The Big Picture
- The NeverEnding Story returns to theaters for two nights only on July 21 and 22, 2024.
- Directed by Wolfgang Peterson, the film follows Bastian’s journey into the literary world of Fantasia.
- Each screening will feature an introduction by film critic Leonard Maltin.
Forty years after it first graced movie screens and enchanted a generation of audiences, the 1984 fantasy epic The NeverEnding Story is coming back to theaters. Fathom Events is bringing the film to theaters nationwide for two nights only. The film will screen in selected theaters on July 21 and 22, 2024.
Directed by the late Wolfgang Peterson in his first English-language film, and featuring an iconic theme song by New Wave singer Limahl, The NeverEnding Story is an enduring classic of fantasy cinema. The film will screen at 7:00 p.m. local time on the 21st and 22nd, with a 4:00 matinee on the 21st. Part of Fathom’s Big Screen Classics series, each screening will be preceded by an introduction from noted film critic, writer, and onetime Gremlins victimLeonard Maltin, detailing the film’s history and impact. You can look for theaters showing The NeverEnding Story near you, and purchase tickets, on FathomEvents.com.
What Is ‘The NeverEnding Story’ About?
Based on the 1979 German novel of the same name by Michael Erde, The NeverEnding Story follows a young boy, Bastian (Barret Oliver), who escapes from his grim life via a fantasy book. That book-within-a-book follows the heroic Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) as he quests across the realm of Fantasia to defeat the malevolent, all-devouring Nothing and save Fantasia’s ruler, the Childlike Empress (Tami Stronach). As he follows the heartbreaking loss of Atreyu’s steed Artax, his adventures astride the flying Luck Dragon Falkor, and his battles with the lupine monster Gmork, Bastian finds himself being drawn into the story – in more ways than one. Along the way, he learns what the truly never-ending story is. At one time the most expensive film ever made outside the United States and the USSR, The NeverEnding Story was a huge hit upon its release forty years ago this month, making $100 million USD on a $20-25 million budget. It owes some of its success to Steven Spielberg, who re-edited the original German version of the film to appeal to American audiences.
The NeverEnding Story was followed by two sequels, an animated series, and a live-action TV spinoff, none of which matched the quality or the popularity of the original film. Plans for a new film are in the works.
The NeverEnding Story will return to theaters for two days only on July 21 and 22, 2024. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
The Neverending Story
Based on the German novel of the same name, The NeverEnding Story centers on Bastian Bux, a young boy who finds a book about a fantasy world called Fantasia, and becomes inexplicably connected to the book’s plot as he begins to read it. Barret Oliver stars as Bastian, with Noah Hathaway, Tami Stronach, and Alan Oppenheimer as part of the main cast.Â
