If the entertainment industry took anything away from the success of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, it is that IMAX matters. Premium-priced screenings were likely a major factor in helping propel the historical epic past $1.6 billion worldwide.
Now, Disney and Lucasfilm are hoping IMAX can send Star Wars into hyperdrive.
On Tuesday, they announced that the original 1977 Star Wars, later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, will be released in IMAX for the first time as part of the film’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, and Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), Lucasfilm
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A newly restored version of George Lucas’ classic will arrive in theaters on February 19, 2027, with select locations screening the film in IMAX 70mm. The movie will also receive a broader limited theatrical release.
While it remains unclear precisely which cut of the film served as the foundation for the restoration—Lucas notoriously tinkered with it after its original release—multiple outlets are reporting that it is not the Special Edition.
The rerelease had previously been announced as part of Lucasfilm’s yearlong celebration of the franchise’s 50th anniversary. The IMAX component is new. Despite numerous theatrical rereleases over the past five decades, A New Hope has never previously been presented in a premium large-scale format.
Starfighter Is Also Getting the IMAX Treatment
Just a few months later, Lucasfilm will bring the franchise’s newest movie to the same format.
Star Wars: Starfighter will arrive in theaters on May 28, 2027, almost exactly 50 years after the original Star Wars opened on May 25, 1977.
Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray in Star Wars: Starfighter – Disney, Lucasfilm
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Unlike A New Hope, which is being converted for the format decades after its creation, Starfighter was made with IMAX in mind. Lucasfilm says director Shawn Levy shot the film using IMAX-certified film cameras. It will be converted to IMAX 70mm prints for screenings at a select number of locations.
There are approximately 41 IMAX theaters equipped with 70mm projectors worldwide, with 25 of those located in the United States.
Starfighter is being positioned as a standalone adventure rather than a direct continuation of the Skywalker Saga. The story also takes place during a period of the Star Wars timeline that has not previously been explored.
Disney’s Complicated Relationship With IMAX
The announcement comes at an interesting time for theatrical exhibition and Disney’s relationship with IMAX.
Earlier this year, Disney announced “Infinity Vision.” The new certification process appears to be the studio’s response to not having access to IMAX screens for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Participating theaters simply need to meet minimum requirements and reportedly will not need to make any special upgrades.
IMAX CFO Natasha Fernandes called it a “marketing play to try and offset the fact that they don’t have an IMAX platform or brand for Avengers: Doomsday,” leading some to question whether the move could damage the studio’s relationship with IMAX.
Star Wars was made for the biggest screen possible.
In 2027, Star Wars (1977) and Star Wars: Starfighter will release in IMAX and IMAX 70mm: https://t.co/3j1zHmTihW pic.twitter.com/53Ca35ch5W
— IMAX (@IMAX) September 8, 2026
For now, that does not appear to be the case.
A Big Year for Star Wars
The two IMAX Star Wars releases will effectively bookend the first half of a major anniversary year for the franchise.
A scene from Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), Lucasfilm
Fans will first have the opportunity to experience the movie that transformed Hollywood on some of the biggest screens available before Lucasfilm attempts to launch its latest cinematic adventure just three months later.
For a franchise built around cinematic spectacle, bringing its oldest and newest theatrical entries to IMAX 70mm is a fitting way to celebrate 50 years of Star Wars. Whether Starfighter can capture even a fraction of the cultural impact of the movie it is helping celebrate is another question entirely.
Will you be seeing either Star Wars film in IMAX? Sound off and let us know!
