‘The Phantom Menace’ Re-Release Forces Its Way Past Domestic Box Office Milestone

Even as they largely turn their backs on new releases, the millennials have been kept entertained by several turn-of-the-century titles, such as The Mummy, Shrek 2, and most recently, Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. Each of these movies was re-released in theaters on the occasion of their 25th or 20th anniversaries, and there was one clear winner. The Phantom Menace not only delivered one of the top re-release debuts of the decade, it has now made more at the domestic box office than a decent-sized indie film. Originally released in 1999, the movie served as the first installment of director George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, but was met with negative reception.

But even a poorly regarded Star Wars film is still a Star Wars film. The Phantom Menace re-release has generated over $10 million in domestic ticket sales in the six days that it has been playing in theaters, having debuted at number two. The film’s running domestic box office haul now stands at $484 million. Including the $552 million that it has generated from overseas markets, the film’s cumulative global haul stands at $1.03 billion, making it only the fifth Star Wars movie to have crossed the monumental $1 billion box office milestone. The Phantom Menace has been re-released a couple of times since 1999, most lucratively in 2012, when it grossed a little over $100 million globally.

It currently ranks as the fifth-biggest Star Wars film in history, behind Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens ($2 billion worldwide), Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi ($1.3 billion), Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker ($1.07 billion), and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ($1.05 billion). Factoring in overseas appeal, there’s a chance that The Phantom Menace will overtake Rogue One by the time this re-release window is over. It remains the most successful installment of the prequel trilogy, ahead of Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ($848 million) and Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones ($656 million).

The Live-Action ‘Star Wars’ Films Have Grossed over $10 Billion Worldwide

The Phantom Menace is arguably one of the most culturally impactful blockbusters ever made, even if it is for the wrong reasons. Widely considered to be a massive step down from the original trilogy, the film drew criticism from fans of the first three movies, but successfully introduced a whole new generation to the franchise. More time has passed since 1999 till now than had passed between 1983’s Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, which should indicate just how dearly some audiences still hold the divisive movie. Despite that, it remains one of the least-liked live-action Star Wars films of all time according to the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes — it has a 52% approval rating — edging out The Rise of Skywalker by one percentage point.

The Phantom Menace told the origin story of the villainous Darth Vader, when he was just a boy called Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd). It also starred Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Liam Neeson as the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala. Anakin was played by Hayden Christensen in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. He and McGregor reprized their respective roles in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, which further renewed interest in the sequel trilogy. You can watch The Phantom Menace in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

Two Jedi escape a hostile blockade to find allies and come across a young boy who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to claim their original glory.

Release Date

May 19, 1999

Director

George Lucas