"If the boy and girl walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand in the last scene, it adds 10 million to the box office"
About this Quote
The intent here is pragmatic and slightly exasperated: an acknowledgment that audiences often want narrative closure that feels like reward, and studios know how to sell it. "Hand-in-hand" isn't about intimacy so much as reassurance. It signals that the chaos we just watched has been domesticated into couplehood, that the future is stable, legible, marketable. By attaching a number - "10 million" - Lucas strips away any pretension that these endings are purely artistic. They're business decisions disguised as destiny.
Context matters: Lucas came up inside a system where test screenings, studio notes, and the tyranny of four-quadrant appeal shape what stories are allowed to feel like at the end. Coming from the architect of modern blockbuster grammar, the line reads as both confession and critique. It's not cynicism for its own sake; it's a reminder that mass entertainment runs on calibrated sentiment. The sunset isn't a horizon. It's a cash register.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Lucas, George. (2026, January 15). If the boy and girl walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand in the last scene, it adds 10 million to the box office. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-the-boy-and-girl-walk-off-into-the-sunset-11254/
Chicago Style
Lucas, George. "If the boy and girl walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand in the last scene, it adds 10 million to the box office." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-the-boy-and-girl-walk-off-into-the-sunset-11254/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If the boy and girl walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand in the last scene, it adds 10 million to the box office." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-the-boy-and-girl-walk-off-into-the-sunset-11254/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
