first run

noun Movies.

the initial exhibition period for a film.

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Origin of first run

First recorded in 1910–15

Related formsfirst-run, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for first run

Contemporary Examples

Sort of a sandwich that's filled with first-run fare rather than repeats.
ABC Announces 2013-14 Schedule: 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Gets Tuesday Berth, 'Super Fun Night' Gets 'Modern Family' Lead-In
Jace Lacob
May 14, 2013
This extravagant borrowing funds a steakhouse, outdoor hot tubs, a first-run movie theater, and a roaming ice-cream truck.
How to Reinvent College
Nick Romeo
May 13, 2013
Only first-run movies were shown there, and people dressed up to attend them.
Shut Up, Scarlett!
Stanley Crouch
December 19, 2009

Historical Examples

And, say, I've got a thousand feet of film that's simply going to knock 'em cold at the first-run houses.
Torchy, Private Sec.
Sewell Ford