remains the only Shakespeare film made in VistaVision. Music The score was composed by Sir William Walton, who worked on all of the films Olivier directed except The Prince and the Showgirl. He composed a score described in Chandos's record catalogue as "rousing" and "filled with pomp and circumstance, to add to the feel of pageantry". The music was conducted by Muir Mathieson, who collaborated on all of the films Olivier directed, except for Three Sisters. The film's music was also used for a set of readings of speeches from the play on audio CD featuring John Gielgud. The Chandos catalogue notes that Walton used the main theme throughout the film, especially towards the closing scenes. Release and reception Richard III opened at the Leicester Square Theatre on December 13, 1955, with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attending the premiere. Alexander Korda had sold the rights to the film to NBC in the US for $500,000 (about $ in today's dollars) and the film was released in North America on Sunday, 11 March 1956. The release was unique, in that the film had its US premiere on the same day both on television and in cinemas, the first instance of this ever being done. It was not shown during prime time, but rather in the afternoon, so prime time ratings for that day were not affected by any pre-emptions for a special programme. It is quite likely that it was the first 3-hour telecast of a film or a Shakespeare play ever to be shown in the US. The film, although slightly cut for television, was generally well received by critics, with Olivier's performance earning particular notice, but as a result of its simultaneous release through television and cinemas in the US, it was a box office failure, and many critics felt at the time that it was not as well-made as Olivier's previous films. However, the airing on US television received excellent ratings, estimated at between 25 and 40 million. In addition, when the film was reissued in 1966, it broke box office records in many US cities. Its critical reputation has since grown considerably, and many critics now consider it Olivier's best and most influential screen adaptation of Shakespeare. The film's failure at the US box office effectively ended Olivier's career as a director of Shakespearean films. His proposed film of Macbeth, which had been intended to