‘Revenge of the Sith’ on Track To Be One of the Biggest Re-Releases of All Time After Record-Breaking Box Office Opening
While Ryan Coogler’s Sinners drew most of the attention this weekend for its stupendous box office performance, spare a thought for Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which is breaking its own records. The third installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy generated $11.3 million on its first day back in theaters, in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The movie is expected to gross anywhere between $25 million and $30 million this weekend, which would put it ahead of Ben Affleck‘s The Accountant 2 — a remarkable result that proves the cultural potency of the theatrical experience, if Sinners hadn’t already.
Anything above $30.2 million would put Revenge of the Sith atop the list of the modern era’s biggest re-release debuts, ahead of The Lion King. For context, The Lion King ended up grossing over $185 million globally in its 2011 re-release. Already, Revenge of the Sith has out-grossed the entire $10 million re-release haul that Avatar delivered in its first weekend back in theaters in 2022, on its way to a $76 million domestic total. The record for the biggest re-release haul of all time belongs to another James Cameron film, Titanic, which earned around $350 million worldwide in 2012, after generating $17 million in its first weekend domestically.
Revenge of the Sith has also already out-grossed the $8.7 million re-opening weekend haul of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which ended up generating just under $20 million worldwide last year. The Phantom Menace made $21 million in its first weekend back in theaters in 2012, while Star Wars: Episode IV – The Empire Strikes Back grossed $21.9 million in its first weekend of re-release in 1997. Revenge of the Sith is poised to break both these records. More recently, the Coraline re-release grossed over $50 million worldwide last year, while the Interstellar re-release generated nearly $55 million globally in celebration of its 10th anniversary.
Can this Re-Release Push ‘Revenge of the Sith’ Past the $1 Billion Mark Globally?
Directed by George Lucas, Revenge of the Sith concluded the prequel trilogy on a fiery note, but its legacy remains as complicated as ever. It earned the best reviews of the lot, and currently stands at a “certified fresh” 79% approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The movie will pass the $400 million mark in total domestic box office revenue this weekend, while its global haul has passed the $850 million mark. Does it have what it takes to push past the $1 billion milestone? Only time will tell. The Star Wars series relies mainly on streaming shows these days, but a handful of theatrical movies are in various stages of production as we speak. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
