“Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” is hitting the big screen once again in celebration of its 25th anniversary.
The film, originally released on May 19, 1999, will return to theaters for a limited time beginning May 3, per an announcement from Empire. The timing of the rerelease is no coincidence, as it’s just a day before May the 4th, a.k.a Star Wars Day, thanks to a play on words with the phrase heard throughout the franchise, “May the Force be with you.”
“Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” is written and directed by George Lucas. The film is the first of the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, and the very beginning of the Skywalker Saga, introducing fans to a young Anakin Skywalker, who would later become Darth Vader. It was originally released 16 years after the previous “Star Wars” film, “Return of the Jedi.”
At the time of its release, “The Phantom Menace” was a massive financial success, breaking a number of records, including becoming the quickest film to reach $300 million at the box office. Today, it is ranked as the 47th highest-grossing film of all time.
To commemorate the rerelease, artist Matt Ferguson designed a new official poster, as seen above. The poster features Darth Maul (Ray Park), Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), and Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd).
Will you be buying a ticket to see “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” in theaters? Let us know in the comments below.
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