when was the first star wars film released
1977 May 25, 1977
title: Star Wars text: Star Wars Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise, created by George Lucas and centered around a film series that began with the eponymous 1977 movie. The saga quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The first film was followed by two successful sequels, "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983); these three films constitute the original "Star Wars" trilogy. A prequel trilogy was released between 1999 and 2005, albeit to mixed reactions from critics and fans. Finally, a sequel trilogy to conclude the nine-episode saga began in 2015 with "". The first eight title: Star Wars (film) text: Star Wars (film) Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first film in the original "Star Wars" trilogy and the beginning of the "Star Wars" franchise. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew, the film focuses on the Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia (Fisher), and its attempt to destroy the Galactic Empire's space station, the Death Star. "Star Wars" was released title: Star Wars Trilogy text: Star Wars Trilogy The "Star Wars" Trilogy, often colloquially referred to as the original trilogy, is the first set of three films produced in the "Star Wars" franchise, an American space opera created by George Lucas. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by 20th Century Fox, and consisted of the original "Star Wars" film (1977), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983). The original trilogy would be followed by a prequel trilogy between 1999 and 2005, and a sequel trilogy between 2015 and 2019. Collectively, they have been referred to as the "Skywalker saga" title: Star Wars (film) text: adapted by E. Jack Kaplan and Cheryl Gard. An audio CD boxed set of the "Star Wars" radio series was released in 1993, containing the original 1981 radio drama along with the radio adaptations of the sequels, "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi". Footnotes Citations Star Wars (film) Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first film in the original "Star Wars" trilogy and the beginning of the "Star Wars" franchise. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison title: Star Wars (film) text: response, the studio demanded that theaters order "Star Wars" if they wanted the eagerly anticipated "The Other Side of Midnight" based on the novel by the same name. "Star Wars" debuted on Wednesday, May 25, 1977, in fewer than 32 theaters, and eight more on Thursday and Friday. Kurtz said in 2002, "That would be laughable today." It immediately broke box office records, effectively becoming one of the first blockbuster films, and Fox accelerated plans to broaden its release. Lucas himself was not able to predict how successful "Star Wars" would be. After visiting the set of the Steven Spielberg