It played at the BFI London Film Festival[3][4] The premiere was attended by 400 people.

Screen Daily said, "While the quirky outcome falls short of that ambition, it offers a slice of enjoyable nostalgia, capturing a sense of life as silly, surprising, regretful and all too fleeting.

"[6] The Hollywood Reporter said, "for anyone expecting a definitive behind-the-scenes film about the making of Star Wars, this is not the documentary you have been looking for.

"[7] The Village Voice said, "The most interesting part of Elstree 1976 comes when these actors express ambivalence about their odd celebrity.

"[8] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 81% of critics gave the film a positive rating, based on 27 reviews, with an average score of 6.37/10.