Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Star Wars franchise. However, most of the spoilers included are well-known and are at least two decades old, so really, you should know these spoilers by now anyway.
A long time ago (about twenty years), in a galaxy far, far away (or maybe not that far), Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith released in theaters to a very successful opening: The movie made $50 million on opening day in 2005, making it the biggest single day for a movie ever (at the time). Its worldwide gross ($800 million) eventually made it the second-highest-grossing movie of that year, just behind Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
And a short time ago, in a galaxy not very far away at all, Lucasfilm rereleased Revenge of the Sith to celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary, much to fans’ excitement. The film experiences the third-largest rerelease weekend, only behind Star Wars IV: A New Hope (1977) and The Lion King (1994), rereleased in 1997 and 2011, respectively. Last month, fans rewatched the movie again in theaters and gushed over social media about the experience, some including run-ins with stars of the film, Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) and Samuel L. Jackson (Mace Windu), and a pre-screening message from Christensen himself.
The third installment of the Star Wars prequel movies follows—spoiler alert—Anakin’s final descent to the Dark Side and his transition to becoming Sith Lord Darth Vader, the primary villain of the original trilogy. When director George Lucas showed us Darth Vader for the first time in 1977, no one knew where he came from. Only through the rest of the series did Lucas reveal that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father in the most iconic movie line of all time.
If you’re used to watching Revenge of the Sith on a smaller or older screen, seeing the difference on the big silver screen is extraordinary, screening in 4DX for the first time; you can see the benefits of that enhancement. The scenery, even in just the opening scene, is beautiful and maintains its presence, which can only be made so clear through this experience. Though the film’s flaws are seen in the increased size of the screenings as well, twenty-year-old CGI and green/blue screen mistakes are clear. Moreover, the plot is still the same plot that debuted to mixed reviews in 2005.
But the experience of going to see the movie again in theaters, with total darkness, absolute focus, and theater popcorn, overshadows the flaws and brings the nostalgic love back to the forefront for viewers rediscovering the film or seeing it in theaters for the first time.
Star Wars fans made their excitement about the week-long event incredibly clear, as seen through the topic trending on X; the excitement swelled just as John Williams’ score opens the film.
revenge of the sith cinematography was really ahead of its time, after 20 years it's still stunning pic.twitter.com/64Pr1k7c5j
— julia ❦ ROTS 20th anniversary! (@grishaxtano) April 26, 2025
However, while moviegoers are tired of live-action remakes and sequels, the success of this film’s rerelease weekend banked on the nostalgia of audiences for the original artistry. Filmmakers can’t remake the success of formerly successful movies. But, celebrating a movie’s rerelease indicates that rewatching the same old thing is almost as successful. However, the journey that sequels and remakes take in the public conscience—that people are tired because one movie after another tries to remake something that is already considered good—could indicate how filmmakers should proceed: too much of a good thing can get old — and fast. Remakes are not proving worth it—instead, theaters could focus on re-releasing cult classics that may garner the same success as Revenge of the Sith. And filmmakers should remember that something new should never be off the table.
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