Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Returning to Theaters for 25th Anniversary
The first installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy is heading back to the big screen in honor of the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is heading back to the big screen.
Per Empire, it has been announced that Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace will be released in theaters for a limited time, arriving on May 3, 2024, to kick off this year’s May the Fourth weekend. Along with the announcement was the unveiling of a special poster created for the film’s theatrical return, as designed by Matt Ferguson. It provides a peek at Padmé (Natalie Portman), Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) as Darth Maul (Ray Park) watches on. The poster can be viewed below.
The announcement comes as part of a 25th anniversary celebration for the Star Wars prequel trilogy for the next issue of Empire, set to hit newsstands on Feb. 15. The issue will do a deep dive into the films, starting with The Phantom Menace, featuring all-new interviews with cast members like Hayden Christensen, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Brian Blessed , and more. It will also take a look at the iconic prequel trilogy sequences with different crew members who helped bring them to life, including producer Rick McCallum, stunt co-ordinator Nick Gillard, and concept designer Iain McCaig.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was first released in theaters on May 19, 1999. Written and directed by George Lucas, the film is considered to be the first chapter of the Star Wars story, but it’s the fourth film overall, following the original trilogy. The prequels begin with The Phantom Menace, going back to when Anakin Skywalker, the future Darth Vader, was a young boy (Jake Lloyd) with big dreams of becoming a Jedi master. Meanwhile, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi seek to protect Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo amid a trade dispute along with the return of the Sith.
The Phantom Menace was a huge hit in theaters upon release, and the film will ultimately go on to earn more than $924 million worldwide. A subsequent 3D re-release in 2012 will bring in more than $102 million, bringing the total of the Star Wars film to more than $1 billion earned at the box office. Now, it has a chance to add more profits onto that pile with fans having the chance to soon catch the film on the big screen for its milestone anniversary.
