Star Wars movies

Star Wars was released in theatres in the United States on May 25, 1977. It opened to MASSIVE critical acclaim, earned $461 million in the U.S. and $314 million overseas, totaling $775 million. It surpassed Jaws (1975) to become the highest-grossing film of all time until the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). When adjusted for inflation, Star Wars is the second-highest-grossing film in North America, and the third-highest-grossing film in the world. It received ten Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture), winning seven. It was among the first films to be selected as part of the U.S. Library of Congress's National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". At the time, it was the most recent film on the registry and the only one chosen from the 1970s. In 2005, the British Film Institute included it in their list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14. Its soundtrack was added to the U.S. National Recording Registry in 2004. Today, it is regarded as one of the most important films in the history of motion pictures. It launched an industry of tie-in products, including TV series spinoffs, novels, comic books, video games, amusement park attractions, and merchandise including toys, games, and clothing.

Following a difficult production, The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980. It received mixed reviews from critics initially but has since grown in esteem, becoming the most critically acclaimed chapter in the Star Wars saga; it is now widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. The film ranks #3 on Empire's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time. It became the highest-grossing film of 1980 and, to date, has earned more than $538 million worldwide from its original run and several re-releases. When adjusted for inflation, it is the second-highest-grossing sequel of all time and the 13th-highest-grossing film in North America. The film was followed by Return of the Jedi, which was released in 1983.

The film was released in theaters on May 25, 1983, six years to the day after the release of the first film, receiving mostly positive reviews. The film grossed between $475 million and $572 million worldwide. Several home video and theatrical releases and revisions to the film followed over the next 20 years.

The Phantom Menace was released to theaters on May 19, 1999, almost 16 years after the premiere of the previous Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi. The film's premiere was extensively covered by media and was greatly anticipated because of the large cultural following the Star Wars saga had cultivated. It received mixed reviews; critics praised the visuals, action sequences, John Williams' musical score and some of the performances, but criticized the screenplay, characterization, and Best and Lloyd's performances (as Jar Jar Binks and Anakin Skywalker respectively). It grossed more than $924.3 million worldwide during its initial theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1999, the second-highest-grossing film worldwide and in North America (behind Titanic), as well as the highest-grossing Star Wars film at the time. A 3D reissue, which has earned an additional $102.7 million at the box office and brought the film's overall worldwide takings to over $1 billion, was released in February 2012. The film was followed by two sequels, Attack of the Clones in 2002 and Revenge of the Sith in 2005.

The film was released in the United States on May 16, 2002. It received mixed reviews, with some critics hailing it as an improvement over its predecessor The Phantom Menace and others considering it the worst installment of the franchise.[6][7] The visual effects, costume design, musical score, action sequences and McGregor's performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi were all praised, however the romance of Padmé and Anakin, dialogue, screenplay and the film's long runtime were all criticized. The film was a financial success, making over $649 million worldwide; however, it also became the first Star Wars film to be outgrossed in its year of release, placing third domestically and fourth highest-grossing worldwide. The film was released on VHS and DVD on November 12, 2002 and was later released on Blu-ray on September 16, 2011. The third and final film of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, was released in 2005.

Lucas began writing the script before production of Attack of the Clones ended. Production of Revenge of the Sith started in September 2003, and filming took place in Australia with additional locations in Thailand, Switzerland, China, Italy and the United Kingdom. Revenge of the Sith premiered on May 15, 2005, at the Cannes Film Festival, then released worldwide on May 19, 2005. The film received generally favorable reviews from critics, especially in contrast to the mixed reviews of the previous two prequels: praise was directed towards its action sequences, mature themes, musical score, visual effects, and the performances of McGregor, McDiarmid, Oz, and Jimmy Smits; criticism was aimed at the film's screenplay, inconsistent tone, and Christensen's performance. It is the final film in the Star Wars franchise to be distributed by 20th Century Fox before The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012.

The film premiered on August 10, 2008 at the Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, while screening in wide-release on August 14, 2008 across Australia, and August 15 in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The Clone Wars served as an introduction to the television series of the same name, which debuted on October 3, 2008. Though critical reception was negative, the film was a box office success, and grossed $68.3 million worldwide against an $8.5 million budget. It is the only theatrical Star Wars film not to be distributed by neither 20th Century Fox nor Walt Disney Studios.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was widely anticipated, and Disney backed the film with extensive marketing campaigns. It premiered in Los Angeles on December 14, 2015 before its wide release in the United States on December 18. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise aimed at its ensemble cast, Abrams' direction, musical score, visual effects, and action sequences, although it received some criticism for being derivative of the original trilogy. The film broke various box office records and became, unadjusted for inflation, the highest-grossing installment in the franchise, the highest-grossing film in North America, the highest-grossing film of 2015, and the third-highest-grossing film of all time, with a worldwide gross of over $2 billion and a net profit of over $780 million. It received five Academy Award nominations and four British Academy Film Award nominations, where it won the award for Best Special Visual Effects. It was followed by The Last Jedi in December 2017, with a third film scheduled for release in 2019.

The film premiered in Los Angeles on December 10, 2016 and was released in the United States on December 16, 2016. Rogue One received positive reviews, with praise for its acting, action sequences, score, visuals, and darker tone, although it received criticism for its underdeveloped characters, and generated controversy for its use of CGI in the recreation of specific characters. The film has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making it the 26th highest-grossing film of all-time, the second highest-grossing film of 2016, and the third highest-grossing film in the Star Wars franchise. It received two Academy Awards nominations for Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects, losing to Hacksaw Ridge and The Jungle Book.

The Last Jedi had its world premiere in Los Angeles on December 9, 2017, and was released in the United States on December 15, 2017. It grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2017, the seventh-highest-ever grossing film in North America and the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time during its theatrical run. It is also the second-highest-grossing film of the Star Wars franchise, and turned a net profit of over $417 million. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its ensemble cast, visual effects, musical score, action sequences and emotional weight. The film received four nominations at the 90th Academy Awards, including Best Original Score and Best Visual Effects, as well two nominations at the 71st British Academy Film Awards. A sequel, provisionally titled Star Wars: Episode IX, is scheduled for release on December 20, 2019.

The film had its world premiere in Los Angeles on May 10, 2018, and also screened on May 15 at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, before its United States release on May 25, 2018 in RealD 3D, IMAX and IMAX 3D. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, with praise for the cast (particularly Ehrenreich and Glover), visuals and action sequences, although many noted that the film added "nothing new" to the Star Wars franchise.