The History Of The Star Wars Films

By:Gray Rollins

Star Wars was one of those magnificent films that was an instant phenomenon when it hit the box office and continues to be a hit today. Why not take a moment to follow the intriguing history of Star Wars.

After a successful run in the early 1970s with the box office hit American Graffiti; in 1975 George Lucas writes a basic story about Anakin Skywalker’s rise, fall, and redemption. The story is so long that it needs to be divided into 2 trilogies.

The first trilogy focuses on Anakin Skywalker’s young life while the second focuses on the life of Anakin’s son Luke Skywalker. Since the second trilogy is the most interesting, Lucas decides to film it first.

He offers the film to Universal Studios who had financed his American Graffiti film, but they chose to pass thinking it was a ridiculous movie. They would live to regret this decision which would cost millions of dollars in lost profits. But they wouldn’t be alone in those regrets as every Hollywood studio passed on the movie. That is except for 20th Century Fox who came up with $10 million for Lucas to make his first Star Wars movie a reality.

In May of 1977 Fox released Episode 4 of Star Wars, A New Hope. The tone was quickly set. The film was instantly seen as the biggest adventure ever on film. The special effects were considered magnificent and outstanding. In fact, nothing remotely close had ever made it to the big screen before.

On opening day, the Star Wars movie ran in only 32 theaters, but it still produced an amazing $254,309 in ticket sales. By the end of its first run it had become the most successful film ever in North American history grossing more than $290 million.

Lucas reportedly received $50 million of those profits. When Lucas cut his deal with Fox he was more interested in control of the film then he was in his percentage. He wanted all rights to the final cut and all rights to future sequels, Star Wars merchandise rights, and 40% of the gross. This deal ultimately made Lucas a billionaire.

By 1978 Lucas had purchased the more than 1800 acre Bulltail Ranch in San Rafael and soon production of the sequel to Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, was underway. Lucas was financing it out of his own pocket and it had a budget of $18 million; however due to budget overruns the actual filming cost more than $30 million. In May of 1980, The Empire Strike Back, hit the theaters grossing $222 million, making it the highest grossing film of the year.

In May of 1983, Return of the Jedi, hit the theaters grossing $265 million in North America and Lucas decides to retire from Star Wars projects to pursue some of his other interests. He made a vague promise to make the Prequel Trilogy someday if special effects ever become advanced enough.

That day arrived in 1994 when Lucas announces he will begin working on the Prequel Trilogy with a tentative release scheduled for 1998. In 1996 Lucas signs the biggest deal ever seen in the industry with PepsiCo for movie tie ins, and later in the year he announces that the pre-production has started, and in May of 1999 Episode 1 titled, The Phantom Menace, was released, followed by Episode 2 titled, The Attack of the Clones.

Many believe that 100 years from now Star Wars will still have a following. In fact by then it may have grown to epidemic proportions.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: star wars

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for StarWarsEmpire.com. To learn more about Star Wars Collectibles and to find Star Wars DVDs, visit us.

Top Movies Articles
1). Alias (Season 3) DVD Review By : Britt Gillette One of the highest rated shows of its era, Alias maintains a loyal cult following swept away by its intriguing suspense and action-packed drama. Jennifer Garner stars in the lead role of Sydney Anne Bristow, a beautiful and cerebral recruit tasked to work for a secret government entity, the SD-6 agency. But problems confront her when she eventually realizes that SD-6 is not the government agency she thinks.
2). Star Trek (Season 3) DVD Review By : Britt Gillette Winner of countless awards and unsurpassed audience devotion, the original Star Trek TV series follows the adventures of the crew aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise as they “boldly go where no man has gone before…” Led by Captain Kirk (William Shatner), an astronaut who displays the character traits necessary for the Earth mission’s survival, the Enterprise crew includes Lt.
3). How The Grinch Stole Christmas (DVD) Review By : Britt Gillette One of a handful of essential, "must-see" animated Christmas classics, How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a Dr. Seuss holiday masterpiece. Created in 1966 on the heels of the phenomenal success surrounding such TV specials as A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), the Grinch has morphed into a sacred annual Christmas rite perfect for any child from one to ninety-two.
4). Hostel By : Sam Vaknin The movie "Hostel" (2005) is a potent depiction of gore and graphic horror. More subtly, it is also a counterfactual and jingoistic political allegory for the post 9-11 age. A couple of wholesome American youths (one of them a Jew) are nabbed by a ring of east Europeans who cater to the depraved needs of sadists by providing them with fresh supplies of torture victims.
5). The Simpsons (Season 3) DVD Review By : Britt Gillette In the late-1980s, a one-minute segment on The Tracy Ullman Show (since long forgotten, except in trivia questions) morphed into its own series. That series was The Simpsons, and it became an anchor for the then-burgeoning FOX network. With a wildly original cast of oddball characters, The Simpsons instantly struck a chord with audiences, becoming the longest running prime time show among all genres, not just the animation genre.
6). Macgyver (Season 3) DVD Review By : Britt Gillette One of the best shows of the 1980s, MacGyver has a dedicated fan base even to this day. Richard Dean Anderson plays the role of MacGyver, a cerebral and charismatic agent of the Phoenix Foundation for Research. A different hero even by the standards of today’s TV series, MacGyver had an exaggerated fear of heights. He was also a pacifist who never relied on weapons, but instead on the ability to deploy his brain and think his way out of dangerous situations.
7). King Of The Hill (DVD) Review By : Britt Gillette Initially aired following the 1997 Super Bowl, King of the Hill discovered an instant audience niche that has the followed the show loyally ever since. The brainchild of Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge (also known for the hit movie Office Space), King of the Hill is a unique animated series in that it doesn't rely on "cartoon" suspension of reality or outlandish antics.
8). The Matrix By : Sam Vaknin It is easy to confuse the concepts of "virtual reality" and a "computerized model of reality (simulation)". The former is a self-contained Universe, replete with its "laws of physics" and "logic". It can bear resemblance to the real world or not. It can be consistent or not. It can interact with the real world or not. In short, it is an arbitrary environment.
9). ER (DVD) Review By : Britt Gillette Nominated for 25 Golden Globes and 110 Emmys, including 7 for Outstanding Drama Series, ER has long been one of the best prime-time shows on television. Premiering in September 1994 on NBC, the hour-long hospital drama vividly illustrates the intensity and fast-paced stress endemic to hospital emergency rooms across America. Brought into being by Michael.
10). The Dukes Of Hazzard (Season 4) DVD Review By : Britt Gillette For much of the early 1980s, the CBS prime time line-up was dominated by two shows: Dallas and The Dukes Of Hazzard. Following the adventures of the fictional Duke family of Hazzard County, Georgia, the series chronicled their endless struggles with local law enforcement officer Rosco P. Coltrane and his domineering supervisor, J.D. "Boss" Hogg. Cousins.

New Movies Articles
1). The Hills Have Eyes Remake Is A Spooky Home Watch By : Jonathon Hardcastle The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a classic horror movie which has been replicated in every shape and form over the years by a host of movies. Wes Craven paid homage to the storyline in the 1980s when he released the original "The Hills Have Eyes".
2). Alias (Season 3) DVD Review By : Britt Gillette One of the highest rated shows of its era, Alias maintains a loyal cult following swept away by its intriguing suspense and action-packed drama. Jennifer Garner stars in the lead role of Sydney Anne Bristow, a beautiful and cerebral recruit tasked to work for a secret government entity, the SD-6 agency. But problems confront her when she eventually realizes that SD-6 is not the government agency she thinks.
3). Just Like Heaven (DVD) Review By : Britt Gillette One of the hidden gems of 2005, Just Like Heaven was overshadowed by the usual commercial blockbusters and Academy Award nominees. But this cute little film is the very embodiment of the movie going experience. Fitting easily into the “chick flick” genre, Just Like Heaven isn’t a sappy, drawn-out love story filled with clichés and over-the-top dialogue.
4). North And South (DVD) Review By : Britt Gillette Based on the best-selling novels by John Jakes, North And South premiered as a highly celebrated and critically acclaimed television series in 1985. In the spirit of Gone With The Wind, the novels cover 19th Century America before, during, and after the Civil War. As with the Margaret Mitchell classic, Jakes creates a larger-than-life cast of characters.
5). Family Guy (Season 3) DVD Review By : Britt Gillette Having first aired after the 1999 Super Bowl, Family Guy really hit its stride via cable re-runs and DVD sales (prompting Fox to announce the launch of Season 4 in May 2005, following the show's original cancellation following Season 3). An animated series building a similar cult following to The Simpsons and Futurama, Family Guy employs its own unique brand of humor distinct to its other animated peers… Family Guy follows the life and exploits of Peter Griffin, an idiotic family man flanked by his intelligent and loving wife, Lois.
6). Star Trek (Season 3) DVD Review By : Britt Gillette Winner of countless awards and unsurpassed audience devotion, the original Star Trek TV series follows the adventures of the crew aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise as they “boldly go where no man has gone before…” Led by Captain Kirk (William Shatner), an astronaut who displays the character traits necessary for the Earth mission’s survival, the Enterprise crew includes Lt.
7). Star Trek (Season 2) DVD Review By : Britt Gillette Recipient of four Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Dramatic Series on two occasions in its short three-year run, Star Trek is a science-fiction legend among television viewers. The creation of former Los Angeles police officer Gene Roddenberry, the series first aired in Fall 1966 but was cancelled because of low ratings. It might have been NBC executives who were really responsible for the low ratings seeing as how they placed the show in a horrible time slot.
8). PsP Music Downloads – Review os Sites for Downloads By : pjs1965 PsP handhelds are one of the newest and most fun ways to play games, watch movies and listen to music. PsP movie downloads are just some things that you can do on your psp besides just games. PsP movie downloads is a fun and easy. There are many places on the net were one can find psp movie downloads and psp music downloads. Some sites have you pay per song or movie basis and sometimes charge up to a couple dollars for each download.
9). PsP Movies – Review of Downloading PsP Movies By : pjs1965 PsP handhelds are one of the newest and most fun ways to play games, watch movies and listen to music. PsP movies are just some things that you can do on your psp besides just games. PsP movies are fun and easy to download. There are many places on the net were one can find psp movies to download. Some sites have you pay per song or movie basis and sometimes charge up to a couple dollars for each download.
10). Rent movie is the best way to save your time money and energy By : Anna J Rent movie is the best way to save your time money and energy. Rent movie makes your night brighten and you can enjoy any movie at home with your family. Movies are a good source to share conversations with your family. Its good way to relax with your favorite show from your dull and stressful day. The great thing is renting movie is an online renting without hassles of traveling which makes more convenient for the movie lover.