85 Years Ago Today, Citizen Kane Debuted
While the number is impossible to pinpoint, estimates suggest that anywhere between 500,000 and 1 million feature-length films have been made since the first person got behind and in front of the camera.
From that seminal moment, movies have evolved to feature sound and color. Their stories have expanded to unbelievable possibilities, like a terrifying alien attack on a spaceship or a world full of song and dance.
Of the unfathomable amount of movies that have been produced, what many widely consider to be the very greatest ever premiered 85 years ago today.
On May 1, 1941, Citizen Kane, starring, directed and co-written by Orson Welles, debuted for the first time, premiering at the RKO Palace Theatre in New York City. Welles was just 26 years old at the debut of one of the great triumphs of 20th-century art.
On May 1, 1941, "Citizen Kane" made its debut at The Palace Theatre in NYC -and has gone on to top many lists as the "Best Film of All Time"....
— Noirchick In Old Hollywood (@Noirchick1) May 1, 2026
Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/iZ7FozDSSk
Releasing nationwide on Sept. 5, the film was not a commercial success due to backlash from newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, who is believed to be the inspiration for the film. Hearst heavily attempted to suppress the film by bashing it in his newspapers and threatening theaters that considered playing it.
Though the film was not initially a hit with general audiences due to the smear campaign from Hearst, it was highly praised critically, earning nine nominations at the Academy Awards. It would win one Academy Award for best original screenplay.
Citizen Kane was revolutionary because of Welles' innovative direction, as well as the film's non-linear plot structure and grounded performances. When moviegoers saw the movie for the first time, it was truly unlike anything they had seen before.
"When I made Kane, I didn't know enough about movies, and I was constantly encouraged by Toland, who said ‘Carry everything in one shot – don't do anything else.' In other words, play scenes through without cutting"
— Samuel J. May (@sjmay92) May 1, 2026
Orson Welles ~ Citizen Kane's 85th anniversary pic.twitter.com/y0SwxKgTB9
In the next 8 1/2 decades that would follow, Welles' masterpiece would become the benchmark for film, topping countless lists as the greatest ever made. The prestigious Sight & Sound poll from the British Film Institute, comprised of 1,600 influential critics and filmmakers, ranks the greatest movies of all time. Citizen Kane held the No. 1 spot as greatest ever for 50 years from 1962 to 2002.
The film's debut 85 years ago today would end up being one of the most important in the industry's history, as almost everything made since has been influenced in some way by Citizen Kane.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 1:32 PM.