Opened on 25 May 1977 and given the subtitle 'A New Hope' only when re-released in 1981 (1977)
It won six Academy Awards, plus a special achievement award for Ben Burtt's sound effects
General knowledge · Film, TV & games
Star Wars
From 25 May 1977
Film — American space opera created by George Lucas
A space-opera franchise created by George Lucas, whose first film opened on 25 May 1977 for 20th Century Fox and was retitled Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981. Fox, expecting little, let Lucas keep the sequel and merchandising rights, which made him and his company extraordinarily rich and funded Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound. The original film won six Academy Awards plus a special award for sound effects, and John Williams's score is among the most recognisable ever written. Lucasfilm was sold to Disney in October 2012 for about $4.05 billion.
How to spot them
- ▸An opening crawl receding into space, after 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....'
- ▸The Force, lightsabers, the Jedi and the Sith; 'May the Force be with you'
- ▸A score by John Williams; sound design by Ben Burtt at Skywalker Sound
- ▸Numbered episodes released out of order, beginning with the fourth
Key facts
A twin-sunned desert planet, filmed in southern Tunisia around Matmata and Tozeur (1977)
Tatooine; the underground hotel Sidi Driss served as the Lars homestead
Alec Guinness negotiated two and a quarter per cent of the gross and was nominated for supporting actor (1977)
He came to loathe the role but the deal made him a fortune
A moon-sized battle station undone by a two-metre thermal exhaust port (1977)
The Death Star; the trench run climax was modelled on Second World War aerial combat footage
'No, I am your father' — the 1980 sequel directed by Irvin Kershner (1980)
The Empire Strikes Back, scripted by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan; the line is often misquoted as 'Luke, I am your father'
Anthony Daniels, the only actor to appear in all nine films of the main saga
As the protocol droid C-3PO
Lucasfilm sold to the Walt Disney Company for about $4.05 billion in October 2012 (2012)
Kathleen Kennedy took over as president; a sequel trilogy followed from 2015
A May 2026 feature, the first for seven years, which became the lowest-grossing live-action film of the series (2026)
The Mandalorian and Grogu, which took about $346 million worldwide
Quick-fire facts
- •The first film opened on 25 May 1977; it became Episode IV: A New Hope on its 1981 re-release
- •20th Century Fox let George Lucas keep sequel and merchandising rights in exchange for a lower directing fee
- •Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic in 1975 to make the effects, and Skywalker Sound followed
- •The 1977 film won six Oscars and a special achievement award for sound effects; Alec Guinness was its only acting nominee
- •The Empire Strikes Back (1980) was directed by Irvin Kershner, Return of the Jedi (1983) by Richard Marquand
- •Darth Vader was physically played by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones; Sebastian Shaw appears unmasked in 1983
- •Yoda was performed and voiced by Frank Oz
- •Anthony Daniels, as C-3PO, is the only actor in all nine episodes of the Skywalker saga
- •Disney bought Lucasfilm in October 2012 for roughly $4.05 billion
- •The Mandalorian and Grogu, released in May 2026, was the first theatrical film since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019
Drill it — 9 cards
1 / 9new card
Sources
- Variety — Mandalorian & Grogu box office Consulted for the 2026 film's performance; cited without URL
- J. W. Rinzler — The Making of Star Wars