On December 26, 1973, The Exorcist, a horror film starring
the actress Linda Blair as a girl possessed by an evil spirit,
made its debut in theaters; it went on to earn a reputation
as one of the scariest movies in history.

The post-holiday release served to help The Exorcist sell
tickets, as most moviegoers had time off.

It was the highest-grossing Christmas week release after
1997’s Titanic, and is still in second place.

William David Friedkin 
(August 29, 1935 – August 7, 2023)

The film The Graduate opened at two theaters in New York:
the Coronet on Third Avenue and the Lincoln Art Theater
on Broadway.

Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman starred in the film that
received seven nominations at the 40th Academy Awards,
including for Best Picture and Best Director, the latter being
the film’s sole win.

The movie is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most
influential films of all time.
(From Wikipedia)

Director James Cameron’s epic drama Titanic, the story of the
real-life luxury ocean liner that struck an iceberg and sank on
its maiden voyage in 1912, resulting in the deaths of more than
1,500 passengers and crew, opened in theaters.

The film also immortalized the line “I’m the king of the world!,”
which Cameron famously repeated during the Oscar ceremony,
as he picked up his gold statuette for Best Director.

James Francis Cameron

Schindler’s List, starring Liam Neeson in the true story of a
German businessman who saves the lives of more than a
thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust, opens in
theaters.

The film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and took
home seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best
Director.

It was the first Best Director win for Spielberg, who had been
nominated in the category for three of his earlier films: 1977’s
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1981’s Raiders of the
Lost Ark and 1982’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.

Oskar Schindler (1908 – 1974)

Liam Neeson (72)

Ben Kingsley and Liam Neeson

Steven Allan Spielberg

On November 26, 1942, Casablanca, a World War II-era drama
starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, premiered in
New York City; it went on to become one of the most beloved
Hollywood movies in history.