A movie poster painting that introduced the movie Star Wars to the world nearly 50 years ago sold at auction on Wednesday for $3.875 million - the highest price paid for a piece of memorabilia from the film franchise.

The acrylic and airbrush painting by the artist and movie poster designer Tom Jung first appeared in newspaper advertisements on May 13, 1977, a little under two weeks before the film's debut on the 25th. It adorned billboards, magazine ads and theater programs.

Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz kept the poster, and hung it on his office wall before it was passed down to his daughter. The Kurtz family put the painting up for sale through Heritage Auctions, said Charles Epting, the company's director of pop culture and historical consignments.

“For most of America, this was the first time they got a glimpse of the galaxy far, far away,” Epting said in an interview.

The sale also marks the highest price paid for movie poster artwork, he said. The buyer has chosen keep his identity private.

The painting shows Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, with Darth Vader looming over them in the background. On the side is a team of X-wing fighters in flight launching an attack on the Death Star. Han Solo and Skywalker are depicted receiving medals at the end of the film.

In the lower right hand corner are R2D2 and C3PO, which were added at the last minute, Epting said. The droids are absent from the early reproductions of the painting and first appeared in the movie poster and the billboard. He said it's not clear the exact date the latter were produced but it was around June or July of 1977.

Prior to this, the highest price for Star Wars memorabilia was Darth Vader's lightsaber which sold for $3.6 million.

Heritage held the auction at their Dallas headquarters but people could submit bids online or over the telephone. The winning bid came in through their website.

The painting is not just film memorabilia but is a cultural artifact and part of American history, Epting said. The emotional connection that people form with Star Wars movies helps explain the prices these items fetch.