Making movies

Shown below are some 70mm logos that were prevalent during the Roadshow Era (1955-1970) and during the 1980s. We've also included, through the courtesy of Marty Hart, a few non-70mm logos from the era of various widescreen and widegauge formats.

70mm logos were virtually non-existent during the 1970s. If a film played in 70mm, there usually was a small notation within an ad, or within theatre listings, indicating 70mm print availability. These notations were very plain, and often, moviegoers seeking 70mm presentation had to look a little harder than usual to find these notations within a newspaper's entertainment section. But there were exceptions in which some large page ads proclaimed a film being shown in 70mm.

By 1982, Paramount Pictures unveiled their famous logo on the film "Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan." This logo became a staple for Paramount for years until 70mm presentation was virtually abandoned. But it is perhaps the most famous logo indicating large format presentation. This kicked off a drive by other studios to put out their own 70mm logos. Warner Bros. has the distinction of having the most logos used during the 1980s, seemingly changing them on a frequent basis. Even some regional markets across the United States designed custom logos for certain films playing in 70mm. (Some of the logos below are from select markets, like New York or Los Angeles and may have not been used in other regions.)

Many of these logos were eye-catchers and showed the public that seeing a film in 70mm was indeed a special event.

Roadshow Era 1952-1970

Cinerama (1952)

CinemaScope (1953) [35mm anamorphic]

VistaVision (1954) [35mm 8-perf]

Todd-AO (1955)

Super Technirama 70 (1959)

MGM Camera-65 (1957)

Ultra Panavision (1957)

Super Panavision 70 (1959)

Dimension-150 (1966)

Blow-up Era & Widegauge Era 1970-1996

Independent 70mm logo used in Harrisburg, PA

Independent 70mm logo used on "Panorama Blue," a porno feature (1974)

20th Century Fox 70mm logo unveiled on "The Rose" (1979)

Warner Bros. 70mm logo used on "Altered States" (1980)

Paramount 70mm logo unveiled on "Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan" (1982)

Warner Bros. 70mm logo used on "Firefox" (1982)

Universal 70mm logo used on "The Thing" (1982)

Walt Disney Productions 70mm logo unveiled On "Tron" (1982)

Independent 70mm Logo used on "Let's Spend The Night Together" (1983)

20th Century Fox 70mm logo unveiled on "Return Of The Jedi" (1983)

Warner Bros. 70mm logo used on New York City engagements of "Superman III" (1983)

MGM/UA 70mm logo used on "Brainstorm" (1983)

Warner Bros. 70mm logo unveiled on "Never Say Never Again" (1983)

Warner Bros. 70mm logo unveiled on "The Right Stuff" (1983)

Warner Bros. 70mm logo unveiled on "Greystoke: The Legend Of Tarzan" (1983)

Columbia Pictures 70mm logo unveiled on "Ghostbusters" (1984)

Warner Bros. 70mm logo unveiled on "Gremlins" (1984)

Orion 70mm logo used on "Amadeus" (1984)

Orion 70mm logo used on New York engagements of "The Cotton Club" (1984)

Universal Pictures 70mm logo used on New York engagements of "Dune" (1984)

Warner Bros. 70mm logo Unveiled on "The Goonies" (1985)

20th Century Fox 70mm logo unveiled on "Cocoon" (1985)

Warner Bros. 70mm logo unveiled on "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome" (1985)

Walt Disney Productions 70mm logo used on "The Black Cauldron" (1985)

MGM's 70mm logo unveiled on "Spaceballs" (1987)

Warner Bros. 70mm logo unveiled on "Empire Of The Sun" (1987)

Warner Bros. 70mm logo used on "Lethal Weapon 2" (1989)

Walt Disney Pictures 70mm / Cinema Digital Sound logo used on "Dick Tracy" (1990)

Paramount 70mm / Cinema Digital Sound logo used on "Days Of Thunder" (1990)

Walt Disney Pictures 70mm logo used on "The Rocketeer" (1991)

20th Century Fox 70mm logo used on "Last Of The Mohicans" (1992)

20th Century Fox 70mm logo used on "Hoffa" (1992)