The film is a 1978 American musical romantic comedy directed by Randal Kleiser in his feature directorial debut. The screenplay by Bronté Woodard and adaptation by Allan Carr were based on the 1971 stage musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. While the original stage version was set in urban Chicago, Kleiser moved the film's setting to a suburban locale modeled after his own experiences at Radnor High School in Philadelphia.
The narrative is set during the summer and senior year of 1958, following the relationship between Danny Zuko, a "greaser," and Sandy Olsson, an Australian transfer student. After a summer romance at the beach, the pair unexpectedly reunites at Rydell High School, where they navigate the social pressures of their respective peer groups, the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies.
The film served as a significant vehicle for John Travolta, who had previously worked with producer Robert Stigwood on Saturday Night Fever. Travolta was cast as Danny Zuko after Henry Winkler turned down the role to avoid being typecast. Olivia Newton-John was selected for the role of Sandy Olsson after a meeting with Allan Carr at a party hosted by Helen Reddy. Newton-John, who was 28 at the time, requested a screen test and negotiated for star billing and script revisions. These changes included making her character Australian to accommodate her natural accent.
Supporting roles were filled by a mix of emerging talent and veterans of 1950s media. Stockard Channing was cast as Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies, while Jeff Conaway, who had played Danny Zuko on Broadway, was cast as Kenickie. The production also featured 1950s icons such as Eve Arden, Frankie Avalon, Joan Blondell, and Sid Caesar.
Filming took place during the summer of 1977 at various California locations. Venice High School served as the exterior for Rydell High, while the Los Angeles River was used for the climactic drag race at "Thunder Road."
Several production disputes and last-minute changes defined the film's development:
Musical Control: Producer Allan Carr and Robert Stigwood overruled the original composers' choice for a theme song, commissioning Barry Gibb to write the title track "Grease," performed by Frankie Valli.
Song Reassignment: John Travolta used his influence to claim the song "Greased Lightnin'" for his character, though it had traditionally been performed by the character Kenickie in the stage version.
Product Placement: Due to a deal with Pepsi, director Randal Kleiser was forced to use optical mattes to blur out Coca-Cola signage in the Frosty Palace scenes during post-production.
Casting Shifts: Harry Reems was originally cast as Coach Calhoun, but Paramount executives replaced him with Sid Caesar due to Reems' background in adult films. Lorenzo Lamas was a late addition as Tom Chisum after Steven Ford withdrew due to stage fright.
Grease opened on June 16, 1978, grossing $8,941,717 in its first weekend. It eventually earned $132,472,560 during its initial run, surpassing The Sound of Music to become the highest-grossing musical ever at that time. Globally, the film achieved a total gross of $341 million during its first release.
The film's musical performance was equally dominant. The soundtrack featured two number-one UK hits, "You're the One That I Want" and "Summer Nights," which remained among the top 30 best-selling singles in the UK as of 2018. The film was re-released in 1979, 1998, 2018, and 2022, bringing its total lifetime domestic gross to $189,969,103 and its worldwide total to $396 million.
The success of Grease led to the 1982 sequel, Grease 2, starring Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer, which was critically panned and disowned by original co-creator Jim Jacobs. In 2023, a prequel series titled Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies debuted on Paramount+ but was cancelled after one season.
In 2020, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, citing its cultural and aesthetic significance. While the film remains a popular "sing-along" attraction and was voted the best musical ever by a 2004 Channel 4 poll, modern critical reassessments have occasionally labeled the ending and certain character dynamics as regressive or problematic. Olivia Newton-John defended the work in later years, stating the film was not meant to be taken seriously.