The force with director who strikes back with £55bn movie franchise
A long time ago in a galaxy not so far, far away, sci-fi fans were struck by Star Wars mania as the popular film franchise was shown in UK cinemas for the first time.
Having waited seven months longer than their American counterparts, eager cinema-goers queued from 7am to get their hands on the few non-reserved tickets that remained for the “space opera”, which was otherwise sold out until March.
Starring Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and then little-known actor Harrison Ford, the hype surrounding Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope – as it was named retrospectively – saw queues form around the block at London’s Dominion and Odeon Leicester Square cinemas. Those not lucky enough to secure a seat reportedly paid up to
£30 to ticket touts, more than 14 times the original face value of £2.20.
Despite a low production budget and the fears of writer-director George Lucas, who worried the blockbuster would be a flop, Star Wars initially grossed £294 million at the box office worldwide. Today, it is the world’s fourth-highest grossing film when adjusted for inflation, sitting behind Titanic (1997), Avatar (2009) and Gone With The Wind (1939).
A classic tale of good versus evil, the story follows young hero Luke Skywalker as he attempts to free Princess Leia from the clutches of the Imperial forces, led by Darth Vader. Joined by the smuggler pilot of the Millennium Falcon space freighter, Han Solo, droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, and Wookiee Chewbacca, the motley crew aim to restore freedom and justice to the galaxy.
With innovative special effects, magical creatures and thrilling space travel, Lucas said he wanted to create a story that would captivate audiences.
He explained: “The word for this movie is fun. My main reason for making it was to give young people an honest, wholesome fantasy life, the kind my generation had. We had Westerns, pirate movies, all kinds of great things. Now they have The Six Million Dollar Man and Kojak.
“Where are the romance, the adventure, and the fun that used to be in practically every movie made?”
After the first film’s initial success, Lucas’s fear of failure was further proven misguided. The next two movies in the series, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, turned the franchise into a worldwide phenomenon, and paved the way for a new type of blockbuster.
Three prequels followed to complete Lucas’s original screenplays (albeit more than 20 years after A New
Hope) and the Star Wars universe has now expanded to include five modern incarnations, starting with 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by JJ Abrams. A television series, The Mandalorian, was also released on streaming platform Disney+ in May this year, joining numerous animated cartoons.
Thanks to the popularity of everything from figures and video games to clothing and memorabilia, Star Wars holds the Guinness World Record for the most successful film merchandising franchise.
When it won the title in 2012, the franchise was worth an estimated £19.51 billion – in 2020 that figure rose to £55bn.
Lucas’s personal net worth is estimated to be a little over £5 billion.