LOS ANGELES TIMES, May 21, 1980

* Best "The Empire Strikes Back" premiere advertisement
* Star Wars: Episode V - Grand Opening Day premiere 

A terrific issue on the premiere of the motion picture hit "The Empire Strikes Back" and perhaps no better newspaper could be found than this, the leading newspaper from the home of the entertainment industry - the Hollywood area's prime publication.

Background: An original May 21, 1980 issue of the Los Angeles Times holds exceptional rarity and historical value to pop culture collectors because it directly marks the opening day of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. Unlike modern blockbusters that launch across thousands of screens, 20th Century Fox deliberately debuted the film in a restricted, exclusive release across only 126 theaters in North America, making the local Los Angeles display ad a scarce artifact that lists iconic, limited 70mm showcase venues like the Avco Center in Westwood and the Egyptian Theatre. The Calendar section print from that specific day acts as a time capsule for the golden era of 1980 cinema, capturing not only the premiering Star Wars ad alongside Charles Champlin's original review, but also surrounding promotional materials for other stacked releases of that week, including Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Because surviving full newsprint sections are inherently ephemeral—often discarded or degraded over time due to high-acid paper yellowing—a complete opening-day copy from the epicenter of the entertainment industry stands out as a highly sought-after piece of cinematic history.  

Page 3 of section VI has a 16 x 9 1/2 inch advertisement printed on this iconic film's opening day.

A quite rare issue as it would not have been saved since it contains no historically significant content. 

Present are the complete sections 1 and VI totaling 38 ( of 116) pages. Great condition.