So far, at the time of writing, there have been 11 Star Wars movies released in theatres. The first came back in 1977, the year Jimmy Carter became president of the United States and when the first computer system EVER came out. And the latest came just back in December in the form of the divisive, albeit entertaining, The Rise of Skywalker.
But how have they fared at the box office over the years? We’ll now use Box Office Mojo to rank the blockbusters from least successful to most successful. But while that’s the case, it’s worth keeping inflation in mind…
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Given how popular a character Han Solo is within the Star Wars universe, Disney thought they’d chance their arm at a spin-off back in 2018. However, it was a box office flop with the blockbuster only making $392,924,807 worldwide - with a domestic opening of $84,420,489.
It’s entertaining enough, though, telling the story of how Han met Lando Calrissian, obtained the Millennium Falcon and became an enemy of the empire. Fans still want a sequel but, given how the first one did, the chances of that happening appear remote.
Return Of The Jedi
Before The Rise of Skywalker, fans thought Return of the Jedi was the true end of Star Wars. It is the movie where Luke Skywalker chooses the light side, Darth Vader reverts back to Anakin Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine is thrown down the Death Star chute - seemingly to his death.
Given it’s the conclusion of the original trilogy, we’re surprised it comes this low. It made $475,347,111 worldwide but, to be fair, that was at a time where tickets were considerably cheaper. The film also contained Ewoks, creatures many adults simply didn’t take to.
The Empire Strikes Back
With movie theatres set to reopen in many places around the planet, Disney have chosen to put The Empire Strikes Back back on the big screen. It is perhaps the most-popular instalment of the entire franchise, upping the stakes considerably following the entertaining outing that was A New Hope.
It made more than Return of the Jedi, pocketing $547,952,944 worldwide and $4,910,483 on it’s opening weekend. The revelation that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father made the entry fee worth it alone and, to this day, that still ranks as one of the biggest shocks in Hollywood history. Even most of the cast were left in the dark to avoid any secrets spilling out.
Attack Of The Clones
George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, even all these years on, divides Star Wars fans. And it appears Attack of the Clones suffered, making considerably less than The Phantom Menace with many split on it’s corny dialogue, reliance on special affects and questionable story choices.
Still, $653,779,970 worldwide is nothing to be sniffed at. And it’s somewhat of a guilty pleasure with the epic lightsaber battles and action sequences just about enough to make up for some of it’s more glaring flaws. The showdown between the Jedi and the Separatist army on Geonosis is certainly the highlight.
A New Hope
Back in 1977, this little-known movie named Star Wars released in theatres. And nobody, including creator George Lucas, had any idea that it would go on to become a phenomenon - one spanning many years and many different generations.
It’s been constantly re-released in theatres over the years and, to date, has made $775,512,064 worldwide. That’s particularly impressive when you consider the rate of inflation and the fact it made just $1,554,475 on it’s opening weekend. 1977 was the year Jimmy Carter became president but it’s Star Wars every pop culture fan associates that year with instead.
Revenge Of The Sith
Even all these years on there hasn’t been a Star Wars movie quite like Revenge of the Sith. It is, by some distance, the darkest instalment of the entire franchise - being the blockbuster where Anakin Skywalker turns his back on the Jedi, slaughters many innocent people and completes his transformation into Sith Lord and iconic villain Darth Vader.
Despite the two previous outings being criticised, many flocked to their local theatre to see Anakin’s fall play out on the big screen. It had a domestic opening of $108,435,841 and has made $868,390,560 across the globe in total.
The Phantom Menace
Hardcore fanatics of the original trilogy were sent into a dizzying spin when George Lucas announced he’d be doing a prequel trilogy, telling the story of Anakin Skywalker’s descent into darkness. The Phantom Menace was announced as the first entry and it’s first trailer captivated the minds of many across the world.
While the end result ultimately divided people, it was still a big hit regardless. It made $64,820,970 on it’s opening weekend and $1,027,082,707 worldwide, making it one of the most-successful in the entire series. It’s highlight is the Podracing scene on Tatooine, though the epic ‘Duel of the Fates’ fight between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul is worth checking out as well.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Many were sceptical when Disney announced Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. After all, did A New Hope really need a prequel? Well it turns out it did with the movie a big box office hit - particularly when you consider the fact it’s not a part of the actual Skywalker saga.
It has made a remarkable $1,056,057,273 at the box office to date. It ranks as one of the darker movies, too, with virtually all of the main cast dying at one point or another. That includes heroes Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor, who were successful in transmitting the plans for the Death Star to the Rebel Alliance - paving the way for Luke Skywalker to blow the space station up.
The Rise of Skywalker
Disney always had a big fight on their hands when it came to The Rise of Skywalker. With The Last Jedi splitting opinion among fans, they played their trump card in Emperor Palpatine. And that helped the movie be a success at the box office, even if Palpatine’s return from the dead wasn’t actually explained on screen.
The final chapter of the Skywalker saga has made $1,074,144,248 worldwide since coming out back in December. Palpatine is defeated by Rey at the end of the movie - with a little help from the redeemed Ben Solo. It did a good job at giving George Lucas’ creation a satisfying ending even if the death of Kylo Ren remains a sore spot.
The Last Jedi
The Force Awakens’ mysteries sparked great excitement for the release of The Last Jedi, which hit theatres in 2018. Everybody wanted to see what Luke Skywalker’s return to the fray would hold, while also being curious about characters such as Rey, Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke.
Rian Johnson purposely went out of his way to subvert expectations but the shock factor ended up rankling with many hardcore fans. Despite it’s divisive nature it made $1,332,539,889 worldwide and $220,009,584 domestically on it’s opening weekend - which is enough to earn it the silver medal.
The Force Awakens
We mentioned above how George Lucas got fans excited when he announced 1999’s The Phantom Menace. But that hype was nothing compared to before The Force Awakens. With Disney at the wheel, and heroes Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Leia Organa all coming back to continue their story, it was the big cinematic event of 2015.
And it’s no surprise that it takes the gold medal, making $2,068,223,624 in total. The other two movies of the sequel trilogy got nowhere near that and, regardless of how they played out, there’s no denying that 2015 was an exciting time for Star Wars. Whether fans will be as excited for Disney’s next trilogy is something only time will tell…