when did star wars change to episode 4
List of changes in Star Wars re-releases The first film was released in 1977 under the title Star Wars. The subtitles Episode IV and A New Hope were retroactively added to the opening crawl in a subsequent release.[11][12] Accounts differ as to when this change occurred. Some, including Lucasfilm, date the addition to a theatrical re-release on April 10, 1981,[8][11][12] while others place it much earlier at the re-release in July 1978.[13] This change was made to bring the original film in line with the titling of its sequel The Empire Strikes Back, which was released in 1980 with the subtitle Episode V.[8]
Star Wars The franchise began in 1977 with the release of the film Star Wars (later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope), which became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. It was followed by two successful sequels, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), all together constituting the original Star Wars trilogy. A prequel trilogy was released between 1999 and 2005, albeit to mixed reactions from both critics and fans. A more-recent third trilogy continues the story decades after Return of the Jedi, beginning in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The first eight films were nominated for Academy Awards, with wins going to the first two films released. The franchise has been commercially successful, with a combined box office revenue of over US$8.5 billion,[2] making it the second highest-grossing film series.[3] Theatrical spin-off films include Rogue One (2016) and Solo (2018).