This year marks the 25th anniversary of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, and to celebrate, it made a grand return to cinemas. The Star Wars Day celebration proved to be a big success, as The Phantom Menace earned $8.1 million at the US box office (via Deadline), making it the second-highest-grossing re-release of the past decade.
It’s also estimated that the film took in $300,000 from marathon screenings, and a four-minute preview of the upcoming Star Wars series, The Acolyte, also helped drive audiences back into cinemas to relive the summer of ’99.
Combined with global ticket sales, The Phantom Menace earned $14.5 million this past weekend. For comparison, the 40th anniversary re-release of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi saw it open with a $5.1 million weekend in the US, last year. The last couple of years have seen a newfound appreciation for the prequel trilogy, with fans looking back on it more fondly.
“I got to be a Jedi, got to play with those wonderful lightsabers and stuff…I liked the movie. I’m proud of it. I’m proud to have been a part of it,” Qui-Gonn Jinn actor Liam Neeson said last year, in defense of the film. Actor Ahmed Best–who played Jar Jar Binks–is also proud of his Star Wars legacy, even though he battled with depression for years after the film was released and his character was widely mocked. Best would return to Star Wars in in The Mandalorian Season 3 as Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, a role he’d originally played in Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge.
In the future, fans of the franchise can expect a lot more Star Wars content on the horizon. In addition to The Acolyte on Disney+, Daisy Ridley will return as Rey Skywalker in a new film, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is slated to debut in 2024, Andor Season 2 is in production, and Star Wars Outlaws arrives on PC and console on August 30.
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