Who saw this in theatres?

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To be honest I dont really care who liked this movie or not. I just wanted to know who saw this in theatres. I appreciate everyone's opinions, but if me liking this movie makes up this upset...ummmmm...grow up. Really.

Funny you should ask...

This movie holds the record for me

I saw it 7 times in the theatre.

Twice out of town and 5 times when it came to town (the theatre was nearing the end of its life so tickets were only $1.00!)

For many years it was my favorite movie of all time. What is now I'm really not sure.

Loved the 2005 remake but 1976 will always be closest to my heart.

I saw it at least 3 times when it came out. The first time I saw it, when Kong died, people were actually crying and someone in the audience clapped and cheered and a man yelled at them to shut up. That always stuck with me. The theater was packed the first 2 times (night shows) The last was a weekday show, and it wasnt as crowded.

I saw this right after Christmas in 1976, as this was the BIG blockbuster offering that season. It was an evening show and the theater was packed. People seemed to enjoy it, though as I recall there was a lot of unintended laughter throughout, especially at the special effects (the fake-looking snake and Kong blow-drying Dwan brought howls). This film was heavily hyped prior to its release and it was easily the most anticipated movie of 1976. The marketing relied primarily on that famous poster of Kong straddling the World Trade Center and there were trailers in the months leading up to the opening that only hinted at Kong's appearance.

It was one of the top 5 movies of 1977 (relased Dec. '76), but it was still considered a disappointment because the studio had been expecting another "Jaws", which came out 18 months earlier (there were many articles prior to release saying this and I think one was in TIME Magazine). Anyway, most people didn't think it was very good. Jessica Lange couldn't get a job for three years after that (not until "All That Jazz") and Jeff Bridges didn't appear in another film for two years (the Farrah Fawcett disaster "Somebody Killed Her Husband"). His career picked up again in the 80s and around the time he did "Starman", I read an article where he said something about having regrets over making the film.

I saw it at the tender age of 11 and was in tears when Kong died (that heart beat still gets me). I remember being sad all evening after and I refused to tell my worried parents why I was so sad.

I still like the movie and is my preferred version of the story. Even King Kong Lives (that starts with the dreaded heart beat scene from this movie) was not able to spoil it for me.

This movie will always occupy a special place in my heart.

I was ten. We didn't go to the movies when I was a kid, but, I was still a fan of King Kong even before the film because I had the Aurora model kit (birthday present). I never saw the original before this, so I had nothing to compare it to.

The hype leading up to the release was huge. It was very easy to get caught up in, especially when you are ten years old. When it was finally released, it was, at the time, as big or bigger than the 2005 remake. All the popular TV shows made mention of it; Mike Douglas Show, Dinah Shore, Donnie and Marie, etc. I remember Dinah interviewed Jessica Lange, then showed clips of the film, then they brought out this unknown guy who had something to do with the making of the film, and Dinah and her other guests had to ask him questions to figure out who he was (it was Rick Baker).

Kong was the talk of society. Many of the kids in my fifth grade class saw it before me. I remember asking them all kinds of questions about it. I just had to see it! After begging my mom relentlessly, she finally agreed to take us. It was my first movie theater experience, and it blew me away!

The theater I saw it in no longer exists, but it was a much larger screen and auditorium than are common today. The screens were about Imax size but wider, so wide that it was curved to keep everything in focus. This added to the experience. We saw it twice, about two weeks apart. It was sold out both times. The SFX were the most sophisticated at the time, meaning it had the same effect on audiences as watching Jurassic Park's digital dinosaurs for the first time years later, and now Avatar's 3D experience.

Because it was pre Star Wars, merchandising was not what it could have been, or what I hoped at the time, but, what we had we treasured. It wasn't cool for boys to have stuffed animals, but all my friends who loved this film had the Mego stuffed Kong. There were no video or dvd players, so the only way to experience King Kong outside of the theater was by collecting bubble gum cards or getting the Viewmaster King Kong reels for your birthday. The newspaper ads for Kong were always bigger than any other movie with large production pictures of Jessica Lange in the Hand (what a crush I had on her) or the poster. I clipped many of them and put them in a scrap book, which I still have to this day! (Yes, I have a scrap book of original newspaper clippings from the initial release of the '76 King Kong). The board game was lame with its cardboard cutout Kong, but it was worth having because the box cover was full with that awesome movie poster.

All these years later I watch the film on DVD, and I can understand why there are those who don't like it, or can't relate to it. But, they should be reminded that, like the original '33 film, it was a product of the time it was made. When I watch the original I wonder what the experience was like for audiences then. It is full of clichés and mannerisms of the day that seem odd and funny today, and I wonder if people really talked like that then. The Great Depression was a big part of that story. Likewise, the oil crisis of the mid Seventies that drove the story of the '76 Kong was a common, real news topic that we heard about all the time. The characters with their long, hippie hair, side burns, bell-bottom pants, etc. looks odd today, but was a non-issue then, as everyone looked like that. The setting of the film was something that audiences of that time related to in an unconscious way. Thus, the story within that setting was easier to invest in emotionally. There was not a dry eye leaving the theaters. I remember we went the second time with my uncle and his girl friend. She cried all the way home.

The fact is I loved this movie. I can watch it now and it takes me back to a special time in my life. Through King Kong I discovered the magic of movies and fell in love with this art form.

I hope you enjoyed this.

i remember going to the theater on christmas day day with my friend john. i was 11 at the time and just loved it then as i do now. not as good as the original but better the jackson remake. i remember seeing earthquake, with sense-surround as well and in 77 seeing star wars opening day.saw it 15 times in 4 weeks.