Here are some excerpts from a Weekly Variety article from July 28, 1982:

The gist of the article was about how 70mm print runs could be larger if exhibitors had enough 70mm equipment.

"....The 11 early summer 70m films were released in a total of 282 prints in the large format, virtually blanketing the nation's population of about 320-350 (including Canada) active 70m screens..."

"Striking fact is that the low print runs on seveal of the 70m pictures indicate that many more wide-gauge prints could have been made if only there were more prime theatres with the equipment available...."

"Paramount Pictures led the distribs with the widest print run, working with 68 copies of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 70m. Impressive statistic is that some 20% of Trek's $60million plus gross has been earned at only 4% of its theatres, those booking the 70m version....."

"Par's less succesful summer release, "Grease 2" had only eight prints out of its total 1250 in 70mm and they generated about 3% of the gross..."

Other notes from the article about 70mm releases:
ET released in 31 sites in 70mm.
MGM-UA had 37 prints of Poltergeist, 25 of Rocky III
WB had 10 prints for Blade Runner, 5 prints for Firefox, 3 for The Road Warrier
Disney's Tron released in 41 prints with 2 added later. "Tron is....actually the lensed in 70mm, using the Super Panavision 65 camera and lenses..."

"Looking ahead, Fox will reissue "Star Wars" on Aug 13 with four 70mm prints, rejuvenated from extant ones, working in New York and Los Angeles......Christmas reissue of ....Empire Strikes Back is projected to use about 40 prints (in 70mm.)

"For...Revenge of the Jedi," Lucasfilm planning through Fox next summer 100+ prints in 70mm..."

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Cheers, Thomas
www.in70mm.com
www.dp70.com
www.70mm.dk

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"....The 11 early summer 70m films were released in a total of 282 prints in the large format, virtually blanketing the nation's population of about 320-350 (including Canada) active 70m screens..."

"Striking fact is that the low print runs on several of the 70m pictures indicate that many more wide-gauge prints could have been made if only there were more prime theatres with the equipment available...."

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The 1980s (particularly the early-to-mid '80s) were really good times for moviegoers interested in 70mm presentations, even if most of the films were "only" blow-ups. The number of 70mm equipped theaters in North America nearly doubled from 1982 to 1984 which often resulted in an increase in the number of 70mm prints released for those titles given 70mm treatment.

1984: Over 600 prints for just over 15 releases

1985: Over 400 prints for around 25 releases

1986: Over 400 prints for over 15 releases

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ET released in 31 sites in 70mm.
MGM-UA had 37 prints of Poltergeist, 25 of Rocky III
WB had 10 prints for Blade Runner, 5 prints for Firefox, 3 for The Road Warrior
Disney's Tron released in 41 prints with 2 added later.

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Those were pretty good print numbers, which allowed most of those films to be seen in 70mm in markets outside L.A. and New York.

But as "large" as those 1982 numbers were, they were nothing compared to some other 70mm releases, such as:

Over (or near) 100:
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)
STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984)
COCOON (1985)
SILVERADO (1985)
YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES (1985)
TOP GUN (1986)
STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986)
HOFFA (1992)

Over (or near) 150:
BRAINSTORM (1983)
RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983)
ALIENS (1986)
DICK TRACY (1990)
FAR AND AWAY (1992)

Over 200 70mm prints:
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984)
2010 (1984)
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)

Other huge 70mm print runs included ALIEN (1979) and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981).

RE: BLADE RUNNER. There's some interesting 70mm-related information included in the book FUTURE NOIR: THE MAKING OF BLADE RUNNER by Paul M. Sammon (Harper/1996), including an implication by the film's producer that no U.S. cities ever actually screened the film in 70mm!

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There's some interesting 70mm-related information included in the book FUTURE NOIR: THE MAKING OF BLADE RUNNER by Paul M. Sammon (Harper/1996), including an implication by the film's producer that no U.S. cities ever actually screened the film in 70mm.

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The implication is wrong. I will vouch that I saw a 70mm print at Mann's Hollywood Theatre. I could see the reels through the portals. I could tell it was 70mm by the image quality as well as the small round changeover cues. (I saw three other 70mm films that day, including E.T. at the Dome (with screen masking open all the way, even though it was an OAR 1.85 print), The Thing at the Pacific, and Firefox at the Vogue).

Seeing FOUR different 70mm films in one day!!!

Only in Los Angeles.

Only in 1982.

Those were the days.

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other SF 70mm doubles: Logan's Run -opened as a first run at the Alexandria (later added Wind and the Lion to the bill, then 2001: a Space Odyssey)
Star Trek I and II at the Regency III

In L.A., other double features in 70mm were shown:

West Side Story/ Around the World in 80 Days
Fiddler on the Roof/ Man of La Mancha
Camelot/ Oliver!

There were quite a few others as well, mostly packaged from films several years after their original roadshow releases.

Also, there was an engagement of Star Trek I and 2001 in San Diego.

Has today's Digital Cinema presentation had the same effect for some of the lesser releases that had digital "prints" in the last three years?

Only in Los Angeles.

Only in 1982.

John you should really visit Bradford one day.

A few years back we ran Star Trek 1 through 5 on one day. The first was in 35mm the others in 70mm.

And what we do on Widescreen Weekends can make the strongest tech go weak at the knees.

Of course, I was commenting on the grand days when a big city could have several first-run 70mm engagements running at the same time.

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How is the color quality of the 70mm prints you have been running at your large format film festival in the UK? I have a couple of feet of 70mm film from "THE JAZZ SINGER" and about a couple of frames from "OUTLAND", "YES GEORGIO" and "SOUTH PACIFIC" and the color on all of them is majenta. It was rather unfortunate that no effort was made to have film printing machings at the labs capable of producing IB prints in 70mm like they did with 35mm. As I had mentioned on another thread, the short strip of IB 35mm film I have from the "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS" in VistaVision is gorgeous.

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Of course, I was commenting on the grand days when a big city could have several first-run 70mm engagements running at the same time.

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In addition to the four films I did see in 70mm in Hollywood that day, I actually had quite a few others I could have chosen to see:
Annie (Chinese I)
Star Trek II (Chinese II)
Rocky III (Chinese III)
Poltergeist (Paramount)

In fact, I did see both The Road Warrior and Rocky III in Hollywood the last weekend in May, and Star Trek II, Poltergeist and Annie a couple of weeks later. The only 70mm film I missed that summer was Grease 2. In the month of June of 1982, only one 70mm equipped theatre in Hollywood ran only 35mm, the Egyptian with Author! Author!(Fox)
As a matter of fact, of all major studio releases in June that year, only two Fox releases, including Megaforce, were in 35mm only. Other 70mm films I got to see that summer included Napoleon (Dome), Tron (Chinese I), Tempest (Plaza in Westwood) and Pink Floyd - the Wall (Village Westwood).