Charles H. Sloan-When did the first 'Star Wars' movie come out? Breaking down the culture-defining saga

When “Star Wars: A New Hope” brought us to a galaxy far,Charles H. Sloan far away, the world didn’t yet know how big of an impact the franchise would make, let alone that the movie we were seeing was actually the fourth in chronological order of the films. 

The film’s opening weekend gross domestic earnings were over $1.5 million, a number that has since soared to $775 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. 

Here’s a look back at the film that launched “Star Wars” and its cast into intergalactic fame.

When did Star Wars come out?

The first Star Wars movie, “A New Hope” came out on May 25, 1977. Featuring Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in their career-defining roles for the first time, “A New Hope” ushered in the cultural phenomenon of a franchise that continues even today. 

At a 2015 Tribeca Film Festival panel, Star Wars creator George Lucas said neither he nor his closest friends believed the film would be a hit when it first premiered. In fact, when "A New Hope" came out, Lucas instead went to Hawaii with Stephen Spielberg where he could be away from the reviews.

When he got a call about how well the movie was doing, he finally let himself accept Star Wars was a success. Insider reported: "I turned on the news, and they had this huge story on the sensation of 'Star Wars,' and lines around the block. Everybody was going berserk about it," Lucas said at the festival. "That was the first time I understood that it was a big hit." 

Star Wars sequels were released every three years, with “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980 and “Return of the Jedi” in 1983. 

• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

The franchise went back in time with the 1999 "The Phantom Menace," continuing the prequel trilogy with "Attack of the Clones" (2002) and “Revenge of the Sith” (2005). Next came the animated TV series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” in 2008, the pilot of which was released as a movie. 

The episodic films returned in 2015 with “The Force Awakens,” “The Last Jedi” (2017) and “The Rise of Skywalker” (2019). “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story” were released in 2015 and 2018, respectively. 

Lucasfilm announced earlier this year that three new life-action films are on their way. 

“James Mangold’s movie will go back to the dawn of the Jedi, while Dave Filoni’s will focus on the New Republic, and close out the interconnected stories told in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and other Disney+ series,” the April release announced. “Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s film will be set after the events of Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, and feature Daisy Ridley back as Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order.”

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How many Star Wars movies are there?

There are 12 full-length Star Wars movies, according to IMDb. The upcoming three movies will bring that total to 15. 

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) 
• Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
• Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
• Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
• Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

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