Editing The Empire Strikes Back (section)

== Release ==
=== Context ===
{{See also|1980 in film}}
[[File:Mark Hamill 1980.jpg|thumb|alt=A photograph of Mark Hamill in 1980, promoting ''The Empire Strikes Back'' while pointing at a puppet of Yoda|[[Mark Hamill]] promoting the film in 1980]]

Industry professionals expected comedies and positive entertainment to dominate theaters in 1980 because of low morale in the United States caused by an [[Early 1980s recession in the United States#1980|economic recession]]. This generally increased theatrical visits as audiences sought escapism and ignored romantic films and depictions of [[Blue-collar worker|blue-collar life]].<ref name="NYTimesMostPopular" /><ref name="NYTimesTanenPredict" /> A surge of interest in science fiction following ''Star Wars'' led to many low-budget entries in the genre attempting to profit by association and big-budget entries such as ''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]'' and ''[[The Black Hole (1979 film)|The Black Hole]]'', both released just months before ''The Empire Strikes Back''.<ref name="NYTimesKurtz" /> Sequels were not expected to perform as well as their originals, and there were low expectations for merchandising.{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=300}} Even so, tie-in deals were arranged with [[Coca-Cola]], [[Nestlé]], [[General Mills]], and [[Topps]] collectibles.{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=255}}

Fox was confident in the film and spent little money on advertising, taking out small advertisements in newspapers instead of full-page spreads.{{sfn|The New York Times, June|1980}} The studio's market research showed 60% of those interested in the film were male.{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=335}} Lucasfilm set up a telephone number allowing callers to hear a message from cast members.{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=324}} Fox demanded a minimum 28-week appearance in theaters, although 12 weeks was the norm for major films.{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=321}} Estimates suggested ''Empire'' needed to earn $57.2{{nbsp}}million to be profitable, after marketing, distribution, and loan interest costs.{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|pp=154,323}}

=== Credits and title ===
As with ''Star Wars'', Lucas wanted to place all of the [[motion picture credits|crew credits]] at the end of the film to avoid interfering with the opening. The [[Writers Guild of America]] (WGA) and [[Directors Guild of America]] (DGA) had allowed this for the first film because Lucas directed and it opened with the logo for his namesake Lucasfilm, but for ''Empire'' they refused to allow Kershner or the first and second unit directors<!-- Is assistant director, not unit director, intended here? Kershner WAS the first unit director, after all --> to be credited only at the end, fined Lucas $250,000 when he ignored them and tried to have the film removed from theaters.{{sfn|Hearn|2005|p=132}} Because Lucas had followed the laws relevant to the United Kingdom where it was produced, the DGA was unable to sanction him and instead fined Kershner $25,000.{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=335}} Lucas paid his fine but was so frustrated that he left the WGA, DGA, and [[Motion Picture Association]], which restricted his ability to write and direct future films.{{sfn|Hearn|2005|p=132}}<ref name="NYTimesDGA" />

''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' leaked the film's title in January 1978;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Grant |first=Hank |date=1978-01-25 |title=Rambling Reporter |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |pages=3}}</ref> it was officially announced in August.{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|pp=34,37}} The [[Star Wars opening crawl|opening crawl]] identified the film as ''Star Wars: Episode&nbsp;V — The Empire Strikes Back'', establishing Lucas's plan to make a nine-part ''Star Wars'' series. ''Star Wars'' was also renamed ''Episode IV — A New Hope''.<ref name="TimeTitle" /><ref name="ScreenRantTitle" /> [[Roger Kastel]] designed the theatrical poster.<ref name="RogerKastel" />

=== Box office ===
[[File:Kennedy Center seen from the Potomac River, June 2010.jpg|thumb|left|alt=The Kennedy Center (a low-rise white building) as seen from the Potomac River|The first North American screening of ''The Empire Strikes Back'' took place at the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]] (pictured in 2010).]]

A sneak preview of ''The Empire Strikes Back'' took place on May&nbsp;6, 1980 at the [[Dominion Theatre]] in London, followed by another preview screening on May&nbsp;17 at the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts|Kennedy Center]] in Washington, D.C.{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=328}} This event, which featured the principal cast, was attended by 600 children, including [[Special Olympics|Special Olympians]].<ref name="WAPoPremiere" />{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=328}} The film's world premiere took place on May&nbsp;20 at the [[Odeon Leicester Square]] in London. Dubbed "Empire Day", the event included actors in Stormtrooper attire interacting with people across the city.<ref name="StarWarsUKPremiere" /><ref name="StarWarsUKPremiereGetty" />{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=328}}

In North America, ''Empire'' opened mid-week on May&nbsp;21, leading into the extended [[Memorial Day]] holiday weekend.<ref name="BOMEmpire" /> The number of theaters was deliberately [[limited theatrical release|limited]] to 126 to make it difficult to get a ticket, thus generating more appeal—a strategy used with films expected to receive positive word of mouth.{{sfn|The New York Times, June|1980}} The film earned $1.3{{nbsp}}million during its opening day—an average of $10,581 per theater.<ref name="BOMEmpireOpeningDay" /> It garnered a further $4.9{{nbsp}}million during the weekend and $1.5{{nbsp}}million during the Monday holiday, for a total of $6.4{{nbsp}}million—an average of $50,919 per theater. This made ''Empire'' the number one film of the weekend, ahead of the [[counterprogramming (film distribution)|counterprogrammed]] debuts of the comedy ''[[The Gong Show Movie]]'' ($1.5{{nbsp}}million) and ''The Shining'' ($600,000).<ref name="BOMEmpire" /><ref name="BOMOpeningWeekend" /><ref name="GizmodoOpening" /> By the end of its first week, the film had earned $9.6{{nbsp}}million—a 60% increase over ''Star Wars''—averaging $76,201 per theater, the highest-ever figure for a film in over 100 theaters.{{sfn|The New York Times, June|1980}}<ref name="NYTimesFirstWeekAverage" /><ref name="BOMNewHope" />

It remained number one until its fourth weekend, when it fell to third with $3.6{{nbsp}}million, behind the spoof comedy ''[[Wholly Moses!]]'' ($3.62{{nbsp}}million) and the Western ''[[Bronco Billy]]'' ($3.7{{nbsp}}million).<ref name="BOMEmpireOpeningDay" /><ref name="BOMEmpireWeekEndJune13" /> It regained the number one position in its fifth weekend, expanding its theater count to 823 and earning $10.8{{nbsp}}million.<ref name="BOMEmpireOpeningDay" /><ref name="BOMEmpireWeekEndJune20" /> Combined with its weekday gross, ''Empire'' garnered a single-week gross of approximately $20{{nbsp}}million, a box office record the film would hold until ''[[Superman II]]''{{'}}s $24{{nbsp}}million the following year.<ref name="BOMEmpireWeeklyJune20" /><ref name="NYTimesSuperman" />{{sfn|Variety, August|1980}} It remained number one for the next seven weeks, before falling to number two in its thirteenth week with $4.3{{nbsp}}million, behind the debuting ''[[Smokey and the Bandit II]]'' ($10.9{{nbsp}}million). Detailed box office tracking is unavailable for the rest of ''Empire''{{'}}s 32-week, 1,278-theater total run.<ref name="BOMEmpireOpeningDay" /><ref name="BOMEmpireWeekEndAug15" />

''Empire'' earned between $181.4–209.4{{nbsp}}million in its initial North American release, making it the [[1980 in film|highest-grossing film of the year]], ahead of the comedy films {{Nowrap|''[[9 to 5 (film)|9 to 5]]''}} ($103.3{{nbsp}}million), ''[[Stir Crazy (film)|Stir Crazy]]'' ($101.3{{nbsp}}million), and ''[[Airplane!]]'' ($83.5{{nbsp}}million).<ref name="NYTimesMostPopular" /><ref name="BOMDomestic1980" />{{sfn|Variety, May|1999|p=30}} Although it earned less than the $221.3{{nbsp}}million of ''Star Wars'', ''Empire'' was considered a financial success. Industry experts estimated the film returned $120{{nbsp}}million to the filmmakers,<ref name="NYTimesIndulgent" /><ref name="NYTimesMostPopular" />{{sfn|Variety, May|1999|p=30}} which recouped Lucas's investment and cleared his debt;{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=336}} he paid out $5{{nbsp}}million in employee bonuses.{{sfn|Hearn|2005|p=132}} Box office figures are unavailable for all the releases outside of North America in 1980, although ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported the film performed well in the United Kingdom and Japan. According to ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', ''Empire'' earned approximately $192.1{{nbsp}}million, giving the film a cumulative worldwide gross of $401.5{{nbsp}}million{{efn-lr|The 1980 worldwide box office gross of $401.5{{nbsp}}million is equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|401500000|1980}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation/fn|US}}}}, making it the highest-grossing film of the year.{{sfn|Groves|1997|p=14}}{{sfn|Woods|1997|p=14}}{{sfn|The New York Times, May|1980}} ''Empire'' did not achieve the same success as ''Star Wars'', which Lucas blamed on its inconclusive ending.<ref name="NYTimesIndulgent" />{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|pp=346,348}}

''Empire'' has received multiple theatrical re-releases, including in July 1981 ($26.8{{nbsp}}million), November 1982 ($14.5{{nbsp}}million), and [[Changes in Star Wars re-releases|Special Edition versions]] (modified by Lucas) in February 1997 ($67.6{{nbsp}}million).{{sfn|Variety, May|1999}} Cumulatively, these releases have raised the North American box office gross to $290.3–$292.4{{nbsp}}million.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|Variety, May|1999}}<ref name="Deadline2020BO" /><ref name="BoMWorldwideTotal2021" /><ref name="TheNumbersWWTotal2021" />}} It is estimated to have earned a worldwide total of $538.4–$549{{nbsp}}million.<ref name="BoMWorldwideTotal2021" /><ref name="TheNumbersWWTotal2021" /> Adjusted for inflation, the North American box office is equivalent to $920.8{{nbsp}}million, making it the [[List of highest-grossing films in Canada and the United States|thirteenth-highest-grossing film ever]].<ref name="BomAdjusted" />