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Counted among the most watched and streamed franchises in the world, with millions of fans and billions in worldwide grossing,Star Warsis what made George Lucas the richest director in the world. Thanks to the insane world-building, a fresh storyline, new characters, and exciting elements, the franchise has now expanded to numerous movies, series, and TV specials.
However, when Lucas had first shown an unedited, unfinished cut of the first evenStar Warsmovie to a group of his director friends, including Steven Spielberg, they had told him it would be a complete failure. But these pundits couldn’t have been more wrong about it!
Also Read:George Lucas Filmed an Epic Star Wars Scene Like a Silent Film, Had John Williams Do the Heavy Lifting
When Steven Spielberg Told George LucasStar WarsWould Be A Failure
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George Lucasis now the richest director in the world thanks to his hugeStar Warsfranchise. However even before the first movie,Star Wars: A New Hopewas released he was told that the movie was a failure and could only gross about 50 million dollar at best. Even his fellow directorSteven Spielberg, who is known for his unique vision, was sure that the movie would be a failure.
In a still from behind-the-scenes documentary of the series (viaYouTube), Lucas had invited fellow directors who were also his good friends, for an early screening of the first movie in 1977. It was just a rough-cut and the majority of the special effects were missing from it.
After the screening was finished, his friends stated,
“I showed it to a group of my friends. Some… you know, felt sorry for me and said ‘Oh Gee, that’s too bad George.’ Some said ‘This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen’. And some of who liked it.”
As for Spielberg he was sure the movie would be a failure, he he himself recalls,
“And then later on when George and I were together, you know, George said, ‘I think I just made a kids movie, I think this is not gonna fly.’ I said, ‘I think it’s going to be a big hit. I think it’ll make $50-$60 [million].”
Well, all of them couldn’t have been more wrong!
Also Read:Mark Hamill Was “Sad” After George Lucas Made a Massive Change to Luke Skywalker After Shooting Star Wars For Months
Star WarsIs Now Among The Highest Grossing Franchises In The World
George Lucas, after watching his friend’s reactions was sure the movie would only manage to make about $15 to $20 million. So obviously it must have been a shocker to see when the movie managed to gross a record-breaking $775 million worldwide. And now it is among the highest grossing movie franchises of all time, having generated more than $10 billion worldwide.
From its immersive storyline to catchy musical scores, numerous factors have made the franchise it is today. However, as the franchise fever seems to be slowly fading away, with studios like Marvel and DC facing unprecedented challenges to uphold their dominance, it would be interesting to see whetherStar Warswould be able to navigate these challenges facing franchises.
Star Warsfranchise can be streamed on Disney+.
Maria Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2703
Maria Sultan is a dedicated News Content Writer at FandomWire. With over five years of professional experience and hundreds of published articles, she brings a wealth of expertise to her coverage of Marvel, K-dramas, and the latest on streaming platforms.Her work is not just about reporting news; it’s about providing insightful perspectives on the entertainment trends that matter most.
