Summary
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith’s 20th anniversary has been met with a historic welcome at the box office as audiences got to revisit the end of theStar Warsprequel trilogy on IMAX screens. The sixth installment in theStar Warsfranchise has proved to be among the biggest re-releases of all time, despite sharing the weekend with some heavy-hitting competitors.
Directed by thelegendary filmmaker George Lucas,Revenge of the Sithfeatures Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz, and Christopher Lee. The film ended its 2005 theatrical run with $886 million ($380.3 million from North America and $488.1 million from overseas), setting records along the way, including the biggest opening Thursday ($50 million). Adjusted for inflation, its worldwide pre-2025 gross rises to $1.35 billion—the fifth-highest in the franchise.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the SithIs A King Among Re-Releases
It’s The Second-Biggest Film Reissue Of All Time
On a weekend crowded with blockbusters such asRyan Coogler’sSinners,A Minecraft MovieandThe Accountant 2,Revenge of the Sithstill managed to squeeze out $25 million — including $3.4 million Thursday previews — and $17 million overseas, finishing second at the U.S. box office, perDeadlineandVariety. Its performance marks the largest opening for a re-release sinceThe Lion King’s 3D edition in 2011, which debuted at $30.2 million.
James Cameron, meanwhile, saw two of his films overtaken:Titanic’s $17.3 million reissue (2012) was ousted from second place, andAvatar’s $10.5 million re-release (2022) lost its title as the biggest post-pandemic re-opening. AmongStar Warsre-releases,Revenge of the Sithbumped the 1997 editions ofStar Wars: Episode V– The Empire Strikes Back($21.9 million) andReturn of the Jedi($16.2 million) as the franchise’s second biggest, trailing only behindStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope’s $35.9 million…for now.
Revenge of the Sith’s triumphant return ruffled feathers even further.The Accountant 2debuted to a softer $24.4 million, partially due to fans emptying their pockets at the thought of seeingAnakin Skywalker’s tragic fallin glorious IMAX. With a current domestic cume of $405.5 million,Revenge of the Sithhas muscled its way back into the U.S. all-time Top 50, oustingJumanji: Welcome to the Jungleto reclaim the 48th spot. Globally, the film stands at $892.2 million and will surely cross $900 million by next weekend.
Despite this massive re-opening, nothing has changed or is likely to in theStar Warshierarchy.Revenge of the Sithremains the franchise’s sixth-biggest movie and still has $150 million to catch up to the nearest competitor,Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace. Industry-wise, however, the movie points towards something bigger: a continued trend of massive re-releases. Could this phenomenon become the norm in the near future? Disney sure has a deep vault of classics that are reissue-worthy if the company ever deems them so.
