What was the first Steven Spielberg feature film released theatrically?

The Sugarland Express was the first Steven Spielberg feature film released theatrically.

The 1974 film stars Goldie Hawn and William Atherton as Lou Jean and Clovis Poplin, a young couple who take a state trooper hostage while trying to recover their child from foster care. Their journey across Texas becomes a large-scale police pursuit followed by crowds and media attention.

Spielberg had already directed television productions, including the acclaimed 1971 television film Duel. Because Duel was made for television, it is not counted as his first theatrical feature, even though it later received limited theatrical screenings in some markets.

The Sugarland Express was written by Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins, with Spielberg directing from a story inspired by a real 1969 Texas incident. Its road-movie structure and pursuit sequences anticipated techniques Spielberg would develop in later films, including Jaws, his breakthrough commercial success.