UNIVERSAL PICTURES CELEBRATES THE 30 ANNIVERSARY OF RON HOWARD AND BRIAN GRAZER’S ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING MASTERPIECE
THE GROUNDBREAKING DRAMA FROM IMAGINE ENTERTAINMENT BASED ON THE TRUE STORY OF ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST DARING SPACE-PROGRAM RESCUE MISSIONS RETURNS TO THEATERS NATIONWIDE SEPTEMBER 19
THE 1995 FILM WILL BE PRESENTED EXCLUSIVELY IN IMAXFOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS FULL-LENGTH THEATRICAL VERSION
Universal City, Calif., July 24, 2025 — Universal Pictures is proud to celebrate the 30anniversary of Apollo 13, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Academy Award–winning masterpiece and one of the most gripping true stories ever brought to screen. On September 19, the film, produced by Grazer and Howard’s Imagine Entertainment, returns to theaters nationwide, presented exclusively in IMAX from September 19-25 in its full-length theatrical version for the first time ever. This special anniversary release offers audiences a chance to revisit the landmark drama about the most heart-stopping rescue mission in the history of America’s space program, presented in the most immersive format yet.
Released on June 30, 1995, Apollo 13 recounts the real-life events of April 1970, when an oxygen tank explosion aboard NASA’s third planned mission to the Moon transformed the flight into a harrowing battle for survival. With their spacecraft losing power and life support, astronauts Jim Lovell (Academy Award winner Tom Hanks), Jack Swigert (Golden Globe Award winner Kevin Bacon) and Fred Haise (SAG Award winner Bill Paxton) were forced to abort their lunar landing and chart a return to Earth without a functioning command module.
On the ground, flight director Gene Kranz (Oscar nominee Ed Harris), astronaut Ken Mattingly (Oscar nominee Gary Sinise) and engineers at Mission Control worked against the clock to bring them back safely, while Lovell’s wife Marilyn (Oscar nominee Kathleen Quinlan) confronted the growing uncertainty from home. The failed mission became one of NASA’s greatest triumphs—an unprecedented display of ingenuity and one of the most extraordinary rescues in modern history.
Apollo 13 marked a pivotal chapter in Oscar winner Ron Howard’s career. After rising to fame as a young actor on The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, Howard spent the 1980s and ‘90s establishing himself behind the camera with a range of character-driven hits including Splash, Parenthood and Backdraft alongside co-founder of Imagine Entertainment and longtime collaborator, Oscar winner Brian Grazer. With Apollo 13, he took on the more ambitious challenge of blending large-scale filmmaking with meticulous historical research and emotional restraint. Determined to portray spaceflight as faithfully as possible, Howard became the first director to film scripted zero-gravity scenes aboard NASA’s KC-135 aircraft. The resulting sequences brought a level of realism and awe that set a new standard for the genre and remain among the film’s defining achievements.
“Apollo 13 is a testament to human resilience, ingenuity, and teamwork in the face of impossible odds,” Ron Howard says. “As we celebrate the film’s 30 anniversary, I’m reminded of how relevant those themes remain today. This re-release is not only a celebration of that incredible mission and the people behind it, but also a proud milestone for all of us at Imagine. It was a defining moment in our journey as storytellers and we’re thrilled that Universal and IMAX have made it possible to share it with a new generation.”
The film marked a defining moment for Imagine, which is also celebrating its 40 anniversary this year. “Apollo 13 is a towering accomplishment in filmmaking and storytelling,” said Jim Orr, President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution for Universal Pictures. “It’s a film that continues to inspire audiences with its portrayal of human resilience and problem-solving under unimaginable circumstances. We’re thrilled to bring it back to theaters in IMAX, where its full emotional impact and visual scope can be experienced like never before.”
The re-release also marks a significant milestone in IMAXhistory. Apollo 13 was the first live-action film to be digitally remastered using IMAX‘s proprietary DMR technology and was released in 2002 as Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience. It became the first film to premiere in both IMAX‘s commercial and institutional venues around the world. At the time, 13 minutes of the film were cut to accommodate the limitations of the IMAX film platter used in projection. The 2025 anniversary release will present the entire full-length version of the film in IMAX for the first time.
Thirty years later, Apollo 13 remains a benchmark of large-scale filmmaking—both technically groundbreaking and emotionally grounded. The film, both a survival story and a portrait of American resolve at the height of the space race, captures the urgency, teamwork and heroism that defined the moment.
The screenplay was written by Oscar nominee William Broyles Jr. and Oscar nominee Al Reinert. Apollo 13 was produced by Oscar winner Brian Grazer, with cinematography by Oscar nominee Dean Cundey, editing by Oscar winners Mike Hill and Dan Hanley, and production design by Oscar nominee Michael Corenblith. The score was composed by Oscar winner James Horner, whose work on the film remains one of the most stirring of his career.
The film, adapted from the book Lost Moon by Lovell and journalist Jeffrey Kluger, struck a chord with audiences and critics alike. It earned more than $355 million worldwide and garnered nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won two: Best Film Editing and Best Sound. The film also received the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, the Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture.
