Star Wars is a franchise.
Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise , centered on a film series created by George Lucas . The franchise began in 1977 with the release of the film Star Wars ( later subtitled Episode IV : A New Hope in 1981 ) , which became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon . In 2015 , the total value of the Star Wars franchise was estimated at USD $ 42 billion , making Star Wars the second highest-grossing media franchise of all time .