This year marks the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and the space opera franchise has been providing fans with a wide array of Empire-focused content in the past few months. It was originally planned that The Empire Strikes Back would be released in 4K in theaters in the United Kingdom, but the plan was changed after talks among exhibitors broke down.
Still, Star Wars gave fans more reasons to celebrate by releasing an emotional tribute video for Empire which featured interviews with Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford. Moreover, new collectibles from Hasbro has also been unveiled, showing off a total of 13 figures from Luke Skywalker to Boba Fett.
It appears that another piece of tribute for Empire has been unveiled by the monumental franchise.
CONFIRMATION
In celebration of the film's 40th anniversary, Star Wars confirmed in a tweet that Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back will be returning to U.S. theaters next Friday, September 25. Fans can now view show times and purchase tickets via Fandango.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Without a doubt, The Empire Strikes Back is a clear cut fan-favorite of many hardcore Star Wars enthusiasts. That said, the film's return to theaters could give a sense of nostalgia to longtime fans while also boosting the much-needed sales of movie theaters.
Due to the current global pandemic, moviegoers are still hesitant to flock to movie theaters since the risk to be infected with COVID-19 is still at large. While seeing the film in theaters could serve as a worthwhile experience, it remains to be seen if fans decide to push through with it. Regardless, it's clear that the intention of Star Wars to release Empire back in theaters was mainly for the celebration of its 40th anniversary.
Undoubtedly, The Empire Strikes Back improved the franchise in many ways, and the film's impact is still being felt today. The next chapter of storytelling for the Star Wars franchise under the movie realm is still up in the air, but there's always a strong chance that future filmmakers will look back at the success of Empire as a blueprint for what lies ahead.
