Domestic box office revenue of Star Wars movies in the U.S. & Canada 2024

As of early 2024, "Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens" (2015) remained the most successful Star Wars movie in the United States and Canada based on box office revenue. The seventh installment of the franchise grossed more than 936 million U.S. dollars, whereas the most recent release, "Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker" (2019), ranked fourth at around 515 million dollars.

The Star Wars financial empire

Star Wars is one of the most successful multimedia franchises in cinematic history. Ever since the release of "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" in 1997, millions of viewers have flocked to the cinema to see their favorite characters in action. More than four decades, nine star-studded films, and a variety of prequels, sequels, and spin-offs later, the Star Wars multiverse ranks among the two highest-grossing movie franchises worldwide, with global box office takings of around 10.33 billion U.S. dollars. As of 2023, the science-fiction saga's seventh installment also maintained its spot among the five most profitable movies of all time.

The age of rising production costs

It is safe to say that visual innovation, special effects, and a high overall production standard are some of the main appeals of blockbuster movie franchises such as Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unsurprisingly, this strive for visual and technological excellence is also reflected in production budgets. Data on the production costs of Star Wars movies showed that the filming of "Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi" (2017) had cost an impressive 317 million U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, the production costs of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011) reached nearly 380 million, making it the most expensive film production worldwide.