“Raiders of the Lost Ark”, the first in the Indiana Jones series of films, was released in theaters on June 12, 1981. A critical and commercial success, the movie earned over $330 million at the box office worldwide that year and won numerous awards, including five Oscars and one BAFTA.
Written by George Lucas, directed by Steven Spielberg, and with music by John Williams, the film is regarded as one of the greatest of all time and a touchstone of modern cinema, particularly with regard to action movies. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1999.
Indiana Jones, with his iconic hat and whip, is a pop culture phenomenon. Ranking as the #2 hero on AFI’s list of 100 Best Heroes and Villains, the character spawned three sequels; “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” in 1984, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” in 1989, and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” in 2008.
A fifth film, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”, is set to release in theaters on June 30, 2023.
Anthony Bringaze 