The Force was unexpectedly strong at the box office this weekend. This weekend marked the 20th anniversary re-release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which normally wouldn’t be a huge deal. In recent years, both The Phantom Menace and Return of the Jedi were re-released and didn’t make a huge dent. However, this weekend, something different happened. Not only was Revenge of the Sith a hit, it was a beast, taking the number two spot among several strong releases, once again proving Star Wars is a box office juggernaut.
While Ryan Coogler’s Sinners had a very impressive second weekend at number one, grossing $45 million, Revenge of the Sith grossed over $25 million, which narrowly edged out both The Accountant 2 as well as A Minecraft Movie. It was one of the highest-grossing for a re-release ever, ranking up there was the 1997 Special Edition re-releases. And when compared to those modern Star Wars re-releases, well, there isn’t a comparison. The Phantom Menace made only $8.7 million, celebrating its 25th anniversary in May of last year, and Return of the Jedi made $5.1 million for its 30th anniversary in April 2023.
So, how? Why? Well, Revenge of the Sith is clearly thought of as the “best” of the prequels and, in recent years, those films have seen a huge resurgence in popularity. That’s in large part because adults who saw the films as kids now have nostalgia for them and many never got a chance to see the films on the big screen. So those things, coupled with the fact that there hasn’t been a Star Wars movie in theaters in six years, really just seemed to bring people out.
Oh, and the $25 million domestic pushed the film over $400 million total, making it only the sixth film in the franchise to hit that number… not adjusted for inflation, of course.
Did you get a chance to see Revenge of the Sith this weekend? What brought you to the theater? Let us know below.
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