To Fly!

To Fly!
File:IMAX Poster for NASA Documentary To Fly.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Greg MacGillivray Jim Freeman
Written by	Greg MacGillivray Jim Freeman Thomas McGrath Francis Thompson Robert M. Young Arthur Zegart
Produced by	Greg MacGillivray Jim Freeman
Starring	Ellen Bry
Narrated by	Thomas McGrath
Cinematography	Brad Ohlund
Edited by	Alexander Hammid
Music by	Bernardo Segall
Distributed by	National Air and Space Museum
Release date	July 1, 1976 (1976-07-01)
Running time	27 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$120,700,000

To Fly! is a 1976 documentary film shot in the IMAX format. While not the first IMAX film, it was instrumental in introducing American audiences to the then-new format. It follows the history of flight, from the first gas balloons in the 19th century to 20th century manned space missions. It was created for performance at the National Air and Space Museum's IMAX Theater in Washington, D.C.

History

To Fly! was written by Jim Freeman, Greg MacGillivray, Thomas McGrath, Francis Thompson, Robert M. Young and Arthur Zegart. It was directed by Freeman and MacGillivray, and edited by documentary filmmaker Alexander Hammid. In 1995, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

The movie was shown in 1979 at Six Flags Great America theme park's Pictorium and was the first movie shown at the new theatres.

To Fly! was the highest grossing documentary of all time before the release of Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004. It has grossed $86.6 million domestically and $120.7 million worldwide, which it has accumulated during its decades in release. The movie is still shown daily at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

In 1996, it was claimed that To Fly! was the "longest running ticketed film in one location in history."

External links

• To Fly! at IMDb
• Smithsonian