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Music comedy

I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978): Cast, Box Office & Plot

I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) movie poster

I Wanna Hold Your Hand is a 1978 music comedy directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Will Jordan as Ed Sullivan, Susan Kendall Newman and Nancy Allen. It runs 1 hour 39 minutes and earned $1.9 million worldwide on a $2.7 million budget.

worldwide gross
$1.9M
budget
$2.7M
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Read the plot summary
I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 39m (99 min)
Director
Robert Zemeckis
Genres
Comedy , Music
Original language
English
Studio
Universal Pictures
Budget
$2.7M
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is I Wanna Hold Your Hand About?

The premise of I Wanna Hold Your Hand without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Four New Jersey teenagers are obsessed with the Beatles and will stop at nothing to see the band's first U.S. concert. Even without tickets they embark on a road trip packed with unexpected obstacles and comedic mishaps, driven by their unwavering determination to finally meet their idols.

I Wanna Hold Your Hand Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • driving
  • hall
  • hairbrush
  • teenage boy
  • teenage girl
  • new york city
  • rock 'n' roll
  • bassist
  • hotel
  • scream
  • song
  • band
+38 more
  • group
  • boy wears eyeglasses
  • teen movie
  • pop music
  • teenager
  • eye patch
  • dark comedy
  • hope
  • year 1964
  • john lennon character
  • paul mccartney character
  • george harrison character
  • ringo starr character
  • ed sullivan character
  • new jersey
  • friend
  • beatlemania
  • photograph
  • concert
  • travel
  • protest
  • journey
  • friendship
  • multiple protagonists
  • female protagonist
  • fan the person
  • laughter
  • jeans
  • argument
  • loss of control
  • rock singer
  • singing idol
  • radio host
  • drummer
  • guitarist
  • lift
  • sidewalk
  • euphoria
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Cast & crew

I Wanna Hold Your Hand Cast & Characters

Will Jordan leads the cast as Ed Sullivan, with Susan Kendall Newman as Janis Goldman and Nancy Allen as Pam Mitchell. Directed by Robert Zemeckis; 26 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in I Wanna Hold Your Hand

· 22 more
Show all 26 cast members
Plot

I Wanna Hold Your Hand Plot Summary

What happens in I Wanna Hold Your Hand from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

February 1964 brings the Beatles’ televised debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, broadcast from New York City, and a day of eager schemes, fearsome ambitions, and close shaves for a tight-knit group of teens in Maplewood, New Jersey. Janis Goldman, Susan Kendall Newman, a folk-music purist who can’t stand the Fab Four, finds her social circle split between fascination and antagonism as her friends Rosie Petrofsky, Wendie Jo Sperber, and Pam Mitchell, Nancy Allen, chase very different thrills. Grace Corrigan, Theresa Saldana, bold and driven by the moment, plots to snag exclusive photos by staging a limousine run to the Beatles’ hotel, enlisting Larry DuBois, Marc McClure, a teen who has access to limos through his family, and, unexpectedly, Tony Smerko, Bobby Di Cicco, another wary skeptic of the band.

Full summary

The whole story of I Wanna Hold Your Hand, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

I Wanna Hold Your Hand Box Office & Budget

I Wanna Hold Your Hand grossed $1.9 million worldwide on a $2.7 million budget, 72% of what it cost.

1978 box office

Worldwide gross

$1.9M

72% of its budget back

US & Canada
$1.9M
Budget
$2.7M
Quiz

How Well Do You Know I Wanna Hold Your Hand?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

In what year was the film "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" released?
Cars

Cars in I Wanna Hold Your Hand

19 cars on screen, including the 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 and the 1960 Chevrolet Impala.

All 19 cars
  • 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 in I Wanna Hold Your Hand 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Main role
  • 1960 Chevrolet Impala in I Wanna Hold Your Hand 1960 Chevrolet Impala Important role
  • 1960 Buick LeSabre in I Wanna Hold Your Hand 1960 Buick LeSabre Minor role
  • 1962 Buick LeSabre in I Wanna Hold Your Hand 1962 Buick LeSabre Minor role
Details

I Wanna Hold Your Hand Also Known As

15 alternative titles, including “Beatlemania” and “Beatles 4-Ever”.

Also known as
  • Beatlemania
  • Beatles 4-Ever
  • 1964: allarme a New York, arrivano i Beatles
  • Locos por ellos
  • Add a kezed!
  • Я хочу держать тебя за руку
  • Beatles Hayranlari
  • Chcę trzymać cię za rękę
  • Quiero estrechar tu mano
  • Crazy Day
  • Febre de Juventude
  • Искам да държа ръката ти
+3 more
  • 一亲芳泽
  • 당신 손을 잡고 싶어
  • Хочу тримати тебе за руку

Seen I Wanna Hold Your Hand?
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FAQ

I Wanna Hold Your Hand FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office and post-credit scenes of I Wanna Hold Your Hand, each answered in a sentence.

How long is I Wanna Hold Your Hand?

I Wanna Hold Your Hand runs 1 hour 39 minutes (99 minutes).

When was I Wanna Hold Your Hand released?

I Wanna Hold Your Hand was released on April 1, 1978.

Who directed I Wanna Hold Your Hand?

I Wanna Hold Your Hand was directed by Robert Zemeckis.

More films by Robert Zemeckis

Who is in the cast of I Wanna Hold Your Hand?

I Wanna Hold Your Hand stars Will Jordan as Ed Sullivan, Susan Kendall Newman as Janis Goldman and Nancy Allen as Pam Mitchell, among 26 credited actors.

How much did I Wanna Hold Your Hand make at the box office?

I Wanna Hold Your Hand grossed $1.9 million worldwide on a budget of $2.7 million.

Does I Wanna Hold Your Hand have a post-credit scene?

No. I Wanna Hold Your Hand has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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