Like no other, the multi-media Star Wars franchise has endured a long-lasting legacy among its devotees.
Since the release of the eponymous 1977 film, viewers have been taken along a mind-blowing, expansive narrative journey that began in a galaxy far, far away. With movies, video games, comic books, animated shows, television streaming series, lucrative merchandising, and even theme park attractions—the success of the George Lucas-initiated pop culture phenomena is almost unmatched by other film-evolved media franchises.
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A multi-media series that has altered and influenced our cultural environment would have some noteworthy accomplishments attached to it. With that in mind, we will delve deeper into the impressive and enduring legacy of the franchise as a whole, its commercial worth, the worldwide box-office collections of its film releases, and the unbelievable and unbeatable world records held by the franchise.
What Are The Highest-Grossing Star Wars Movies?
The acclaimed film series began in 1977’s Episode IV – A New Hope, followed by two other installments, forming the original trilogy. The prequel and sequel trilogies were the projects that came after these. The latest entry, released in 2019, was Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. There are also two additional stand-alone live-action films: Rogue One (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).
The movies in question have achieved extraordinary box office results. The list of their worldwide collections, arranged from highest to lowest, is as follows (via The Numbers):
- Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) — $2.064 billion
- Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) — $1.331 billion
- Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) — $1.072 billion
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) — $1.055 billion
- Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) — $1.027 billion
- Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) — $848 million
- Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) — $775 million
- Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) — $656 million
- Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) — $549 million
- Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) — $482 million
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) — $393 million
Besides the live-action premises, Dave Filoni-helmed 3D computer-animated space opera film The Clone Wars (2008) amassed $68 million at the box office. In summary, among the eleven live-action Star Wars releases, 2015’s The Force Awakens is the highest-grossing installment in the franchise.
The total gross stands at a whopping $10.325 billion!
How Much Is The Star Wars Franchise Worth?
According to Title Max, as a media franchise, Star Wars’ worldwide worth (by total revenue in U.S. dollars) is around $65.631 billion. Besides reflecting the box office accumulation from the live-action films, these figures include merchandise sales (making up the bulk of the franchise’s profits), home entertainment, video games, book sales, and TV revenue.
The film-evolved multi-media franchise takes the number five spot amongst industry giants like Pokémon, Hello Kitty, Winnie the Pooh, and Mickey Mouse & Friends.
Per Indie Wire, Star Wars retains its 2012 Guinness World Record title as history’s most successful film merchandising franchise. It amassed an unfathomable $32 billion from lucrative merchandise. The franchise’s ability to generate revenue outside of its films and television shows has been demonstrated by its ability to sell lightsabers, t-shirts, 3D models, watches, and other items.
Similarly, if we were to look into video game sales, Games Industry.biz reports that Star Wars is the sixth highest-grossing video game franchise in UK history. In 2021, there were additional reports that the IP’s EA games had brought in $3 billion in sales and sold 52 million copies (via GameSpot).
A 2016 Forbes report alleges that, after adjusting for inflation, $7.7 billion has been produced if we consider Star Wars‘ VHS, DVD, and rentals stream. Data shown in the same report also claims that the franchise’s book sales amounted to more than $1.8 billion.
Insane World Records Held By Star Wars Franchise
As per Guinness World Records, the Star Wars franchise holds numerous astounding records. Before Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home, 2015’s The Force Awakens boasted the record of being the fastest movie to earn $100 million at the domestic box office. Within 24 hours of its December 18, 2015 release, the J. J. Abrams-helmed endeavor amassed a $119,119,282 gross.
Similarly, before the three gigantic MCU releases (Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Infinity War), The Force Awakens was the fastest movie to accumulate a $200 million domestic gross at the box office (via The Numbers). It did so in a matter of three days!
The same source reports that Star Wars has spawned the most burgeoning book series based on a film franchise. Lucas Licensing has recorded a sale of over 100 million Star Wars-related publications, including 80 New York Times best-sellers. The figure includes the sale of over 850 novelizations, reference and children’s books, original novels, and role-playing supplements.
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Another impressive achievement held by George Lucas shows that he’s the wealthiest film celebrity in the world. His net worth is estimated to be between $7.5–9.4 billion.
He turned down a director’s salary for his efforts in the 1977 movie in return for the rights to merchandise and sequels. Then, the renowned figure reportedly garnered $500 million from only Star Wars merchandise sales between 1977 and 1980. The film franchise has undoubtedly contributed to his striking net worth.
These spectacular triumphs highlight the multimedia franchise’s enduring legacy that has evolved over several decades. It appears that the franchise isn’t intending to slow down anytime soon.
With other series and projects on the horizon, it remains to be seen how long the series can maintain its stature as the most renowned pop culture phenomenon.
