When Back to the Future hit theaters on July 3, 1985, it did more than introduce audiences to Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and a DeLorean capable of traveling through time. It became the biggest movie of the year, spending 11 of its first 12 weeks at No. 1 and eventually earning more than $210 million at the U.S. and Canadian box office. Worldwide, its original release brought in more than $380 million, turning a time-travel comedy into one of the defining movies of 1980s American cinema.
The movie also became much bigger than its box office. It earned four Academy Award nominations and won for Best Sound Effects Editing. It was eventually selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, another sign of just how deeply Marty McFly’s trip through time became part of American pop culture.
And after more than 40 years, you might think there isn’t much left to discover. Think again. Here are five dope Back to the Future facts you might not know.
1. Marty Wasn’t Supposed to Look Like This
Michael J. Fox wasn’t originally Marty McFly. Eric Stoltz had already been cast and filmed roughly five weeks of the movie before Robert Zemeckis decided the performance wasn’t working for the comedy. Fox ultimately had to shoot Back to the Future at night while continuing to film Family Ties during the day.
2. Two Girlfriends? Marty Was Quite the Catch
Marty McFly may have traveled through time, but apparently he also had a little casting change in his love life. Jennifer Parker was played by Claudia Wells in the first movie, but Elisabeth Shue took over the role for the second and third installments. Same girlfriend, different actress.
3. Is That Guy From Titanic?
Billy Zane appeared as Match, one of Biff Tannen’s friends, in Back to the Future in 1985. It was one of his earliest film roles, years before he became internationally recognizable as Cal Hockley, the wealthy antagonist in Titanic. Watching him here, it is hard not to notice that he was already pretty comfortable playing the bad guy.
4. The Time Machine Was Almost a Refrigerator
Before Doc Brown’s DeLorean became one of the most iconic cars in movie history, the time machine was originally imagined as a refrigerator. The idea was eventually abandoned, partly because the filmmakers worried kids might imitate the movie by climbing into refrigerators and getting trapped. Imagine if Marty McFly’s big time-travel adventure had started by opening the fridge.
5. The Movie Almost Had a Ridiculous Name
It is hard to imagine Back to the Future being called anything else, but the movie almost had a very different title: Spaceman From Pluto. Universal executive Sid Sheinberg wanted the change because he reportedly disliked the original title. Steven Spielberg helped save it by pretending the suggestion was a joke, and the name we know today stuck.
