For fans of the Star Wars franchise, the Force will be reawakening all over again this summer, thanks to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema theater chain.
Alamo is bringing the original Star Wars trilogy back to the big screen for a sponsored series that will show the classic films in theaters and performing arts centers across the country throughout August. The 1977 original, Episode IV – A New Hope, along with Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI – Return of the Jedi will all screen back to back as a space-opera triple-feature in more than 20 cities, including a handful of outdoor showings.
Tickets for Alamo’s “The Return of the Trilogy” will go on sale in most markets on May 4 (aka “Star Wars Day”) at ReturnoftheTrilogy.com. The films will all be presented in the same format used for their 1997 theatrical rerelease, which preceded the release of the first Star Wars prequel, The Phantom Menace, in 1999.
“It’s always been a dream to show the original Star Wars trilogy again—somehow, some way,” Alamo Drafthouse’s VP of special events, Henri Mazza, said in a statement. “Seeing the original trilogy on the big screen for the first time is a real life-altering event and just a supreme amount of fun. When the films became available to book for screenings like these, we jumped at the chance to do something big.”
This is an opportune time to put anything Star Wars-related on the big screen, considering the global behemoth that was franchise reboot Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Released in December, that film blasted past box-office records with a huge opening weekend on its way to becoming the third highest-grossing film of all time with $2.06 billion in global ticket sales. Walt Disney (DIS), which bought the franchise in 2012, plans to release at least five more movies from the Star Wars universe (galaxy far, far away?) Through 2020, with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story next on tap this December.