Star Wars fans come in all ages and generations, which is a solid testament to the widespread appeal and timelessness of such a beloved franchise. I was born in the year 2000, but I and many others (including other Gen Z people) treasure the experiences we've had with Star Wars. However, because of when I was born, which was even after the 1997 Special Edition releases, seeing Star Wars films in theaters was somewhat of a rarity. As such, I did much of my Star Wars watching at home with the DVD releases of each of the Prequels after I got them for Christmas 2007, and the 1997 Special Edition VHS set of the Original Trilogy. That said, I did later hunt down other physical media releases, specifically older VHS releases of the Original Trilogy to see their pre-1997 cuts. I've still occasionally hunted down other Star Wars physical media releases, taking much inspiration from Nathan Butler, creator and host of From the Star Wars Home Video Library on YouTube.
But what about the times I did get to see Star Wars movies in the way they were intended to be experienced? In this post, I will share every time I saw a Star Wars movie in theaters during my lifetime.
The Clone Wars movie (2008) - My earlier Star Wars experiences were complimented by things like playing the Lego Star Wars games, the Clone Wars video game from 2002, and the original Star Tours when visiting Disneyland with my family. However, I remember seeing the Clone Wars pilot movie being advertised quite a bit, making me excited to see it. My family took me to see it on August 16, 2008. I was enthralled by the action and various aspects of it. Ahsoka Tano and Asajj Ventress were obviously exciting to see, and both of them became staples in the series. I even got to see it in theaters again with friends on September 13, 2008, just six days after my 8th birthday (September 7). As such, The Clone Wars is one of few movies I got to see in theaters more than once in its original theatrical run. While I regrettably haven't really gotten into the actual series very much, I hope to change that because of how much the Clone Wars adds to the franchise.
The Phantom Menace 3D (2012) - In the early 2010s, I definitely had a bit of a recession period from Star Wars, when I was somewhat more selective about what films I wanted to watch. However, I definitely was stoked when The Phantom Menace got a theatrical 3D release in 2012, with plans for the other live action films to follow suit. I went with my dad and older brother to see it on February 11, 2012, and this was my first time seeing a live action Star Wars film in theaters. This release even had an Ice Age short attached before the film (if any of you know the name of it, leave it in the comments). Additionally, this was the only release to have the unique 3D Lucasfilm logo at the beginning. Unfortunately, when Disney acquired the franchise in October 2012, the 3D releases for the other existing live action films were cancelled.
The Force Awakens (2015 and 2016) - The beginning of 2015 saw my passion for Star Wars renewed in a huge way. I often found myself binging Episodes I-VI in a single weekend. It was almost like experiencing the entire franchise for the first time. 2015 was a great calendar year in my personal life and that was largely attributed to my hype and anticipation for The Force Awakens, which premiered on December 18. I finished my final exams for my Freshman year of high school on December 17 before spending that day and the 18th with one of my best friends doing one last marathon. We then went to see The Force Awakens on December 19. Our party managed to get great seats in our theater, I remember hearing groaning when "Luke Skywalker has vanished." appeared on the opening crawl, and I was trying so hard to hold back my tears at Han Solo's death. However, the ending was great with Rey beating Kylo Ren and going to find Luke on Ahch-To. Very few movies can rival how huge The Force Awakens was for me, even to this day. On February 13, 2016, my brother and I saw The Force Awakens again at a drive inn theater in the metropolitan area we lived in, making this another movie I saw in theaters more than once. While it's obviously sad to revisit The Force Awakens nowadays because of where the Sequel Trilogy went after a great start, I hold a soft spot for this movie because of how unique the experience was for me.
Rogue One (2016) - My high school years were basically defined by new Star Wars movies coming out in December each year. After The Force Awakens during my Freshman year, Rogue One became the first Star Wars anthology film during my Sophomore year. My family and I saw it on December 17, 2016. All and all, it remains fascinating to see the franchise going back to its roots by exploring the beginning of the Galactic Civil War and how the Rebels got ahold of the Death Star plans. It takes a brutal turn when all of the members of Rogue One ultimately perish. Then it's capped off with Darth Vader's massacre of Rebel Troopers, which was mind blowing, serving an a continuous reminder of how terrifying Vader actually is.
The Last Jedi (2017) - I went with my two older siblings (my sister and brother) to see this on December 16, 2017 for an 11 PM showing. Overall, the direction this movie went in was much different than what was expected after the way The Force Awakens ended. Rey's relationship with Kylo Ren was intriguing, and seeing them fight together in the throne room scene was thrilling. However, the film's finale on Crait definitely left me scratching my head. I assumed that Luke would die by sacrificing himself to allow the Resistance to escape, and while I was ultimately proven correct, the way the scene played out was difficult to wrap my head around (i.e. Luke surviving the hail of fire from the walkers, Luke's lightsaber being blue instead of green, him dodging Kylo Ren's attacks instead of blocking/retaliating, and of course the reveal that Luke was actually projecting himself). I didn't necessarily hate The Last Jedi, but I definitely understood many of the issues which plagued it.
Solo (2018) - I saw this on Memorial Day (May 28, 2018), right at the end of my Junior year of high school. I didn't mind the younger actors who played Han Solo and Lando (Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover), since they still captured much of the personalities the characters are known for. It was also mind boggling to see Darth Maul being the true leader of Crimson Dawn. All and all, it was an interesting movie to show Han Solo's origins, but probably not one I'd be dying to rewatch.
The Rise of Skywalker (2019) - I saw The Rise of Skywalker on December 23, 2019. This was also the first time I brought my Star Wars spirit with me by bringing a toy lightsaber (in this case, it was a Kylo Ren lightsaber that I built at the Star Trader gift shop at Disneyland when I went for Thanksgiving 2019). While there were undeniably issues with The Last Jedi, I think Rise of Skywalker definitely took an even weirder turn and left a bad taste in the mouths of even the most loyal fans. Palpatine's return was never explained, Rey's origins needed more depth, and so many other things that just didn't sit right (i.e. Rey being able to Force Heal what should've been a fatal lightsaber stab on Kylo Ren, Kylo talking to Han Solo who isn't Force sensitive, Luke somehow being able to hold lightsabers and use the Force on things as a Force Ghost, Rey and Ben being able to spontaneously transfer lightsabers back and forth, and Ben being able to resurrect Rey). Although I personally try to avoid the typical toxic behavior exhibited towards the Sequel Trilogy, I also understand why the trilogy suffered and why it's not necessarily easy to revisit.
Return of the Jedi 40th anniversary (2023) - This marked the beginning of a trend set by Disney/Lucasfilm of rereleasing Star Wars movies for major anniversary years. Return of the Jedi is my favorite Star Wars movie, so I was eager to be able to catch it on the silver screen with some friends I made within that past year who are also passionate about the franchise. It happened on May 2, 2023. Because I love Luke's design for Episode VI and since green is my favorite color, I brought my green bladed toy lightsaber that I've had for the longest time with me. I would continue to do this for all of the subsequent Star Wars theatrical experiences listed below. This was my first time seeing one of the first six movies after they had the current intro with the 20th Century Fox logo and fanfare still attached, but implementing the silver Lucasfilm logo from 2015. Return of the Jedi remains thrilling to see Luke becoming a true Jedi and redeeming Anakin to at long last fulfill the prophecy of bringing balance to the Force. The ending also remains satisfying, especially with the Victory Celebration music added in 1997. Hayden Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw as Anakin's Force Ghost has never been an issue for me, especially since the Prequels and Hayden have been warmly embraced by fans in recent years.
The Phantom Menace 25th anniversary (2024) - I took a break from watching Star Wars films between 2019 and 2022. While I got back into the Original Trilogy in 2022, I finally began revisiting the Prequels in 2024 when The Phantom Menace got a 25th anniversary release. Because I had seen it for the 2012 3D release, this was my second time seeing it in theaters. I went on May 4, 2024 and fully dressed up in all black with a glove to be Episode VI Luke Skywalker, and had my green lightsaber obviously. However, there wasn't a whole lot of new stuff that happened aside from the promotion of The Acolyte at the end. I just enjoyed the novelty of seeing a Star Wars movie as it should be experienced. That said, while Revenge of the Sith is the popular film and widely considered the best of the Prequels, Phantom Menace is actually comparable in my opinion with Qui-Gon Jinn being a unique character. Additionally, I could only imagine the hype this film had in 1999 when it was first released. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to that 24 hour Skywalker Saga marathon event, but I've seen vlogs about how great those experiences were.
A New Hope (2024 at a local discount theater) - There is a smaller theater in my area which has cheaper tickets. This is where movies are often shown near the end of their original theatrical run after they've transitioned out of the mainstream cinema chains. However, at the end of May 2024, I discovered that this particular theater also brings back older movies to show. I took advantage of this opportunity to catch A New Hope in theaters for the first time on June 1, 2024. This experience led me to come back to this theater in 2024 and 2025 on several occasions to catch other older movies I wanted to see in theaters, such as the Back to the Future Trilogy on June 5.
Original Trilogy (Moonlight Cinema 2024) - The main movie theater chain in my metropolitan area has one location at a huge shopping mall. This specific mall's theater has a program called "Moonlight Cinema", which has seats and headphones set up on top of one of the mall's parking garages to allow guests to watch movies during the evening hours. Though this mall is a bit of a drive from where I live, I wanted to experience it for myself. Therefore, I rocked my Luke Skywalker cosplay again to catch each Original Trilogy film on three separate weeks in November 2024: A New Hope on November 8, The Empire Strikes Back on November 15, and Return of the Jedi on November 22. While this may not have been a conventional movie theater, this is my first time seeing Empire Strikes Back in a theatrical setting. I was also a bit cold since I and other guests were outside, prompting me to ensure I had a blanket for the later weeks.
Revenge of the Sith 20th anniversary (2025) - This was the third year in a row when an older Star Wars movie got a theatrical rerelease for a major anniversary year. Near the beginning of this year, I made friends with people when I went to a local brewery which shows movies for free on its outdoor park/patio every Wednesday night, and the Star Wars movies were among them. Once it was confirmed that Revenge of the Sith would have a 20th anniversary release in theaters my friends got tickets for me to come with them. It happened on the evening of April 25, with us getting tickets for the 11 PM show. The previous showtimes were packed with other Star Wars fans. Anyways, it was heartwarming to see the message from Hayden Christensen at the beginning. Even more hilarious, someone in my theater said: "Turn off the flash you moron!" perfectly timed to the Star Wars logo appearing. If you don't know, this was a viral video that happened during a premiere of The Force Awakens, so my theater was laughing and cheering that we managed to replicate it perfectly. Speaking of which, we were also cheering and quoting along to many of the meme worthy scenes, including Obi-Wan's "Hello there!"
Original Trilogy (2025 at a local discount theater) - As mentioned above, I caught A New Hope here in 2024, but when I learned that all three Original Trilogy movies were showing here in May 2025, I found a day to set aside for a marathon. Typically, when this theater shows multiple movies of the same franchise at the same time, they have showings one right after the other to leave marathoning them possible. That's precisely how I was able to see all three Back to the Future movies in June 2024, so I decided to do the same thing with the Original Star Wars Trilogy on May 16, 2025. While I had often worn my all black outfit to cosplay as Luke Skywalker for these occasions, my black jeans I wore were getting too tight on me, as I noticed when I did the Revenge of the Sith viewing. Instead, I simply wore my Star Wars shirt but still brought my green lightsaber. All and all, the Original Trilogy still remains a quintessential movie experience to this day, and I especially enjoyed the novelty of binging them back to back to back. Additionally, because this was a more conventional movie theater, this was beneficial in the case of Empire Strikes Back as I mentioned for the Moonlight Cinema experience above.
So that's an overview of every time I saw a Star Wars movie in theaters. Currently, Attack of the Clones is the only Star Wars movie I haven't yet seen on the silver screen. While Attack of the Clones will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2027, it may easily be overshadowed by the scheduled 50th anniversary release of A New Hope. Speaking of which, I'm ecstatic that A New Hope will apparently have a restored printing of the original theatrical version without the Special Edition edits for this upcoming 50th anniversary release. However, since we still have over a year until then, many more announcements can happen. I think it's possible that EVERY Star Wars movie will get a theatrical rerelease in 2027 because of how huge the 50th anniversary milestone is for the franchise, and this could include a 25th anniversary release for Attack of the Clones. In addition, I feel like they could have a restored release of the pre-Special Edition versions of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as well.
I'd be more than eager to hear from you guys about your experiences seeing Star Wars movies in theaters. Thanks for reading and may the Force be with you!
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