STAR WARS

Released: May 25th, 1977
(The original movie was released in only 35 theatres nationwide.
That compares to the over 2,100 theatres the "Special Edition opened in 1997!)
Production began: Pre-production - Spring, 1975; shooting began - March, 1976.

Production cost: The original budget was only $ 3.5 million, although inflation doubled it to $ 7 million before production began. It then climbed to $ 9.5 million, and went on to go $ 3 million over budget by the end of production. The effects alone cost $ 2.5 million.

Earnings: As of the time when Jedi opened, it had earned an estimated $ 524 million.

Length: 124 minutes

Executive Producer: George Lucas

Producer: Gary Kurtz

Written and Directed by:  George Lucas

Number of special effects shots:  545

Academy Award Nominations:  Best Picture, Best Original Story and Screenplay, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Alec Guinness)

Academy Awards Received:  Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Art and Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects.

Special Achievement Academy Award:  Sound Effects Creations.

Released: May 21st, 1980

Production cost: $ 25 million, of which $ 6.5 million was spent on effects alone.

Earnings: As of the opening of Jedi, $ 365 million

Length: 128 minutes

Executive Producer: George Lucas

Producer: Gary Kurtz

Directed by: Irvin Kershner

Screenplay by:  Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, from a story by George Lucas

Number of special effects shots: 763

Academy Award Nominations:  Best Art Direction and Set Decoration, Best Original Score.

Academy Awards Received:  Best Sound.

Special Achievement Academy Award: Best Visual Effects.

Released: May 25th, 1983

Production began: January, 1982

Production cost: $ 32.5 million, one quarter of which were spent on special effects.

Earnings: Over $ 400 million.To date, all three have earned approximately $ 1.3 billion in revenues, and over $ 4 billion in merchandising. This figure does not include the Special Editions.

Length:134 minutes

Executive Producer: George Lucas

Producer: Howard Kazanijian

Directed by: Richard Marquand

Screenplay by: Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas, from a story by George Lucas

Number of special effects shots: 942

Academy Award Nominations: Best Art Direction and Set Decoration, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound.

Academy Awards Received:

Special Achievement Academy Award: Best Visual Effects.

Information and images from "George Lucas: The Creative Impulse. Lucasfilm's First 20 Years" by Charles Champlin.

THE PHANTOM MENACE

Released: May 19th, 1999

Production began: Pre-production - November, 1994; shooting began - June 26th, 1997. The first scene shot was of Darth Maul and Darth Sideous on the balcony of Coruscant. Principal shooting was completed on time, September 30th, 1997. Post-production and special effects would take nearly another two years.

Production cost: $115 million

Earnings: Domestic and Internationally, a total of $ 922 million in 1999. Was #1 at the box office for all movies released in the US and Canada for 1999 with a combined gross of $ 430 million. These figures do not include video sales, which topped $100 million the first day they went on sale.

Length: 133 minutes

Executive Producer: George Lucas

Producer: Rick McCallum

Written and Directed by:  George Lucas

Number of special effects shots:   Out of the film's 2,200 shots, 1,900 were in whole or in part effects shots. 95 % of the film was composed digitally.

Academy Award Nominations: Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects.

Academy Awards Received:

Information and image from "The Making of Episode One The Phantom Menace" by Laurent Bouzereau and Jody Duncan. Additional information from "The Star Wars Insider" magazine, Issue 48.

Released: May 16th, 2002 in over 60 countries in 19 different languages

Production began: June, 2000

Production cost: Estimated $ 130 million

Earnings: As of mid-July, 2002, nearly $300 million box office

Length: 142 minutes

Executive Producer: George Lucas

Producer: Rick McCallumk McCallum

Written and Directed by: George Lucas, screenplay co-written with Jonathan Hales

Number of special effects shots: 2000 +

Academy Award Nominations:  Best Visual Effects Effects

Academy Awards Received:

REVENGE OF THE SITH

Released: May 19th, 2005

Production began: June 30, 2003

Production cost: $ 115 million

Earnings: For the first 4 days, $ 158 million in North America and $ 303 million worldwide

Length: 140 minutes

Executive Producer: George Lucas

Producer: Rick McCallumk McCallum

Written and Directed by: George Lucas

Number of special effects shots: 2151

Academy Award Nominations:  Effects

Academy Awards Received:

 

Source: Starwars.com, IMDB.com, Yahoo Movies Box Office

 

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