Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope is returning to theaters. The 1977 movie, which was originally released under the тιтle Star Wars, was written and directed by George Lucas and introduced some of the most iconic characters in the history of science fiction, including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, C3PO, and R2-D2.

It kickstarted a sprawling multimedia franchise that now includes nine Star Wars movies in the Skywalker Saga, two standalone live-action movies, and countless television series (both live-action and animated), tie-in novels, video games, action figures, comic books, theme park attractions, and more.

The official Star Wars website has now announced that Episode IV – A New Hope will be returning to theaters for a re-release on April 30th, 2027 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the franchise. This means that the movie will be in theaters on May 4 of that year, a date that is unofficially known as Star Wars Day.

The re-release of the original Star Wars movie will be just one facet of Lucasfilm’s 50th anniversary celebration, about which more will be revealed at a later date.

What This Means For Star Wars

The Franchise’s Longevity Knows No Bounds

This re-release is far from the first time that A New Hope has returned to theaters since its original debut. The most notable instance is the release of the Star Wars special editions, which came to theaters in 1997 as part of the franchise’s 20th anniversary celebration, leading into the 1999 release of the first prequel, The Phantom Menace.

However, all three installments in the original Star Wars trilogy have been re-released multiple times in the years both before and after the special editions first came to theaters, including re-releases of A New Hope in various regions in 1982, 2014, 2020, and 2022.

Our Take On The Re-Release Of A New Hope

Could It Help The Movie Achieve A Box Office Milestone?

At the time of writing, A New Hope has grossed $775.4 million worldwide, making it less than $25 million shy of becoming the seventh Star Wars movie to surpᴀss the huge $800 million milestone. However, it remains to be seen if the re-release has enough momentum to help it achieve that goal.

The only previous re-release of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope to have made that much was the 1997 release, which made $160.7 million. It’s unlikely that the 50th anniversary will draw in the same audience as the special edition, which featured added material. Nevertheless, it could be enough of a historical occasion to get it to $800 million.

Source: Star Wars