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We all know Star Wars is one of the most profitable film franchises of all time (it’s actually the third most profitable, according to Wikipedia, beaten out by Marvel‘s Cinematic Universe and Spider-Man), but it’s sometimes hard to know just how many billions of dollars the franchise has actually made.
That fun sci-fi-meets-western movie that released back in 1977 spawned a cultural juggernaut that, honestly, completely eclipses most other franchises despite the fact is has often spend decades between major releases. Somehow, Star Wars returns.
Before we dive into how much each money has made, it’s worth reiterating that the broader franchise—including TV shows, toys, lunch boxes, novels, and all the other random stuff you can put Darth Vader’s face on—is worth USD$46.7 billion.
That’s a lot of money, and it’s played out in the numbers below. You’ll see the franchise starts out pretty successful, and begin to snowball once it becomes clear that Star Wars isn’t just relegated to the original trilogy (even if we sometimes wish it were).
Here’s how much money each entry in the vaunted Star Wars series has made worldwide—including re-releases, re-edits, and re-issues (i.e. lifetime revenue), as well as the addition of each release adjusted for inflation to give an accurate figure in today’s money. Yes, it was a pain in the ass to calculate this. Enjoy!
| Title | Release Date | Total Worldwide Earnings (USD) | Total Worldwide Earnings Adjusted for Inflation (USD) |
| Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope | 25 May, 1977 | $775,398,507 | $1,993,763,881 |
| Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back | 21 May, 1980 | $550,016,086 | $1,030,226,970 |
| Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi | 25 May, 1983 | $482,466,382 | $1,032,251,345 |
| Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace | 19 May, 1999 | $1,046,515,409 | $1,937,331,801 |
| Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones | 16 May, 2002 | $653,780,724 | $1,162,278,514 |
| Stars Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith | 19 May, 2005 | $902,549,476 | $1,444,518,365 |
| Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens | 18 Dec, 2015 | $2,068,223,624 | $2,757,363,755 |
| Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | 16 Dec, 2016 | $1,058,684,742 | $1,380,670,122 |
| Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi | 15 Dec, 2017 | $1,334,407,706 | $1,697,262,418 |
| Solo: A Star Wars Story | 25 May, 2018 | $392,924,807 | $500,412,017 |
| Star Wars: Episode IX—The Rise of Skywalker | 20 Dec, 2019 | $1,077,022,372 | $1,327,270,112 |
This means, in 2025 money, the cumulative Star Wars films have made almost USD$15.5 billion.
It also means that 2015’s Episode VII: The Force Awakens is by far the most successful film in the franchise, as far as money is involved. No wonder the franchise has been expanded more and more each passing year. Episode IV: A New Hope takes second place, largely because of just how many times that movie has been re-released—it’s simply had more opportunities to make money than other entries in the franchise, especially newer ones. In saying that, it’s also an incredible movie that deserves to have made all that cash.
It’s impressive just how much staying power the franchise has had over the years, and with a whole bunch of new media set to drop in the coming years set in a galaxy far, far away, it’s clear the franchise isn’t going anywhere. We just hope Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie actually comes out.
