"Star Wars" movie poster sets auction record.

A painting depicting "Star Wars," released nearly 50 years ago and reinterpreted on posters for the classic "Star Wars" film, was auctioned on December 10th for $3.875 million.

The acrylic spray painting by artist and film poster designer Tom Jung first appeared in newspaper advertisements on May 13, 1977, less than two weeks before the release of the classic film “Star Wars” .

It also appeared on billboards, in magazine advertisements, and in movie screenings.

"For most Americans, this is the first time they've seen the distant Milky Way," said Charles Epting, director of popular culture and historical items at Heritage Auctions.

"Star Wars" producer Gary Kurtz kept the original painting and hung it on the wall of his office before passing it on to his daughter.

The Kurtz family subsequently put the artwork up for auction at Heritage Auctions' headquarters in Dallas, with a starting bid of $1 million.

The auction set a record for the highest-priced memorabilia item ever sold from the series, and generally for any film poster artwork, Epting said.

The buyer, who won the auction through the website, has chosen to remain anonymous.

Previously, the highest price ever paid for a memorabilia item from the series was for Darth Vader's lightsaber, which sold at auction for $3.6 million.

"Star Wars" is one of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time since its debut in 1977, starring Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.

The original film was followed by sequels and prequels, and spawned books, films, and other series. Fans of the series are spread all over the world .

One section of the painting shows Skywalker raising his lightsaber behind Princess Leia. Darth Vader is present above them in the background.

In the corner, a group of X-wing fighter jets is attacking. Han Solo and Skywalker are depicted receiving medals.

In the bottom right corner are R2-D2 and C-3PO, added at the last minute, Epting said. These two robots did not appear in the original copies of the painting and only appeared later when the film poster and billboard were produced.

The exact date of this billboard is not precisely known, but it was sometime in June or July 1977, Epting said.

"You can see the evolution of this work and how they figure out what's important to include, what we're going to show, what will appeal to people," Epting said.

The painting is not just a film memento, but also a cultural artifact and a part of American history, Epting said.

The emotional connection people form with the "Star Wars" films also helps explain the painting's selling price, he said.

"Anyone who has seen these films or the marketing materials surrounding them – when they see this piece, their heart will race," Epting said.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/apphich-phim-chien-tranh-giua-cac-vi-sao-dat-ky-luc-ve-dau-gia-post1082427.vnp