I Wanna Hold Your Hand (film)

I Wanna Hold Your Hand is a 1978 American historicalcomedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and starring Nancy Allen, Bobby Di Cicco, Marc McClure, Susan Kendall Newman, Theresa Saldana, Eddie Deezen, and Wendie Jo Sperber. Its storyline follows a disparate group of teenagers over the course of one day in New York City as they attempt to gain entry to the Beatles' first live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. The film also examines the mass hysteria surrounding the event, dubbed "Beatlemania" for the fervency of the group's fans. The film's title is derived from the Beatles' 1963 song of the same name.

The film marked Zemeckis's feature film directorial debut, and was also the first film to be executive-produced by Steven Spielberg. In order to get Universal to finance the low budget film, Spielberg had to promise studio executives that if Zemeckis appeared to be doing a poor job as first time director, he would step in and direct the film himself.

I Wanna Hold Your Hand was released by Universal Pictures on April 21, 1978. Despite positive previews and critical response, the film was not a financial success and was considered a box office flop, unable to recoup its rather modest $2.8 million budget. The film is now regarded as a cult classic.