An endorsement of rape culture or a rejection of slut-shaming: the debate over the film continues, four decades on. How did it become arguably the most beloved movie musical of all time?

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When Grease was released in cinemas in 1978, a starry, bubblegum-bright adaptation of the 1971 Chicago-to-Broadway musical, the initial reviews were not kind. “A grave disappointment to anyone in search of style or substance,” wrote the Guardian’s Derek Malcolm that year – although, like many of his similarly unimpressed critical peers, he did concede that it was fun and likely to be a big hit. Such an assessment turned out to be as understated as Sandy’s pre-makeover twinset-and-pearls. According to Box Office Mojo, Grease is the second-most-successful musical movie ever, beaten only in the past 12 months by Disney’s mammoth Beauty and the Beast live-action reboot.

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