Thursday is May 4th, and thanks to a punny 1979 London Evening News headline and a legion of die-hard fans, it’s known the world over as “Star Wars Day.” The headline about the election of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations” — inspired a grassroots movement for Star Wars junkies to celebrate George Lucas‘ galaxy far, far away.
May 4, 2011 marked the first organized celebration of Star Wars Day, at the Toronto Underground Cinema in Canada.
ABC News’ parent company The Walt Disney Company purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, and has officially observed the holiday since 2013, with events at Disney parks and other celebrations.
There’s also new Star Wars content on Disney+, including the second season of the animated Star Wars: Visions, and for the younglings out there, the first kid-skewing cartoon, Young Jedi Adventures.
There’s a new Simpsons crossover, too: Maggie Simpson stars in Rogue Not Quite One.
Of course, Disney+ also has every film in the Star Wars saga, as well as the standalone films Rogue One and Solo, and more. You can also find The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the critically acclaimed Andor.
And if you must leave the house, this is the last day to see Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in theaters.
Here are the 5 highest-grossing Star Wars movies at the time of their release, according to FinanceBuzz:
- Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) – $936,662,225
- Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) – $620,181,382
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) – $532,177,324
- Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – $515,202,542
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) – $431,088,295
Adjusted for inflation, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) is the highest-grossing movie in the franchisee, with a take of $1.8 billion in 2023 dollars.
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
