Ranking The 'Star Wars' Film Saga By Box Office Numbers

It's been close to 50 years since George Lucas introduced the world to his space epic, Star Wars, but the franchise continues to be just as strong as ever. Audiences showed up en masse to see Luke, Leia, Han, and Darth Vader and they have continued to show up and watch movies and television about the story - even play video games. Star Wars has also been successfully marketed with endless merchandise, toys, and even entire theme park lands. Basically, it's safe to say that Star Wars is one of the most successful franchises in entertainment history.

With anything popular, there is a huge fanbase to go along with it and with fans comes opinions. Whether people like or dislike characters, movies, actors, or the trajectory of the story, there is one thing that doesn't lie and that is money. With this list, let's look at the ranking of Star Wars films not by popularity or chronological order, but by box office numbers.

This list includes movies that are pre and post Disney acquisition, and the box office rankings are, of course, adjusted for inflation.

11. 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'

Release Date: May 25, 2018

Domestic Box Office Total: $265.9 million

Solo: A Star Wars Story was Disney's second attempt at a Star Wars anthology film, telling the origin story of Han Solo. Unfortunately for audiences and for Disney, Solo was not a box office success. The movie was a disappointment as far as fan reception and performance, but even with that it managed to get Academy Award nominations for visual effects.

10. 'Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones'

Release Date: May 16, 2002

Domestic Box Office Total: $524.6 million

Riddled with negative fan and critical reception, Attack of the Clones unfortunately is another victim of a disappointing box office performance. The second of the prequel trilogy, this installment expanded on the story of Anakin Skywalker's origin and his developing relationship with Padmé, Luke and Leia's mother. Despite the disappointing numbers, Attack of the Clones plays a crucial role in the saga as a whole, including the introduction of the Clone Army that later becomes the Empire's Stormtroopers.

9. 'Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith'

Release Date: May 19, 2005

Domestic Box Office Total: $608.1 million

Easily the best received installment of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith gave an impressive performance with just over $608.1 million domestically - not counting the impressive box office numbers from the 20th anniversary re-release in 2025. Revenge of the Sith is perhaps the biggest turning point that shows audiences how and why Anakin became Darth Vader, along with the fate of the Jedi order, Padmé, and the Republic.

8. 'Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker'

Release Date: December 20, 2019

Domestic Box Office Total: $631.9 million

Despite the box office numbers, The Rise of Skywalker is... well, one of the least desired Star Wars films. While audiences showed up to see the finale of Disney's new trilogy, that doesn't mean it was well received. Despite the reception, audiences wanted to see the finale. In fact, The Rise of Skywalker was the third highest grossing film of 2019.

7. 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'

Release Date: December 16, 2016

Domestic Box Office Total: $692.5 million

Rogue One quickly became a fan favorite despite the lack of an "opening crawl," and the untimely death of legendary Star Wars actress, Carrie Fisher. The story expands as a more direct prequel to A New Hope, showing exactly how the Rebellion wound up with the Death Star plans in the first place. Perhaps especially due to a cameo by Darth Vader, Rogue One soared in both popularity and box office numbers. To outperform two prequels and a trilogy finale is very impressive.

6. 'Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi'

Release Date: December 15, 2017

Domestic Box Office Total: $790.2 million

Becoming one of the most divisive films of the franchise, The Last Jedi managed to perform quite well in the grand scheme of things. Along with gaining four Academy Award nominations, this installment was just shy of outperforming the original trilogy finale. Despite how people felt about the return of Luke Skywalker, there's no denying that audiences wanted to see this one.

5. 'Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi'

Release Date: May 25, 1983

Domestic Box Office Total: $792.1 million

The original "final movie," Return of the Jedi continues to be one of the most successful installments of Star Wars, both old and new. Showcasing the return of the Force and defeat of the Galactic Empire, fans have rejoiced around the film for decades. While some find it disappointing in comparison to its predecessors, Return of the Jedi remains to be one of the most financially successful films of the saga.

4. 'Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back'

Release Date: May 21, 1980

Domestic Box Office Total: $793.7 million

While sequels typically underperform their predecessor, The Empire Strikes Back proved that sequels can actually be more impactful story-wise and serve a greater purpose. Despite coming up short to A New Hope in terms of box office numbers, the continued story of the Rebellion and Luke discovering his heritage definitely got audiences into the theaters. The movie even got a few Academy Award nominations.

3. 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace'

Release Date: May 19, 1999

Domestic Box Office Total: $808.2 million

While audiences have... well, a lot of feelings about The Phantom Menace, it's hard to deny the cultural and financial impact the modern return of Star Wars had - especially for the Millennial generation. Releasing just 16-years after Return of the Jedi, the first of the prequel trilogy had triple the budget and new CGI-effects to go with it. Audiences were treated to the origin story of Darth Vader by introducing him as Anakin Skywalker, a young slave boy on the planet of Tatooine. His chance encounter with his future Jedi master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his future wife, Padmé, changed the entire tide of the Star Wars fandom. Despite disappointing receptions regarding poor character choices and acting performances, The Phantom Menace continues to sit in the top three box office performances.

2. 'Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens'

Release Date: December 18, 2015

Domestic Box Office Total: $1.2 billion

Being the first film to break from the May release schedule, The Force Awakens was the first attempt of the Disney era to revive and continue the Star Wars saga. Needless to say, it was an overwhelming financial success and it sparked the future of the franchise with Disney. Because of the success of The Force Awakens, you can now visit Galaxy's Edge at both Disneyland and Disney World and you can watch a series of Disney+ TV spin-offs, including The Mandalorian.

1. 'Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope'

Release Date: May 25, 1977

Domestic Box Office Total: $1.6 billion

In true fashion, where the story started is truly unmatched both with fan reception and financial success. George Lucas first transported audiences to a galaxy far, far away with A New Hope and he sure has a lot to show for it. Not only has the movie grossed over $1 billion, it sparked a cultural phenomenon and entertainment success like nothing anyone could have ever imagined. Between visual effects, story standards, and iconic characters, there really is nothing like A New Hope.