Airport is a 1970s film series consisting of four airplane-themed disaster films that include Airport, Airport 1975, Airport '77 and The Concorde ... Airport '79. They are based on the 1968 novel Airport by Arthur Hailey. The four films grossed $387.5 million worldwide.
| Airport | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | George Seaton Jack Smight Jerry Jameson David Lowell Rich |
| Screenplay by | George Seaton Don Ingalls Jennings Lang Eric Roth |
| Based on | Airport by Arthur Hailey |
| Produced by | Ross Hunter William Frye Jennings Lang |
| Starring | Burt Lancaster George Kennedy Charlton Heston Alain Delon Jack Lemmon |
| Cinematography | Ernest Laszlo Philip H. Lathrop |
| Edited by | Stuart Gilmore |
| Music by | Alfred Newman John Cacavas Lalo Schifrin |
Production company | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $387.5 million |
The only actor who appeared in all four films is George Kennedy in his recurring role of Joseph "Joe" Patroni. Patroni's character alters from a chief mechanic in Airport to a vice president of operations in Airport 1975, a consultant in Airport '77, and an airline pilot in The Concorde ... Airport '79.
The first Airport film from 1970 had reviews complimenting the film's influence on the disaster genre and its "camp value."[1] However, the movie's star, Burt Lancaster, said in a 1971 reaction to its ten Academy Award nominations that the film was "the biggest piece of junk ever made."[2][3]
The New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael characterized Airport 1975 as "cut-rate swill", produced on a TV-movie budget by mercenary businessmen. Kael also wrote the audio problems gave Karen Black's voice a metallic sound that was grating and that the main character, a stewardess, was constantly being patronized by men.[4] Vincent Canby of The New York Times called Airport 1975 "a silly sequel with a 747".[5]
In a review of Airport '77, a critic in The New York Times wrote, "Airport '77 looks less like the work of a director and writers than like a corporate decision."[6]
Variety′s review of The Concorde ... Airport '79 called the film "Definitely not for sophisticates, "Concorde" is a throwback to the old popcorn genre, and rather enjoyable at that" but noted that "unintentional comedy still seems the "Airport" series' forte".[7] In a review of The Concorde ... Airport '79, The New York Times' critic Janet Maslin wrote, "'Concorde' is enough to persuade anyone to stay on the ground."[8]
No further Airport films were produced after The Concorde, although media reports in the early 1980s suggested a fifth film was considered. The 1980 comedy film Airplane!, though more specifically a remake/spoof of the 1957 film Zero Hour! (itself a precursor to the Airport concept with a screenplay by Arthur Hailey), is often identified as a spoof of the Airport series. It spawned its own follow-up, Airplane II: The Sequel, in 1982.
| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Budget | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States/Canada | Other territories | Worldwide | ||||
| Airport | May 29, 1970 | $100,500,000 | $27,900,000 | $128,400,000 | $10,200,000 | [9][10][11] |
| Airport 1975 | October 18, 1974 | $47,300,000 | $55,700,000 | $103,000,000 | $3,000,000 | [12][10] |
| Airport '77 | March 11, 1977 | $30,000,000 | $61,100,000 | $91,100,000 | $6,000,000 | [13][10] |
| The Concorde - Airport '79 | August 17, 1979 | $13,000,000 | $52,000,000 | $65,000,000 | $14,000,000 | [14][10] |
| Total | $190,800,000 | $196,700,000 | $387,500,000 | $33,200,000 | ||
Arthur Hailey's Airport | |
|---|---|
| Film series | |
| Related |
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