |id=[[Universal Product Code|UPC]] 0724117911362}}</ref> as well as a VHS of the anniversary edition by IMAX subsidiary DKP 70MM Inc., features [[Dolby Surround]]-encoded audio.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=To Fly! |publisher=[[IMAX Corporation|DKP 70MM Inc.]] |type=[[VHS]] backcover |id=[[Universal Product Code|UPC]] 776424900034. ISBN 978-1551757443}}</ref> On March 20, 2011, the first VHS was preserved at the [[Hagley Museum and Library]] and is freely available at their [[finding aid]] website. For the VHS, the windowboxed opening scene was zoomed to fill the entire screen, and a large portion of the opening [[drum roll]] was cut.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 20, 2011|title=To Fly!|url=https://digital.hagley.org/VID_2011320_B03_ID05|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101070349/https://digital.hagley.org/VID_2011320_B03_ID05|archive-date=November 1, 2020|access-date=August 5, 2021|publisher=[[Hagley Digital Archives]]}}</ref> Together with the LaserDisc and second VHS, the film is cropped to the television [[1.33:1]] [[aspect ratio]],<ref name=":41" /> in lieu of the slightly wider IMAX 1.44:1.<ref name=":32" /> On October 7, 2021, MFF launched a [[streaming service]] called Movies For Families<ref>{{Cite interview|title=Introducing Movies For Families - A New Streaming Channel|type=[[YouTube]] trailer|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qusB-WR3hE|access-date=November 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120115023/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qusB-WR3hE|archive-date=November 20, 2021|url-status=live|publisher=[[MacGillivray Freeman Films]]|date=October 7, 2021}}</ref> and included ''To Fly!''{{'s}} anniversary edition, cropped to the widescreen ratio of [[1.78:1]]. The multi-image scenes were re-adjusted, like the 36-duplicate shot which became 30.<ref name="MFF">{{Cite web |title=''To Fly'' |url=https://mff.vhx.tv/to-fly |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601022956/https://mff.vhx.tv/to-fly |archive-date=June 1, 2023 |access-date=August 19, 2023 |publisher=[[MacGillivray Freeman Films|Movies For Families]]}}</ref>