Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Returning to Theaters This Summer
One of the most common reactions after seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters was to go back and rewatch the original trilogy again. Part of that is nostalgia, and part of that is that The Force Awakens was, for better or worse, a rehash of a lot of similar plot points from A New Hope. Well, if you’ve got a hankering to watch A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi on the big screen instead of on your couch, we’ve got some good news for you. The first three Star Wars films are turning to theaters this summer with new video content and “special surprises.”
The re-release is part of a partnership between Lucasfilm and the Alamo Drafthouse and their yearly Rolling Roadshow series of “famous movies in famous places.” This year will bring the classic Star Wars films to over 20 cities this summer. Now comes the slightly disappointing news: this won’t be the original theatrical cuts, but the 1997 re-release format. Because they are Drafthouse screenings, you can expect a lot of additional fun to be had at each even includes contests, props and possibly even new, exclusive Mondo posters. (Oddly enough, all screenings are at arts theaters and not at Drafthouse theaters.)
Says Drafthouse themselves:
Each “Return of the Trilogy” screening will be its own one-of-a-kind event! Some will be galactic-sized triple feature marathons, while others will even take place beneath the actual stars! All shows will feature specially curated videos & clips between films, contests (Jedi mind tricks, anyone?), props to bring the power of the Force to life, and loads of other STAR WARS insanity.
According to Entertainment Weekly, tickets for the screenings will go on sale on Star Wars Day, May 4th, on ReturnOfTheTrilogy.com.
Here is a list of dates and locations announced so far.
August 6 – San Francisco, CA / The Warfield
August 6 – Kansas City, MO / The Midland Theatre
August 6 – Washington, D.C. / Warner Theatre
August 6 – Los Angeles, CA / The Theatre at the Ace Hotel
August 6 – New York, NY / The Town Hall
August 6 – Miami, FL / Olympia Theatre
August 6 – San Antonio, TX Majestic Theatre
August 7 – New York, NY / Kings Theatre
August 7 – Dallas, TX / Majestic Theatre
August 11 – 13 – Austin, TX / The Long Center for the Performing Arts
August 13 – Philadelphia, PA / The Keswick Theatre
August 13 – Louisville, KY / Brown Theatre
August 20 – Oakland, CA / Paramount Theatre
August 27 – Boston, MA / The Boston Opera House
Date TBD – Houston, TX / Venue TBD
Date TBD – Denver, CO / Venue TBD