‘Apollo 13’ is Ready for Lift Off

Almost 50 years to the day after the liftoff of the ill-fated 1970 space mission for America’s third Moon landing, director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer’s acclaimed film “Apollo 13” returns to movie theaters in a special three-day-only presentation from Fathom Events, Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment.

“Apollo 13” will play April 5, 6 and 8, blasting off in more than 600 movie theaters nationwide. A full list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

“Apollo 13” boasts a star-studded cast, featuring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris and Kathleen Quinlan, but its even more remarkable achievement may be how director Howard executes a story of perseverance, unity and commitment to a higher purpose. Twenty-five years after its initial release – and a half-century after the arduous, near-fatal journey that made legends out of astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert – “Apollo 13” shines as brightly as ever, thanks to its groundbreaking technical achievements, captivating performances and a soaring score by the late James Horner.

Lovell (played by Hanks), Swigert (Bacon) and Haise (Paxton) are almost to the Moon when an on-board explosion leads to the unforgettable line: “Houston, we have a problem.” As their spacecraft is depleted of most of its oxygen supply and electrical power, they attempt to return to earth, led by NASA flight controllers working in a pre-digital age.

A commercial and critical success upon release, “Apollo 13” cemented its status as one of the great space films of all time when it was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture (winning for Film Editing and Sound).

“Apollo 13 may have been deemed a ‘successful failure,’ but the movie is a brilliant reminder that it was anything but, and we are honored to commemorate the 50th anniversary of such an extraordinary human accomplishment – and the 25th anniversary of the movie – by bringing Apollo 13 back to movie theaters, where its vision and scope can be best appreciated,” said Fathom Events VP of Studio Relations Tom Lucas.

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Photo Credit: Everett Historical / Shutterstock.com