On June 8th, 1984, "Gremlins" was released to U.S. theaters. Starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holiday, and Frances Lee McCain, the movie was written by Chris Columbus and directed by Joe Dante. Howie Mandell famously did the voice for Gizmo the Mogwai. The film was a commercial success, grossing $212.9 million in the box-office on an $11 million production budget. After "Gremlins" was theatrically released, it became one of two films that prompted Steven Spielberg to suggest the PG-13 movie rating to the MPAA. It was also filmed on the same lot as "Back to the Future" (1985). "Gremlins" has become a beloved Christmas movie since its release in 1984, and its success led to a sequel in 1990 - "Gremlins 2: The New Batch".
