The other big movie that opened on June 8, 1984, was Gremlins. It was a big weekend. The weird horror/comedy for kids is 30 years old. Doesn't that make you feel ancient? In honor of the occasion, let's have some Gremlins trivia to spark your memory! A sampling:
3. CHRIS COLUMBUS DIDN’T WRITE GREMLINS WITH THE IDEA THAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE MADE.
He wrote it as a spec script and writing sample. It found its way into the hands of Spielberg, who explained that, “It's one of the most original things I've come across in many years, which is why I bought it.”
9. TIM BURTON WAS IN CONTENTION TO DIRECT IT.
There was a lot of buzz surrounding Burton after the success of his short film, Frankenweenie—so much so that Spielberg considered him to direct Gremlins. But the fact that Burton had yet to direct a feature film worked against him, and the gig was given to Joe Dante. A year later, Burton released his first theatrical feature, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.
You can say hindsight is 20/20 about many of the 21 Things You Might Not Know About Gremlins at mental_floss.