‘The Empire Strikes Back’ Is Back At The Top Of The Box Office Again
The force of the pandemic box office is withStar Wars:The Empire Strikes Back, which found itself at the top of the box office charts again, 23 years after the release of theStar Warsspecial editions also took the number one spot. It’s a fitting achievement for the 40th anniversary re-release of the acclaimedStar Warssequel, even if it’s just the latest reissue of a beloved feature film to lead the box office charts amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
For the first time since the February 1997 reissue,The Empire Strikes Backis at the top of the box office charts again, according to Deadline. The 1980 sci-fi classic is expected to take in between $400,ooo to $500,000 total once the weekend totals are fully counted. That brings the lifetime gross of the Irvin Kershner-directed movie to $290.4 million.
It sounds like peanuts compared to the overall gross ofThe Empire Strikes Backbox office, but it’s quite an achievement amid uncertain times when the majority of theaters across the nation remain shuttered. Drive-in theaters continue to bring the most business, despite representing only a third of the roughly 1,000 theaters still open in the U.S. Deadline reports that “there’s a lot of financial upside for exhibition on catalog titles,” with studios typically charging theaters a flat fee of just $250 for a title.
The Empire Strikes Backfollows in the footsteps of other successful reissues of beloved classics likeGhostbusters, which took thenumber one spot at the box office last weekend, andJurassic ParkandJaws,which ruled the June 19-21 weekend. All of them took in roughly half a million dollars over a weekend in less than 500 locations.
But Disney is doing wellsince joining the re-release gamein early July, with re-releases of family-friendly hits likeZootopiaand superhero blockbusters likeThe Avengersconsistently taking the top spots. It ruled this past weekend too, withEmpire Strikes Backat number one, Marvel’sBlack Pantherat number two with an estimated $110,000 at 336 locations, and Pixar’sInside Outwith $106,000 at 316 locations.
But it’s no surprise thatEmpire Strikes Backwould win the top spot, as it has climbed to the top even during non-pandemic times. According to Box Office Mojo, the sci-fi sequel held the top spot for eight weeks following its August 06, 2025 release, and would take the lead with a 1982 re-release and a revived 1997 edition. A4K re-release ofEmpire Strikes Backwas meant to help revive U.K. theaters, but Disney walked that plan back, instead releasing the regular edition of the beloved sci-fi classic.
