'Revenge of the Sith' Falls Short of $1 Billion at Global Box Office After Concluding Blockbuster Re-Release

Disney delighted Star Wars fans last week by re-releasingStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithin theaters worldwide, but for a limited time only. The movie made way for fellow Disney releaseThunderbolts*this week, but not before it passed a massive global box office milestone. Audiences excited to watch it on the occasion of Star Wars Day on May the 4th would be disappointed, but they can celebrate the film’s most recent achievement:passing the $900 million mark worldwide. This makesRevenge of the Siththe sixth-biggest film in the franchise.

Thanks to this re-release, which was conducted in celebration of the film’s 20th anniversary,Revenge of the Sithwas able to pass the $900 million mark at the worldwide box office. It’ll have to wait a while before making an attempt to hit the coveted $1 billion milestone. It’s worth remembering thatStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacewas also able to hit $1 billion worldwide only because of its re-releases. It’s among the five Star Wars films to have passed the milestone; only one film —Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens— has made more than $2 billion worldwide.

Originally released in 2005,Revenge of the Sithconcludedthe controversial Star Wars prequel trilogy. Each film in the prequel trilogy was directed by franchise bossGeorge Lucas; incidentally,Revenge of the Sithremains the last movie he directed. Lucas eventuallysold the franchise to Disney, which oversaw three sequel films, a couple of spin-offs, and a string of streaming shows. Theprequel trilogy’s reputation remains complex. While the initial fan response was mostly negative, the three films have developed something of a cult following in the years since. Some might even say thatmillennials remember them with a certain fondness.

The ‘Revenge of the Sith’ Re-Release Crossed the Half-Century Mark

Revenge of the Sithremains the best-reviewed installment of the prequel trilogy, and currently holds a 79%Rotten Tomatoes score. The movie concluded Anakin Skywalker’s villain arc, and ended with him becoming Darth Vader. It featuredHayden Christensenas Anakin andEwan McGregoras his mentor-turned-foe Obi-Wan Kenobi. The two actors reprised their roles in the Disney+ seriesObi-Wan Kenobi, which did well enough for Disney to recognizeRevenge of the Sith’s enduring relevance. There-release alone generated over $50 million worldwide, a number that new films such asUntil DawnandWarfarehave been unable to pass.