For over four decades, Star Wars has defined blockbuster cinema. From lightsaber battles to generational heroes and galaxy-spanning wars, every trilogy in the franchise has left its mark. But beneath the spectacle lies a surprising financial trend that many fans have overlooked.
While it may be one of the most iconic film franchises in history, Star Wars’ box office trajectory hasn’t always followed the expected upward trend of its sequels. This decline has been consistent despite its high level of relevance and cultural marketing.
This goes against conventional blockbuster logic, where growing anticipation often leads to higher grosses with each new entry, as was the case with The Lord of the Rings and Batman. However, for Star Wars, this wasn’t the case, except for one trilogy. The prequels, often criticized upon release, ended up being the only set of films in the saga in which the final installment performed better than any that preceded it.
The Prequel Trilogy: The Only Arc That Retracted
Despite launching the franchise into legend in 1977, the original trilogy saw diminishing returns at the global box office, even though Empire is often considered the best film critically. The main reason behind this can be attributed to the unusual box office success of the original Star Wars. Return of the Jedi made $482 million at the box office, according to The Figures , a huge number for its time. However, it wasn’t enough to surpass the massive numbers set by A New Hope.
- Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) – $775M
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – $549M
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) – $482M
A similar pattern was observed with the sequel trilogy. Disney’s revival broke records with The Force Awakens but faced creative backlash and a divided fanbase, causing a steep 48% drop from Episode VII to Episode IX.
- Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) – $2.06B
- Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017) – $1.32B
- Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – $1.07B
However, the prequel trilogy remains the only one with at least one entry making more than the previous film in that trilogy. While Attack of the Clones stumbled at the box office and with critics, Revenge of the Sith reversed the trend, garnering stronger reviews and significantly higher earnings. This marked the only trilogy in which the final film performed better than its immediate predecessor. It makes sense that Return of the Sith did well at the box office, given its massive fanfare.
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) – $1.05B
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) – $656M
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) – $902M
Stay tuned to Koimoi for more box office updates!
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