Released in 1977, "A New Hope" was the first film in the Star Wars franchise and had a production cost of 11 million U.S. dollars, achieving worldwide box office revenues of around 775 million U.S. dollars. One of the newest additions the franchise, "Solo: A Star Wars Story", ranks among the most expensive films of all time, with production costs in the hundreds of millions.

The Star Wars franchise Star Wars is one of the most successful film franchises in the world. The series has produced some of science fiction's most recognizable characters, songs and quotes, not to mention some of the highest grossing films ever made. Over the years the franchise has grown to include a wide range of movies, TV shows, video games, toys and books. Fans of the franchise rank "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" as their favorite film.

Continuing impact of Star Wars Over forty years after the release of the first film, the series remains an important aspect of pop culture. The film series' newest additions rank among the most talked about movies on social media, and a huge portion of U.S. adults have seen the franchise’s 2015 reboot, "The Force Awakens".

Star Wars: The Force Awakens ranked as the most seen of the Star Wars movies in France, recording an attendance of 10.5 million viewers in 2018. The Phantom Menace, also the first installment of a brand-new trilogy, attracted almost eight million viewers since its release in 1999 (3D rerelease included). As of September 2019, The Force Awakens is considered the most successful movie of all time with over 936 million dollars in box office revenue in North America.

An intergalactic success Since A New Hope’s release in 1977, Star Wars has quickly won over the hearts of every viewer, young and old alike. Thanks to its success, both unexpected and unparalleled, the franchise became a phenomenon like no other all around the world. With a total worldwide box office revenue of 9.31 billion U.S. dollars, Star Wars is now the second-highest grossing movie franchise of all time, surpassed only by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is also owned by the Walt Disney Company.

Disney strikes back On October 30, 2012, Disney announced the purchase of Lucasfilm for approximately four billion dollars, launching a new wave of movies, TV shows, comic books and merchandising in the process. Solo: A Star Wars Story was the fifth highest-grossing Disney movie of 2018 in North America and generated nearly 213 million dollars.