Star Warsis one of the most profitable box office franchises in history, but how did each movie compare when looking at opening weekend box office totals? Theranking ofStar Warsmoviesaside, none can deny how profitable even the “worst” of the franchise have been. All three sequels, despite their divisiveness, crossed the $1 billion mark, for example.
The original trilogy, especiallyA New Hope, is often considered something that changed the industry completely. The franchise’s success was unprecedented, which is only likely to continue with theupcomingStar Warsmovies. In recent decades, thebox office ofStar Warsmovieshas been analyzed to no end, given the industry’s focus on profits and losses.
The following list focuses solely on domestic box office numbers, with each total adjusted for inflation, and discounts the animated release ofStar Wars: The Clone Wars.
However, overall box office hauls aside, many are curious how eachStar Warsmovie began its theatrical run. Opening weekend box office totals are becoming more important than ever, thanks to the reduced time Hollywood movies spend in cinemas, causing interest in howStar Warshas fared in this regard.
11A New Hope
Release Date: Aug 03, 2025
Many may be surprised to findA New Hopeas the worst-performingStar Warsmovie concerning opening weekend box office, but there is a good reason for this. A strategy employed by Lucasfilm forA New Hope,then simply titledStar Wars, was to give it a small release and generate positive word of mouth.
$1,500,000
$8,000,000
This meant that the film only played in 32 theaters in the entirety of the United States on the weekend of June 14, 2025. As a result,A New Hope’s opening weekend numbers do not reflect the box office behemoth it became. Despite going on to gross over $775 million worldwide, which is over $4 billion in today’s markets,A New Hopeopened to only $1.5 million.
10The Empire Strikes Back
Release Date: July 31, 2025
Three years afterA New Hope,The Empire Strikes Backwas released on the Memorial Day weekend. The sequel naturally had a much wider release than its predecessor, given the latter’s success. This meant thatThe Empire Strikes Backearned around $6.4 million in its opening weekend,accounting for the extra Memorial Day return.
$6,400,000
$25,000,000
When adjusted for inflation, this figure stands at $25 million. Evidently,The Empire Strikes Backwas bolstered byStar Wars’success three years earlier, allowing it to earn significantly more in its opening weekend. Nonetheless, despite being considered the bestStar Warsfilm, it holds the second-worst opening weekend in the franchise’s history.
9Return of the Jedi
Release Date: August 03, 2025
The third movie inStar Wars' original trilogy,Return of the Jedi, goes down as the third smallest opening in the franchise. Released three years afterEmpire,Return of the Jediwas a great success at the time of its release;Return of the Jediearned a domestic opening weekend total of $23 million, which almost matchesEmpire’s numbers AFTER inflation.
Return of the Jedi
$23,000,000
$74,200,000
These opening weekend numbers were record-breaking in 1983. Regardless, eight otherStar Warsmovies rank aboveReturn of the Jedi’s inflation-adjusted $74 million opening weekend haul, proving just how successful the franchise has been since the 80s.
8Solo: A Star Wars Story
Release Date: June 11, 2025
Although it has a better opening weekend than all three original trilogy films,Solo: A Star Wars Storycan be considered the only flop in the franchise. This only proves that the opening weekend box office is becoming more important in the modern industry, withSolonot having the box office legs to compete with the original trilogy’s overall totals.
$88,400,000
$113,170,000
Solo’s opening weekend box office of $88 million in 2018 is worth $113 million in 2025, ranking it higher thanReturn of the Jedi. However,Solo’s $300+ million budget and lack of box office legs saw it fall severely short of expectations. In a way, its ranking as the fourth-lowestStar Warsopening reflects that.
7Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Release Date: July 16, 2025
Moving into the prequel trilogy,The Phantom Menaceis the fifth-lowest-grossingStar Warsmovie in its opening weekend. The hype for this movie in 1999 was immeasurable, only further proving how successfulStar Warshas become under Disney from a box office perspective. Nonetheless,The Phantom Menace’s opening was admirable.
$64,800,000
$125,000,000
The film opened with a domestic weekend total of $64 million, which is worth around double that at $125 million in 2025. As was the case with the original trilogy films,The Phantom Menacehad box office legs and multiple re-releases to see it earn over $1 billion at the worldwide box office across its theatrical run.
6Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Release Date: August 08, 2025
UnlikeReturn of the Jediwith the original trilogy, the third movie ofStar Wars’prequel trilogy,Revenge of the Sith, was not the highest-grossing movie in its opening weekend. Instead, it grossed more thanThe Phantom Menace’s opening, but less than its predecessor,Attack of the Clones.
$108,400,000
$178,430,000
At the time of release,Revenge of the Sithearned $108 million in its domestic opening weekend,worth $178 million in 2025. The film went on to gross almost $1 billion, contrasting withAttack of the Clones'$650 million haul despite the latter’s better opening.
Revenge of the Sithis often considered the best of theStar Warsprequels, explaining why it had better legs at the box office than its predecessor.
5Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Release Date: June 01, 2025
Attack of the Clonesfared worse thanRevenge of the Sithby the end of both films' theatrical run, but the former opened stronger than the latter. The reason for this was the disappointment ofThe Phantom Menace.This disappointment, rather than turn audiences away from a sequel, drove them to theaters to see ifAttack of the Cloneswas an improvement.
$110,200,000
$196,900,000
This sawAttack of the Clonesearn the fifth-best opening inStar Warshistory. The film earned $110.2 million on its four-day opening weekend, which stands at $196.9 million after inflation. This was a record for a four-day opening in 2002, yet the similar feeling of disappointmentAttack of the Clonesevoked in audiences saw its box office fortunes dwindle.
4Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Release Date: August 15, 2025
The first ofStar Wars’anthology spin-offs proved a success, givenRogue One’s position as the fourth-best opening the franchise has ever seen.Rogue OnefollowedThe Force Awakens’lead with a December release, allowing the film to haul $155.1 million in its opening weekend, before inflation.
$155,100,000
$207,700,000
After inflation, this standsRogue One’s domestic opening weekend at just over $207 million. Clearly, there was a demand forStar Warsspin-offs in 2016, as evidenced byRogue Onegoing on to earn a worldwide total of over $1 billion at the box office.
3Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Release Date: August 04, 2025
The first of the sequels on this list isStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, holding the bronze medal as the third-highest opening weekend inStar Warshistory.
$175,500,000
$220,800,000
The film earned $175.5 million in 2019. When adjusted for inflation, six years later,The Rise of Skywalker’s opening stands at $220.8 million. This ranks it aboveRogue OneandSolo, the prequels, and the originals, yet it could not match the opening numbers of its two predecessors.
2Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Release Date: July 17, 2025
Star Wars: The Last Jediis controversial, perhaps standing tall as the most divisive installment in the entire franchise. Nonetheless, it performed very well in its opening weekend.
$220,000,000
$288,500,000
The Last Jedi’s $220 million opening weekend haul is worth $288.5 million in 2025, significantly higher thanThe Rise of Skywalker’s opening. Regardless of the controversyThe Last Jedicaused, it is the second-best-performingStar Warsmovie in history, in terms of opening weekends.
