For the time being, Star Wars is on hiatus. The franchise is taking a break after the mixed reception to the sequel trilogy, which didn’t scale the lofty heights that Disney was expecting. But, nonetheless, it remains one of the most popular movie series’ of all time - smashing records at the box office and capturing the imaginations of many around the globe.
So it’s now time to look at some of the finances behind the saga. We’ll now take a look at the budgets and production costs of all 11 movies, ranking them as we go along.
A New Hope: $11m
Unsurprisingly, A New Hope comes bottom of the list. Few thought Star Wars was going to be a hit when it first hit screens back in 1977 but George Lucas’ blockbuster proved everybody wrong and topped the box office for that year, beating titles such as Smokey and the Bandit and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
The first movie of the entire series was made on a tiny budget of $11m and made over $220m in ticket sales that year. Unsurprisingly, Lucas had more money to spend on the sequel…
The Empire Strikes Back: $18m
Back in 1980, things were extremely different in the world. Your money went further and that explains why the budget for the first three movies in the saga is so low. The Empire Strikes Back, a movie regarded as the very best that Star Wars has to offer, was put together for just $18m.
If you were to adjust that for inflation, it would be worth $56,314,878.64 in 2020. That’s still low, however, and the blockbuster was extremely profitable - topping the worldwide box office ahead of The Blues Brothers and 9 to 5.
Return of the Jedi: $32.5m
Lucas was given even more money for the third and final installment of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi. It gave fans a fitting finale for characters such as Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo - and was also the outing where the Rebel Alliance finally defeated the vile Empire.
It was also extremely profitable, taking home an eyewatering $475,106,177. It also made plenty of money through toy sales, with children around the planet falling in love with Ewoks - and some of the adults too!
Revenge Of The Sith: $113m
Surprisingly, the next addition to this list is 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. With a variety of different settings and a huge amount of lightsaber action, the blockbuster cost a cool $113m to put together. And the payoff was a success, with the film regarded as the finest the prequel trilogy has to offer.
Like the other Star Wars movies on this list, it was also a roaring success at the box office. It came second for the year, behind only Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
The Phantom Menace: $115m
Fans of the Star Wars saga will tell you that 1999 was meant to be a glorious year. It was when Lucas released the first movie of his prequel trilogy, The Phantom Menace. With revolutionary special effects and a stellar cast, it had a production budget of $115m.
Ultimately, however, it was a bit of a disappointment. Many felt it was too different from the original trilogy movies and many turned on Lucas as a result. His decision to give new character Jar Jar Binks so much screen time is something that particularly rankled with hardcore fans of the saga.
Attack of the Clones: $120m
The most expensive movie of the prequels to make was Attack of the Clones, which ate into $120m. Like The Phantom Menace, it was heavily criticized, however. Lucas’ questionable writing and Hayden Christensen’s performance as Anakin Skywalker, in particular, infuriated a certain section of the fanbase.
It still had its moments, though. The fight scene on Geonosis is particularly enthralling, while Jango Fett and Count Dooku were both good character additions.
Rogue One: $200m
Many weren’t sure what to expect from Rogue One when it hit theatres back in December 2016. With it being a film about the Rebels stealing Death Star plans, some fans felt it was unnecessary. But Disney, to their credit, pumped the money into the project. $200m, to be precise.
The movie was a belter, too. It’s potentially the best Star Wars movie Disney has made yet, with the Darth Vader killing spree now an iconic scene. It made a massive $1billion at the box office, too, dispelling any doubts over whether it was needed or not.
The Last Jedi: $200m
Also made on a budget of $200m was 2017’s The Last Jedi. However, while it was easy on the eye, it’s definitely the most divisive movie on the entire list.
Fans just didn’t take to many of the decisions. From making Leia Organa like Mary Poppins to transforming everybody’s beloved Luke Skywalker into a miserable old hermit, it’s still the subject of controversy three years on. Whether Rian Johnson still gets his trilogy, as a result, is something only time will tell.
Solo A Star Wars Story: $275m
With Disney seeing Rogue One excel at the box office, and among critics, they decided to up the ante for the next spin-off movie, 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, in a big blow to the corporation, it wasn’t the success they hoped it would be.
It needed $500m just to break even but got nowhere near that, instead taking just $393.2m worldwide. It was a flop, in short, but Disney didn’t shed too many tears with both Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther making over $3b combined.
The Rise of Skywalker: $275m
In order to give the Skywalker saga a rich and successful send-off, Disney also gave The Rise of Skywalker a massive budget of $275m. The movie was a hit among many fans but some felt it was lacking, particularly given how every decision made within the blockbuster just seemed too safe.
It’s an enjoyable affair, though. We get to see Emperor Palatine back, Rey goes from strength to strength and Adam Driver delivers another stellar performance as Kylo Ren. It did well at the box office but would have made even more money had The Last Jedi not been so contentious.
The Force Awakens: $306m
The hype for Avatar was big when that released, and that was the same for Avengers: Endgame. But a movie that perhaps generated the same amount of hype was The Force Awakens, which signaled the return of Star Wars when it hit theatres in December 2015.
Everybody flocked to see original heroes Luke, Leia, and Han again - as well as new characters such as Rey, Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron, and Finn. It was a successful start to the trilogy but was also the moment it peaked.