Phantom Menace’s 25th Anniversary Re-Release Box Office Races To Third Place On May 4th Weekend

Summary

• Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
  returns to the box office top 3 for the May 4th re-release.
• The prequel movie stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Jake Lloyd.
• The successful re-release comes 25 years after it was initially released.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is back in the box office top 3 for its May 4th re-release. The first of the prequel movies, Phantom Menace was initially released in 1999 and starred Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Jake Lloyd. It has earned over $1 billion at the box office across its various re-releases and was sent back to theaters in honor of the annual Star Wars holiday May the 4th.

While many members of The Phantom Menace‘s cast have moved on to other projects, Star Wars audiences have remained loyal. According to Deadline, The Phantom Menace has earned the third place slot at this week’s box office 25 years after it was released. It is expected to earn $7.2 million at the domestic weekend box office, and it was only defeated by The Fall Guy and Challengers. It finished ahead of Tarot, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and Civil War.

Why Has The Phantom Menace Remained So Popular?

Nostalgia And The Star Wars Brand Plays A Huge Role

A movie earning the third place spot at the box office 25 years after its release is not especially common, but the success of The Phantom Menace is hardly surprising. Part of its success is the fact that this has been a slow box office week, as the entire weekend total is expected to be a mere $73 million. It left the perfect opening for The Phantom Menace to retake its place in the top 3. Releasing on the May 4 weekend also contributes, given that it is generally considered to be a major Star Wars holiday.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
is available for streaming on Disney+.

The success of the Star Wars brand has been part of the reason behind its continued popularity. The last Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker, was released in 2019. The franchise has relied on TV shows to help it stay at the forefront of media. With no new theatrical content until 2026 to add to the Star Wars timeline, re-releases provide the only opportunity to watch Star Wars movies in theaters.

The largest reason for its success, however, is likely simple nostalgia. The children that watched The Phantom Menace when it first released are now old enough to revisit their childhood media through a nostalgic lens. The Phantom Menace memes have also developed a presence in online circles, which has also served to popularize the movie even more. Modern viewers grew up with the prequel movies, so returning them to theaters will inevitably draw some viewers. Regardless of the reasons, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace continues to thrive in theaters.

Source: Deadline