The film was based on the novel "Mute Witness" written by Robert L. Fish under the pseudonym Robert L. Pike. The novel was released in 1963.
The film was made by McQueen's Solar Productions company, with his partner Robert Relyea as executive producer. Released by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts on October 17, 1968, the film was a critical and box-office success, later winning the Academy Award for Best Film Editing (Frank P. Keller) and receiving a nomination for Best Sound.
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Writers Trustman and Kleiner won a 1969 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. Bullitt is famous for its car chase scene through the streets of San Francisco, which is regarded as one of the most influential in film history.
In 2007, Bullitt was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
The film opened at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Thursday, October 17, 1968. It grossed $210,000 in its first week, including a hall-record Saturday of $49,073. Produced on a $5.5 million budget, the film grossed $19 million in 1968, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film that year, and over $42.3 million in the US through 2021.
Source: Wikipedia