On this day in 1994, Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" opened in U.S. theaters, History.com says.

The crime film tells several linked stories and has a large cast, including John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis and Harvey Keitel, History.com says.

The film was made for less than $10 million and earned more than $100 million at the box office, History.com says.

Months before it opened, "Pulp Fiction" won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, History.com and the Los Angeles Times report. The Times called the win a surprise. One woman in the audience was so upset that she began screaming at Tarantino as he tried to give his speech, the paper reported in May 1994.

"I never expect to win anything when a jury has to decide," Tarantino said, according to the Times, "because I don't make the kinds of movies that bring people together. I make the kinds of movies that split people apart."

The film earned seven Academy Award nominations, including best picture, History.com says. Tarantino and Roger Avary shared the Oscar for best screenplay.

It is also credited with reviving Travolta's career, History.com says. The Times wrote at Cannes that his "charming performance" would give his career a boost.

Some critics have called "Pulp Fiction" the most influential movie of its time, History.com says. It is known for clever dialogue, graphic violence and many pop-culture references.

The American Film Institute ranked it 94th on its 2007 list of the 100 greatest American films, up from 95th in 1997, the AFI Catalog says.

Tarantino was born in 1963 in Knoxville, Tennessee, History.com says. His first film as director was "Reservoir Dogs" in 1992.

What we know: "Pulp Fiction" opened Oct. 14, 1994, after winning at Cannes.
What we don't: Its opening-weekend box office, which these sources don't give.