28 years ago today, Tom Hanks and Penny Marshall delivered us the sweet and charming story of a 12-year-old who wished to be big. It was on June 3, 1988 that Big opened in theaters.
It was the film that solidified Hanks as a major Hollywood talent and earned him his first Oscar nomination.
Big is also significant for being one of the earlier success stories for a female director. It was the first feature film directed by a woman to gross over $100 million at the box office.
Other notable June 3 happenings in pop culture history:
• 1955: Marilyn Monroe film The Seven Year Itch opened in theaters.
• 1969: Star Trek, the original series, concluded on NBC.
• 1983: WarGames opened in U.S. theaters, after premiering out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
• 1987: The Untouchables opened in theaters.
• 1992: During his presidential campaign, Bill Clinton played “Heartbreak Hotel” on the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show.
• 2000: Oops!… I Did It Again hit the top of the Billboard 200. The Britney Spears album knocked NSYNC”s No Strings Attached off the top of the chart.
• 2001: Six Feet Under premiered on HBO. It aired for five seasons, earning nine Emmy Awards.
• 2005: Catherine Hardwicke movie Lords of Dogtown opened in theaters.
• 2011: The ride The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel's Undersea Adventure opened in Disney”s California Adventure.