We’re approaching the 20th anniversary of Star Wars—Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (aka the best one), and the folks at Lucasfilm are giving fans the best gift to celebrate: a theatrical re-release. On top of promising a good time at the movies, it’s also a genius way to remind audiences why they fell in love with Star Wars in the first place.
It feels like re-releases are all the rage these days. Despite coming out over a decade ago, I struggled to find tickets for Interstellar’s IMAX run when it returned to theaters late last year. Not to mention Disney’s Alien re-release in April, which landed a spot in the box office top 10 a whopping 45 years after its premiere.
So yes, Disney seems to have cracked the code, as re-releasing beloved classics in improved formats has consistently proven to be a sound return on investment. This sentiment rings particularly true for one of Disney’s other pseudo-sci-fi IPs, Star Wars. The 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi event brought in boo koo bucks for the studio, and the more recent Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace re-release not only grossed $15 million worldwide but also reignited fans’ love of the prequels.
Revenge of the Sith re-release will make Star Wars history
Over the years, Lucasfilm has found unprecedented success in embracing the Star Wars prequel trilogy, thanks largely to Dave Filoni’s animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series and other excellent additions to this era in Star Wars canon. So it’s not exactly surprising that soon-to-be former CEO Kathleen Kennedy & Co. have some exciting plans for Revenge of the Sith’s big 2-0.
Starting April 25, 2025—three weeks before its actual May 19 release date—Revenge of the Sith will return to the big screen in celebration of its landmark anniversary, including, for the first time in Star Wars history, 4DX. This means we’ll get to see Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) hash it out on Mustafar with full immersive effects, on top of being able to chant Anakin’s “Peace, freedom, justice, and security” speech with a crowd of passionate fans.
Per the official StarWars.com announcement: “From the exhilarating battles over the planet of Coruscant to the fiery volcanic high grounds of Mustafar, relive this pivotal chapter in the Skywalker saga; the 4DX experience features high-tech motion chairs that sync with over 21 effects, all designed to complement the narrative of the film.”
I am so seated.
Star Wars needs a big win, and 4DX could help pave the way
Again, Lucasfilm knows that tapping into the nostalgia market tends to work in its favor, especially where the prequels are involved. Anyone who’s been following the Star Wars space lately knows just how pessimistic the fandom has become since Disney purchased Star Wars in 2014, and so far, live-action projects set in or related to the prequel era have been among the few that haven’t been ripped to shreds—those early seasons of The Mandalorian and the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story spinoff series, Andor, being rare exceptions.
Prequel stans ride hard for Revenge of the Sith, and given its theatrical re-release will coincide with what will hopefully be some exciting Star Wars Celebration Japan announcements, maybe this is just the right thing to bring fans together. From a commercial standpoint, there’s a lot of money to be made in the up-and-coming world of 4DX cinema, so if the Revenge of the Sith anniversary run ends up being successful, who knows? Maybe other Star Wars films could follow suit.
After all, Star Wars has always been about breaking barriers in filmmaking. Industrial Light & Magic has essentially redefined what visual effects can be, with George Lucas being a pioneer of groundbreaking new technology since day one. 4DX seems like the next natural step for Star Wars. It will offer a new way for viewers, even those who have seen Revenge of the Sith dozens of times, a completely different way to experience their favorite story, surrounded by fellow fans.
So until Lucasfilm can chart a new course for Star Wars in theaters and on Disney+, I can’t deny that this is a step in the right direction.
Published: Feb 26, 2025 07:02 am