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.
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