Box Office: Revenge of the Sith re-release outgrosses Multiverse of Madness and Wonder Woman in U.S. on final day

Two full decades after its original theatrical outing, Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith reclaimed the spotlight this past week with its explosive 20th anniversary re-release. Thanks to a thunderous final-day performance, the 2005 space opera closed its reissue run by grossing an estimated USD 3.5 million on Wednesday, the biggest Wednesday ever for a re-release at the US box office.

With this last-day surge, the film’s comeback total climbed to USD 34.1 million, pushing its lifetime US gross to a staggering USD 414.4 million. This new figure officially propelled Revenge of the Sith ahead of both Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (411.3M) and DC’s Wonder Woman (412.8M), making it the 41st highest-grossing film of all time at the US box office.

The re-release performed remarkably well, particularly for a legacy title, with Tuesday-to-Wednesday growth of 27.5 percent, an uncommon feat for older films. The surge was driven by both nostalgic fans eager to relive one of the saga’s most emotionally charged chapters on the big screen and new viewers discovering it for the first time.

Unfortunately, Disney has opted not to extend Revenge of the Sith’s US theatrical window to coincide with the May the 4th weekend, a decision likely influenced by the studio’s plans to avoid internal competition with its new Marvel release Thunderbolts. While understandable from a strategic standpoint, the move likely cost the re-release additional revenue, as demand was expected to remain high through the fan-made Star Wars holiday.

Revenge of the Sith, for those unversed, serves as the third and final installment of George Lucas’ prequel trilogy. It chronicles Anakin Skywalker’s fall from Jedi Knight to Sith Lord, setting the stage for the events of the epic original trilogy. The film was praised for its darker tone, emotional storytelling, and pivotal narrative, and it was a massive success with a global box office of USD 850 million during its initial run.

The Phantom Menace, part one of the prequel trilogy, also received the re-release treatment last year to mark its 25th anniversary. That reissue performed well, too.

The success of anniversary re-releases demonstrates the staying power of Lucas’ galaxy far, far away. The feature starred Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, and more.

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