‘Star Wars’ to Screen in IMAX for the First Time for the Film’s 50th Anniversary
Star Wars is returning to theaters — and, for the first time, it will be shown in IMAX.
The original 1977 sci-fi classic turns 50 years old in 2027, and in honor of that anniversary, Lucasfilm is bringing the film back to theaters. IMAX announced today that Star Wars will be shown “for the first time ever” in IMAX theaters on February 19, 2027. Perhaps most exciting of all, the press release also notes “the newly restored version of the 1977 original will also be shown across a select number of IMAX 70mm film locations.”
(The release does not specify whether “newly restored version of the 1977 original” means a 4K clean-up of the version of the film currently available on home video and Disney+, or the actual original Star Wars, as in the version show in 1977 before George Lucas began tinkering with various scenes and effects.)
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IMAX also confirmed that next year’s new Star Wars film, Star Wars: Starfighter, will also be presented in IMAX. The movie was supposedly “filmed for IMAX” with “IMAX-certified cameras” and will also be “converted to IMAX 70mm film prints for release in a select number of IMAX film locations.” (Christopher Nolan fans can tell you: Select is accurate. There are still not that many IMAX 70mm locations in the world, in part because there are simply not that many functioning 70mm projectors in the world.) Starfighter is currently scheduled to open in theaters and IMAX on May 28, 2027.
The last major Star Wars re-release in theaters was the Special Edition of the film, which was presented in 1997, on the 20th anniversary of its original release. (The Special Editions are 30 years old? Holy Maclunkey, time really flies.) Lucas revisited the original movies, updating their special effects and restoring some deleted footage. The first film, in particular, was a massive hit in theaters — the Special Edition was the ninth biggest
