‘The Phantom Menace’ Is the Most-Viewed Star Wars Film on Disney+
25 years after The Phantom Menace brought Star Wars back to theaters and launched the prequel trilogy, the film is continuing to break records.
When George Lucas returned audiences to a galaxy far, far, away on May 19, 1999, expectations for the film were through the roof.
Photo: Lucasfilm
In the 16 years that lapsed between the release of Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, the aura surrounding Star Wars had reached mythological proportions. For a generation of Star Wars fans who had grown up with the original trilogy, a new Star Wars film was a dream come true. Perhaps more importantly, however, for younger fans who had only gotten to see Star Wars on home video, the idea that a new Star Wars film would soon debut in theaters seemed like a generational event.
Perception of the Star Wars Prequels Has Changed
Unfortunately, by the time the dust settled, The Phantom Menace was written off as a disappointment by older Star Wars fans who felt that the film failed to live up to the standard set by the original trilogy. This would be the film’s legacy. Until now.
Photo: Star Wars
As the young fans who grew up with the prequel trilogy have reached adulthood, The Phantom Menace, like Anakin Skywalker himself, has been redeemed.
Photo: Lucasfilm
Once dismissed as a failed George Lucas vanity project, The Phantom Menace is now viewed with the same kind of reverence that original trilogy fans had for A New Hope.
The Prequel Renaissance
Propelled by the popularity of animated series such as The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, the Star Wars prequel trilogy has undergone something of a Renaissance in recent years.
Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor have recently returned to the franchise. Perhaps more importantly, the duo have been given a hero’s welcome by the same fanbase that lambasted the prequel trilogy when it arrived in theaters.
Photo: Parade
Leaning into the newfound popularity of the prequels, Lucasfilm created Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka, both of which continue the story of prequel-era characters.
‘The Phantom Menace’ Continues to Break Records
When The Phantom Menace returned to theaters last weekend to celebrate its 25th anniversary, the film delivered one of the strongest re-release box office performances of the last decade. In total, the first Star Wars prequel has now grossed over $1 billion at the box office.
Meanwhile, according to Variety, on Disney+, the film is the most viewed Star Wars film. The Phantom Menace not only managed to beat out newer fairs such as The Last Jedi or The Rise of Skywalker but also the hallowed original trilogy.
What seemed impossible a quarter decade ago has now come to fruition. George Lucas’s prequel trilogy is now viewed as the quintessential Star Wars story by a large segment of the fanbase, and the characters that the film introduced are now legends.
Photo: IMDB
It may have taken 25 years, but The Phantom Menace and its prequel brethren are finally getting the recognition they deserve. Hopefully, George Lucas is somewhere smiling.
