Which Star Wars movie was the biggest box office hit? Here’s how much each film made
While nowhere near the galaxy’s star count, the live-action “Star Wars” films have raked in astronomical fortunes.
If you’re ever feeling down, just remember you aren’t any of the studios that passed on Star Wars.
Ever since George Lucas first introduced audiences to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) back in the 1977 space epic — a production that Lucas remembers as “really hard” to make — the Star Wars universe has become one of the most lucrative franchises in entertainment history.
Putting aside all of the TV spinoffs, theme parks, video games, toys, and beyond, the live-action Star Wars films are the real Jedi Masters of earnings — grossing more than $10 billion worldwide globally at the box office (unadjusted for inflation) across four decades and counting.
Here, using numbers from Box Office Mojo, we break down the domestic box office data for the live-action Star Wars movies. (We excluded rereleases and special editions.)
Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977)
Scoring six Oscars — including Best Art Direction, Best Editing, and Best Visual Effects — and a Special Achievement Award at the 1978 ceremony, the first chapter of George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy shipped audiences to a galaxy far, far away, where the cruel Darth Vader (portrayed by Dave Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones) and his Imperial Forces have ensnared planet Alderaan’s Princess Leia to get information about the Rebel Alliance. Partnering up with robot duo R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), aspiring Jedi Luke Skywalker and Millennium Falcon captain Han Solo set forth to rescue the princess, but end up in the thick of the Galactic Civil War.
Release date: Wednesday, May 25, 1977
Opening weekend: $1.6 million
Opening weekend theater count: 43
Domestic total: $307.3 million
Domestic total, adjusted for inflation: $1.6 billion
Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Rather than surrendering to the usual sequel slump, The Empire Strikes Back builds upon the sturdy framework of its forerunner and ventures into more personal, complex storytelling while scaling down its galactic scope. (And who needs back-to-back special effects when you can get iconic one-liners that even non-watchers recognize?) In the seminal follow-up that earned two Academy Awards, Luke Skywalker prepares for an unavoidable duel with Darth Vader by undergoing intense Jedi training by the centuries-old Master Yoda (voiced and puppeteered by Frank Oz). Meanwhile, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and their droid sidekicks find themselves continuously at odds with the ruthless Imperial Army both in space and at Cloud City.
Release date: Wednesday, May 21, 1980
Opening weekend: $4.9 million
Opening weekend theater count: 126
Domestic total: $209.4 million
Domestic total, adjusted for inflation: $793.7 million
Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983)
The final chapter in the original Star Wars trilogy, unfortunately, falls short of the prior films — leaning heavily on cheap commercial fodder — and yet, it sets forth a visual marvel from start to finish, a fact corroborated by its Oscar win for Special Achievement (Visual Effects). Directed by Richard Marquand, Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi sees Luke embarking on a rescue mission to free his Rebel Alliance pals from Jabba the Hutt’s captivity as the Emperor builds a new Death Star in hopes of annihilating the Rebellion. Plus, Ewoks!
Release date: Wednesday, May 25, 1983
Opening weekend: $23 million
Opening weekend theater count: 1,002
Domestic total: $252.6 million
Domestic total, adjusted for inflation: $792.1 million
Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace saw George Lucas return to the director’s chair for the first time since A New Hope. Premiering 16 years after Return of the Jedi with triple the budget, the first prequel to the original trilogy transports viewers back three decades within the Galactic Republic era. The story follows Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), who strive to protect Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo (Natalie Portman) in the thick of an interplanetary trade conflict. Among them is Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) — an enslaved 8-year-old with extraordinary Force abilities — as they take on the Sith.
Release date: Wednesday, May 19, 1999
Opening weekend: $64.8 million
Opening weekend theater count: 2,970
Domestic total: $431.1 million
Domestic total, adjusted for inflation: $808.2 million
Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones (2002)
Despite facing harsh criticism among fans and critics (and winning two Razzies), Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones presents a cluster of bold ideas and then-avant-garde VFX. (As stated by an EW writer, “If given a choice between a tepid sequel and an ambitious prequel that swings and falls flat, I’ll take the ambition every time.”) Taking place 10 years after The Phantom Menace, the film delves into Anakin’s (Hayden Christensen) clandestine affair with Padmé. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers a secret clone army commissioned for the Republic and the mysteries behind the Separatist Alliance.
Release date: Thursday, May 16, 2002
Opening weekend: $80 million
Opening weekend theater count: 3,161
Domestic total: $302.2 million
Domestic total, adjusted for inflation: $524.6 million
Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005)
The crown jewel of the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith culminates in a riveting finale, with Anakin’s descent into the dark side of the Force. Three years into the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan and Anakin are summoned to remove Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) from the custody of General Grievous (Matthew Wood) — but things take a diabolical turn when the Chancellor entices Anakin into becoming his new apprentice, Darth Vader, by promising him powers that would prevent any harm to his pregnant wife.
Release date: Thursday, May 19, 2005
Opening weekend: $108.4 million
Opening weekend theater count: 3,661
Domestic total: $380.3 million
Domestic total, adjusted for inflation: $608.1 million
Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015)
Premiering in December 2015 and breaking the May release tradition, J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens signaled a new era for the Skywalker saga and became one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, this five-time Oscar-nominated sequel presents a new protagonist named Rey (Daisy Ridley), a desert scavenger from planet Jakku who saves a BB-8 droid bearing vital information about the missing Luke Skywalker. Joining forces with ex-stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega), Han Solo, and Chewbacca, Rey races against time to deliver the droid to Princess Leia before the menacing Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order can intervene.
Release date: Friday, Dec. 18, 2015
Opening weekend: $248 million
Opening weekend theater count: 4,134
Domestic total: $936.7 million
Domestic total, adjusted for inflation: $1.2 billion
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Initially a shock to fans, the absence of an opening crawl in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — which became a pattern for subsequent Star Wars projects (though in 2023, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy confirmed to EW that “the crawl’s coming back”) — stems from its direct connection to the original one from A New Hope. In the first Star Wars anthology film, former scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) is forcibly recruited by Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) to serve as the Empire’s chief engineer for the planet-destroying Death Star. However, Galen’s daughter Jyn (Felicity Jones) allies with spy Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and other Rebel Alliance fighters to swipe the plans for the superweapon and secure the Rebellion’s first major victory against the Empire.
Release date: Friday, Dec. 16, 2016
Opening weekend: $155.1 million
Opening weekend theater count: 4,157
Domestic total: $532.2 million
Domestic total, adjusted for inflation: $692.5 million
Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017)
Described by EW’s critic as “a triumph with flaws,” Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi is one of the franchise’s best and most divisive installments. The film — which achieved the second-highest opening of all time (behind The Force Awakens) and garnered four Oscar nominations — tracks Rey’s journey as she hones her newfound powers under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker as the Resistance readies itself for a battle against the First Order. Notably, The Last Jedi features Carrie Fisher’s final onscreen performance as Princess Leia and honors the actress’ legacy after she died in 2016.
Release date: Friday, Dec. 15, 2017
Opening weekend: $220 million
Opening weekend theater count: 4,232
Domestic total: $620.1 million
Domestic total, adjusted for inflation: $790.2 million
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Directed by Ron Howard, this second Star Wars anthology movie tells the origin story of the iconic duo Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), who become embroiled in a high-stakes heist within the criminal underworld 10 years prior to the events of A New Hope. While deemed a box-office disappointment for the franchise, Solo: A Star Wars Story still excels with its Oscar-nominated visuals and the laudable performances from its star-packed ensemble.
Release date: Friday, May 25, 2018
Opening weekend: $84.4 million
Opening weekend theater count: 4,381
Domestic total: $213.7 million
Domestic total, adjusted for inflation: $265.9 million
Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
In J.J. Abrams’ second Star Wars directorial venture, Rey undergoes the final stages of her Jedi training amidst the First Order’s tightening grip on the galaxy. Nevertheless, the shocking resurrection of the evil Emperor Palpatine throws Rey into a revelation about her lineage and a climactic secret that could shape her fate. Despite EW’s critic labeling it a “zombie” of a finale, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker soared at the box office — becoming 2019’s third highest-grossing film, even with being a December release.
Release date: Friday, Dec. 20, 2019
Opening weekend: $177.4 million
Opening weekend theater count: 4,406
Domestic total: $515.2 million
Domestic total, adjusted for inflation: $631.9 million
