UPDATE: A week later, and pre-sales have been through the roof. On Thursday, ‘Revenge of the Sith’ earned $3.5M in previews, and that’s more than new releases “The Accountant” ($3M) and “Until Dawn” ($1M). The film is showing in 2750+ theaters.
Not only that, but it looks like ‘Revenge of the Sith’ might fight it out with ‘Minecraft’ for second place at the box office as it anticipates a $25M+ weekend. Nostalgia sells, especially when it’s non-Disney Star Wars.
EARLIER: There are many ‘Star Wars’ fans out there who are genuinely upset with how the last Disney-backed trilogy turned out, putting a dent in the entire franchise, that they would much rather rewatch George Lucas’ original prequels on repeat. It’s pure nostalgia.
The Star Wars prequels ("Phantom Menace," "Attack of the Clones," and "Revenge of the Sith") don't exactly have the greatest of reputations with movie fans. However, there is definitely a subculture that adores them, including celebrities like James Cameron and … Kanye West.
These fans, who abide by George Lucas’ prequels, will be coming out in droves, two weeks from now, as “Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith” will have a 20th anniversary re-release on April 25. Pre-sales are reported to be very strong for the re-release, which could very well double what ‘Phantom Menance’ made last year. A $15M+ weekend is now being eyed for ‘Revenge of the Sith.’
Last year, ‘Phantom Menace’ had its 25-year anniversary re-release, in 2700+ theaters, and ended up raking in $8.5M on opening weekend. It even beat out “Challengers” ($7M). ‘Phantom Menace’ also added strong numbers internationally — earning an additional $6M overseas.
This is all further proof that, however much the core Star Wars fanbase might have been turned off by Disney’s recent treatment of the franchise, they would all, 100%, support another George Lucas-directed trilogy. It would be this huge event; a homecoming, of sorts. Sadly, that’ll never happen. Lucas sold the rights to his creation to Disney, and he’s permanently done with the franchise.
Last year, Empire decided to bank on the nostalgic semi-reappraisal of Lucas’ panned prequels, via a starry cover story, to celebrate the 25th anniversary. Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker, was interviewed by the magazine, and admitted that, despite the “bumpy ride” he experienced back in the day, the newfound love and reappraisal for Lucas’ prequels was something that he’s very proud of.
It’s like vindication for the work that we did […] I think that those movies have held up well over time.
Mark Hamill stated that he found Lucas’ prequels more original than the Disney trilogy.
I haven’t seen ‘Revenge of the Sith’ in over 20 years, but are we actually saying that these films are now “beloved” by the general public? I don’t think the full stink has dwindled just yet. Some of it has, but not all. I’m tempted to revisit the trilogy soon, who knows, maybe they’ve aged well.