'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' Returns to Theaters For Its 48 1/2 Anniversary

Quotable and ridiculous, 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail has long been held in high esteem. The take on the Arthurian legend featuring the Python troupe often makes—or tops—lists of the best comedies ever made. If you’re mildly annoyed you never got to experience it in a theater, you’re in luck. It’s 48 ½ anniversary, coupled with a sparse movie release schedule thanks to ongoing industry strikes, means you can now enjoy it with a crowd.

Iconic Events Releasing and Mercury Studios announced this week that Holy Grail will be back in 500 movie houses on December 3 and December 6. In addition to screening the regular version of the film, some locations will offer a Quote-A-Long version in which audiences are encouraged to recite lines, which are probably familiar to you even if you have only a trace memory of the film. (“Just a flesh wound.”)

The group originally played with a few different iterations of the plot, including one in which the characters would find themselves in modern-day London, locating the grail at the “Holy Grail Counter” at Harrod’s department store. The production also had some unique investors backing it: Python got funding from members of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

The group went on to make several other features, including Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) and Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983), before largely disbanding. In 1989, Graham Chapman died.

In 2014, the five surviving Pythons—John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones—reunited for a series of stage shows. (In early 2020, Jones passed away.)

Spamalot, a stage musical version of Holy Grail, was a Broadway hit for years. It’s also returning, with a debut date set for November 16.