This weekend, "The Empire Strikes Back" is causing a stir at the US box office 40 years after its release.
For the first time since its new edition in February 1997, "The Empire Strikes Back" is securing itself number one again at the US box office this weekend. According to the industry magazine "Deadline", the fifth episode of the "Star Wars" saga has so far grossed around $ 175,000. Estimates for the entire weekend are therefore up to a little more than $ 500,000 – the equivalent of around 440,000 euros.
If different publications are included, the sci-fi film has worldwide cinema revenues of around 485 million euros. After its first release on May 21, 1980, "The Empire Strikes Back" has been number one in the US for eight weeks, according to the "Box Office Mojo".
Where does the sudden success come from?
There is a reason that a 40-year-old film suddenly becomes a box office hit again. Due to the corona crisis, drive-in cinemas currently make up the largest share of box office sales. Many of these drive-in cinemas show older, popular favorites like "The Empire Strikes Back". "Ghostbusters", "Jurassic Park" and "The Great White Shark". According to the report, they also achieved sales of around half a million US dollars each at different weekends in the past few months, with fewer than 500 locations.