50 years after laying claim to changing the face of the movie industry, Dennis Hopper’s groundbreaking look at the late 1960s in America, Easy Rider, returns to movie theaters across the country for two days only: Sunday, July 14, and Wednesday, July 17. A film that remains vibrant and influential even half a century later, Easy Rider became a statement for an entire disillusioned generation when it was released on July 14, 1969.
The film, which received Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson), will be shown in more than 400 movie theaters at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time each day via a partnership between Fathom Events and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“In 1969, I went looking for America,” said star Peter Fonda, who co-wrote the film with Terry Southern and director Dennis Hopper. “Fifty years later, I’m still looking.” The Fathom presentation will also include a brand new, exclusive introduction by Fonda and will be released with a new 4K restoration. In 1998, Easy Rider was added to the National Film Registry, and the iconic movie is also part of the American Film Institute’s list of 100 best American films.
“A seminal counterculture film that spoke for a generation, ‘Easy Rider’ captured the imagination and social consciousness of the late ‘60s,” said Fathom Events Vice President of Studio Relations Tom Lucas. “On the big screen fifty years later, the film continues to resonate, doing so beautifully in its new 4K restoration.”
2019 will see 50th anniversary celebrations of several of the most influential movies in film history. The list of movies marking their golden jubilees this year include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Wild Bunch, Midnight Cowboy, True Grit, Hello, Dolly!, The Italian Job, and Anne of the Thousand Days, along with cult classics such as Alice’s Restaurant, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, and the Woody Allen-directed mockumentary, Take the Money and Run.
When it was released in 1969, Easy Rider proved to be both a critical and an audience favorite. The movie was the third highest grossing film of 1969 and The New York Times called it “A statement on film” at the time. The film currently scores an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. Dennis Hopper received the First Film Award at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival. Coincidentally, the film will return to Cannes to the South of France this month where Peter Fonda will present a restored 4K version of the film from its original 35mm original picture negative at Cannes Classics 2019. The restoration, which will be used for the Fathom Events screenings, was done by Sony Pictures Entertainment in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna.
Tickets for Easy Rider can be purchased at the Fathom Events website and at participating theater box offices.
