CGC Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Back to the Future with Graded Highlights

The film industry in the 1980s was full of box office success stories, including smash hits such as The Empire Strikes Back, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the first three Indiana Jones movies. In addition, just as the home video market was taking off, one of the greatest science fiction films of all time found unprecedented success.

Back to the Future — the time-travelling film that set the world on fire with its genius plot, relatable cast and excellent humor — ruled the box office in 1985. The story of Marty McFly and Doc Brown resonated so deeply with viewers that it turned into a cultural phenomenon, spawning a multimedia franchise including two sequels, an animated series, toys, video games, theme park attractions, a short spin-off film in 2015 starring Doc and more.

Widely considered one of the best films ever made, Back to the Future brought in more than $200 million at the domestic box office, a bright spot in a generally disappointing year in film. Over the years, the film franchise has seen several re-releases and special sets, including anniversary collections, a Blu-ray set, Ultra HD versions and more. In honor of the film’s 40th anniversary this year, CGC is showing off a couple of the coolest Back to the Future home video collectibles we’ve graded. Check them out below:

1986 Back to the Future on Betamax

Back to the Future first released on VHS and Betamax in 1986, with the Betamax release coming soon after the VHS release in May. With a hefty price tag of $79.95, both home video releases were quite pricey in the 1980s, but that didn’t stop fans from grabbing them off the shelves. Back to the Future became the first film to sell 450,000 copies at that price point. Additionally, Back to the Future became the most rented videocassette of the year, even against strong competition from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, which had released in February, and The Goonies, which released in March.

Interestingly, the VHS and Betamax releases of Back to the Future included a small addendum at the very end of the film. The classic “To Be Continued…” graphic showed up just before the credits, surprising many viewers at home — this message wasn’t included in the theatrical release because a sequel wasn’t planned at the time. The message was once again removed from the DVD release in 2002 because the film’s producers wanted to stay faithful to the film’s original theatrical run.

This sealed CGC-certified Betamax of Back to the Future received a grade of CGC 9.8, one of the highest grades a Betamax can get on the CGC Home Video Grading Scale.

1994 McDonalds Back to the Future Release

If you were a kid in the 1990s, you might remember seeing Back to the Future for the first time in one of most unsuspecting places: McDonalds! From 1991 to 1994, McDonalds ran an annual Holiday Film Fest campaign in which the restaurant offered VHS releases of popular films for a discounted price, with the purchase of any qualifying meal on the menu. So if you ordered a Big Mac and fries, for example, McDonalds would also offer one of four VHS tapes for purchase as well, usually for under $10. What a bargain!

One of the videocassettes available for purchase during McDonald’s Holiday Film Fest in 1994 was Back to the Future, which came marked with a special McDonalds sticker that said “Not for Resale or Rental” to distinguish it from other Back to the Future VHS releases, and a black rebate sticker. For sure, it was one of the most interesting ways to receive Back to the Future on VHS for the holidays! This sealed example received a grade of CGC 9.8.

Do you have a copy of Back to the Future on home video, or any of its sequels? Consider sending it to CGC Home Video for authentication, grading and encapsulation services! Grading not only enhances the value of your collectibles — it helps protect them from degeneration that can occur over time. Learn more about grading here, and go here to learn how to submit today!