The Star Wars films consistently rank among the highest-grossing science fiction movies, but their popularity varies quite a bit. Generally, the main nine films perform better than the spin-offs, though one film has actually surpassed some of the core series installments. Looking at the three Star Wars trilogies, the first movie in each has typically been a huge success, likely because of the gaps between the original, prequel, and sequel trilogies. But which Star Wars film has earned the most at the box office? Let’s take a look at how each one has performed.
These rankings reflect each film’s worldwide earnings, updated to account for inflation. For the original Star Wars trilogy, and now two of the prequel films, inflation adjustments were calculated separately for each film’s release year, rather than using the very first release date as a baseline for all earnings.
12) Star Wars: The Clone Wars — $103,009,562
Ultimately, Star Wars: The Clone Wars felt more like an extended TV episode than a major movie event. Because of this, most fans didn’t feel a strong need to see it in theaters.
Despite being the lowest-earning Star Wars film, The Clone Wars still did well. Made for just $8.5 million in 2008, it earned over eight times that amount. It was a solid start for the series, leading to several successful seasons on Cartoon Network, and later, a final season on Disney+.
11) Solo: A Star Wars Story — $508,237,433
It’s nearly impossible to replace an actor who’s become so strongly associated with a character, like Harrison Ford and Han Solo. Even if the making of Solo: A Star Wars Story hadn’t been difficult and expensive, it likely still wouldn’t have been as successful as other Star Wars films.
The film wasn’t successful, and it effectively paused big-screen Star Wars movies for eight years. Even The Mandalorian & Grogu relies on existing Star Wars popularity, making its success almost guaranteed. The situation is understandable, considering Solo, while enjoyable, wasn’t groundbreaking and only earned $393 million worldwide on a budget of around $275-300 million – a clear financial failure.
10) Star Wars: Attack of the Clones — 1,180,366,754
Okay, so as a huge Star Wars fan, it always surprises me that Attack of the Clones – the one that kicks off the Clone Wars – actually made less money at the box office than any other film in the main saga. And honestly, when I rewatch it, I kind of get why. It just doesn’t quite hit the same notes as the others, you know?
After a sixteen-year wait, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace brought fans back to the beloved galaxy far, far away, but it didn’t quite live up to expectations. Attack of the Clones was seen as a slight step forward, though it suffered from many of the same issues. Many felt it simply bridged the gap to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and wasn’t a standout film on its own. Despite the mixed reception, it was a financial success, earning almost six times its production budget.
9) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — $1,368,305,450
Both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi were huge hits, but The Last Jedi significantly changed the direction of the story. This left many fans feeling less enthusiastic about the final movie, as it introduced a lot of complex ideas that didn’t quite deliver satisfying resolutions.
Bringing J.J. Abrams back offered hope for fixing things, but Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker couldn’t recapture the magic of the previous two films. Though it still earned over $1 billion globally, the movie’s trailer wasn’t particularly exciting and reviews were the lowest of the trilogy. It also opened with $43 million less than The Last Jedi, and that lower performance continued throughout its time in theaters. Despite the large overall earnings, The Rise of Skywalker was incredibly expensive to make, costing around $500 to $600 million.
8) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — $1,432,711,563
Though not as financially successful as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was equally compelling. It’s a prequel that tells the story from the perspective of soldiers on the ground, focusing on the gritty realities of war. However, the film’s plot points were already established in Star Wars: A New Hope, which was released almost 40 years earlier.
Despite being a gamble, Rogue One was a big success, largely because it perfectly captured the feeling of the original Star Wars films – a quality that stood out even more after the newer sequels didn’t quite hit the mark. It earned five times its $200 million budget, and could have set a successful template for future Star Wars spin-offs if Solo hadn’t ultimately stalled those plans.
7) Star Wars: Return of the Jedi — $1.44 Billion
Both the prequel and sequel trilogies saw a decline in quality as they went on. While The Rise of Skywalker didn’t live up to expectations, Return of the Jedi was a huge hit, similar to the success of the original A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.
Considering how profits changed over time, The Empire Strikes Back cost $30.5 million to make in 1980 and earned $401.5 million, a return of about 13.2 times its budget. Return of the Jedi had a higher budget of over $42.7 million in 1983 and made $374 million worldwide when it first came out – a return of around 8.8 times its budget. While not quite as profitable as the previous film, it was still a massive success.
6) Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith — $1.468
Adjusting for inflation, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith earned an impressive $1.41 billion when it was originally released in 2005. It also performed remarkably well with a 2025 re-release, bringing in $55.6 million in just one week.
Unlike the first and third trilogies, which saw decreasing popularity with each film, Revenge of the Sith actually grew in cultural impact compared to Attack of the Clones. This was largely because it showed Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into Darth Vader – a moment fans had been anticipating. It wasn’t just the end of a trilogy; many consider it the most pivotal film in the entire Star Wars saga, and it lived up to the hype after two less-successful movies.
5) Star Wars: The Last Jedi — $1,768,177,312
Do you remember that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker cost around $500 to $600 million to make? That’s a lot more than Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which cost around $300 million – and many fans felt it dampened excitement for the final film, especially with how it handled Luke Skywalker’s character.
Okay, so while The Last Jedi definitely divided fans and didn’t reach the heights of The Force Awakens, let’s be clear: it was a huge financial success for Disney. In fact, it brought in around $300 million more worldwide than The Rise of Skywalker – and that’s not even adjusted for inflation! Basically, Disney got four times their investment back, whereas the final film in the sequel trilogy barely doubled it. It didn’t give everyone the Star Wars movie they wanted, but from a business perspective, The Last Jedi was a clear win.
4) Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back — $1.8 Billion
Although The Empire Strikes Back didn’t maintain strong theater numbers for an entire year, it was still the highest-grossing film of 1980 by a significant margin. When adjusted for inflation, it earned the equivalent of $1,582,611,650 in 2025.
Like all the films in the original trilogy, this movie continued to earn money after its first release. Adjusted for 2025 dollars, it made an additional $44.7 million in 1982, $158.7 million with a special edition in 1997, and roughly $15 million since then.
3) Star Wars: The Phantom Menace — $1.965 Billion
Similar to the first Star Wars films, The Phantom Menace has been out for so long that it’s gone through multiple releases – it’s amazing for those of us who remember seeing it in theaters when it came out in 1999! And if you account for inflation, the movie would have earned $1.8 billion worldwide back then.
In 2012, The Phantom Menace was re-released in 3D, earning $145.3 million (adjusted for 2025 dollars). Adding to that $20.2 million earned in 2024, The Phantom Menace remains a significant box office success despite initial negative reactions.
2) Star Wars: The Force Awakens — $2.838 Billion
Star Wars: The Force Awakens succeeded more than The Phantom Menace largely because it skillfully blended the familiar with the new. While ushering in a fresh chapter for the series, the film’s marketing emphasized a deliberate connection to the original Star Wars trilogy, capturing the feeling fans remembered and loved.
Fans were excited about The Force Awakens for a couple of reasons. It offered a chance to revisit the original characters – Han, Luke, and Leia – after over three decades. It also introduced a fresh set of heroes and villains, including the intriguing Kylo Ren and his unique lightsaber. While the sequels that followed didn’t quite live up to expectations, The Force Awakens felt like a welcome return to the classic Star Wars spirit, and many viewers saw it multiple times during its theatrical run.
1) Star Wars: A New Hope — At Least $3 Billion
It’s difficult to fully assess the performance of Star Wars: A New Hope because it’s been re-released in theaters many times since its original debut in 1977. However, it remains the most popular film in the Star Wars saga, selling an estimated 178.1 million tickets across all its releases. This is significantly more than The Force Awakens, which sold 108.1 million tickets.
Although The Force Awakens had a huge budget, the original A New Hope cost only $11 million – a significant gamble back in 1977. It went on to earn $410 million worldwide, which would be around $2.2 billion today. And that doesn’t even include money made from re-releases, like the 1997 special edition which brought in about $325.2 million in today’s dollars. A New Hope has been incredibly profitable for almost 50 years.
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2025-12-04 01:43