Forty years after Marty McFly first revved up the DeLorean, Back to the Future is heading back to Czech cinemas for a limited theatrical engagement marking the film’s milestone anniversary. The 1985 sci-fi comedy directed by Robert Zemeckis will screen beginning Nov. 6 at cinemas across the Czech Republic.
Czech audiences will have the chance experience the time-traveling adventure in 4DX format at Cinema City locations in Brno, Pilsen, and Prague (Nový Smíchov and Chodov), combining motion seats, environmental effects, and surround sound to heighten the film’s signature thrills. A local IMAX release has yet to be confirmed.
The rerelease gives local moviegoers a chance to revisit one of Hollywood’s most beloved blockbusters on the big screen—many for the first time—four decades after it redefined modern adventure filmmaking. The 80s classic will screen locally in English with Czech subtitles.
A time-traveling classic returns
Produced by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Back to the Future first premiered in July 1985 and quickly became a global phenomenon. The film stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a California teenager accidentally sent back to 1955 in a plutonium-powered DeLorean built by eccentric inventor Emmett “Doc” Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd. Stranded in the past, Marty must help his teenage parents fall in love or risk erasing his own existence.
The movie’s mix of humor, heart, and high-concept science fiction made it the highest-grossing film of 1985, earning more than $385 million (CZK 8.2 billion) worldwide. It also received four Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Sound Effects Editing, and introduced an iconic theme by composer Alan Silvestri.
Director Robert Zemeckis and co-writer Bob Gale created a story that became both a pop culture landmark and the foundation for one of cinema’s most successful trilogies. The film’s inventive use of time travel and its emotional core have ensured its relevance across generations.
“Back to the Future is one of the most iconic films of the last half-century. The film’s wit, wonder, and wildly original storytelling continue to captivate audiences of all ages. This 40th anniversary celebration gives fans the chance to experience the film’s timeless magic on the biggest, most immersive screens available today,” said Jim Orr, president of domestic theatrical distribution for Universal Pictures.
Zemeckis’s film remains a defining work of 1980s cinema. Beyond its commercial success, it influenced a generation of filmmakers and inspired a lasting cultural legacy—from theme park rides to the stage musical adaptation that opened in London’s West End and later on Broadway. The film’s depiction of the DeLorean time machine and its playful vision of the 1950s have become enduring symbols of movie nostalgia.
For fans in Prague and beyond, the 40th anniversary screenings offer a rare opportunity to experience Marty and Doc’s adventures as they were meant to be seen—projected on a cinema screen, powered by Alan Silvestri’s soaring score and the hum of a time machine ready to hit 88 miles per hour.
Back to the Future opens Nov. 6 in Czech cinemas, screening in 4DX at Cinema City locations in Prague, Brno, and Pilsen.
