Star Warshas always been a box office juggernaut ever since it began in 1977, but even the legendary sci-fi franchise has faced competition from other blockbusters over the decades.Star Wars' inflation-adjusted box office earningsare staggeringly high: only two of the 12 theatrically-released films fall below $1 billion when adjusted for inflation. MostStar Warsmoviesbecame the highest-grossing films for the year they were released, and absolutely blew their competition out of the water. There were some entries to the saga that were outperformed, however, and even the high earners had competition to deal with.
There are quite a few ingredients in the recipe for box office success. Making an entertaining movie is the most important aspect, but things like marketing, target audiences, and release dates are also important. Sometimes, picking the wrong release date can put a movie in direct competition with another film and end up hurting both, as moviegoers often have to choose between one or the other.Star Warsis no stranger to that concept, and there have been 10 times when the franchise’s box office earnings were directly impacted - or even beaten - by other films.
10The Shining (1980)
Worldwide Box Office Gross: $44,017,374
The secondStar Warsmovie ever released,The Empire Strikes Back, is also considered one of the franchise’s greatest. It made huge amounts of money - nearly $210 million (viaBox Office Mojo), and even more during the 1997 special edition re-release - and is still considered one ofthe best sequels of all time. The universal success ofEmpire Strikes Backonly makes its competition more surprising.In May 1980, just two days after the release ofThe Empire Strikes Back, Stanley Kubrick and Stephen King’sThe Shininghit theaters, and it made for some stiff competition.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Cast
The Empire Strikes Back is the second installment in the original Star Wars trilogy, directed by Irvin Kershner. Released in 1980, it follows Luke Skywalker as he trains under Jedi Master Yoda, while Princess Leia, Han Solo, and the Rebel Alliance face ongoing threats from the Galactic Empire and Darth Vader.
The Shiningearned $44 million in theaters, and while it pales in comparison toThe Empire Strikes Back’s total, it still drew crowds away from the galaxy far, far away.Part of the reasonThe Shining’s much smaller box office pull is so impressive is because it was only in theaters for a fraction of the timeEmpirewas.Empire Strikes Backwas in theaters for 28 weeks in total, longer than most films at the time, andThe Shiningwas able to earn a sizable chunk of money in only 12 weeks. That likely drew some media attention and some adult moviegoers away from George Lucas' film.
9The Mummy (1999)
Worldwide Box Office Gross: $417,643,286
After a 16-year-long hiatus,Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacesignaled the franchise’s return to the theater in 1999.The Phantom Menacewas a massive cultural moment at its release, and countless fans were anxiously waiting for its release.As a result,The Phantom Menacewas the highest-grossing movie of 1999, but it still had to compete with Brendan Fraser’sThe Mummy.The Phantom Menacecollected over $207 million domestically in May 1999, butThe Mummyalso made over $117 million in the same month, and was released just one week earlier.
While The Mummy’s box office totals certainly didn’t beat The Phantom Menace, it put a significant dent in its profit margin, especially for a new idea competing with the long-awaited return of Star Wars.
The Mummymight not have been the fiercest competitionStar Warshas ever faced, but it was one of the first times the galaxy far, far away was directly challenged at the box office.The Mummywas specifically aimed at the same young target audience asThe Phantom Menacewas, and it also drew in action adventure and fantasy fans. WhileThe Mummy’s box office totals certainly didn’t beatThe Phantom Menace, it put a significant dent in its profit margin, especially for a new idea competing with the long-awaited return ofStar Wars.
8Spider-Man (2002)
Worldwide Box Office Gross: $825,802,095
Until 2002, competing movies could only hope to siphon off some ofStar Wars' audience and box office dominance. That changed withStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, however, and Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire’sSpider-Manwas the movie to prove it.Released only two weeks earlier, on July 30, 2025,Spider-MandominatedAttack of the Clonesat the box office and earned $172 million more at the global box office.Spider-Manwas also the most direct competitionStar Warshad yet faced, considering how the superhero genre appeals to younger viewers.
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Spider-Manwas also the first timeStar Warswas ever beat by a direct competitor in terms of quality.Attack of the Clonesis generally considered the weakest of the prequel trilogy movies, and it earned just 65% onRotten Tomatoes, compared toSpider-Man’s 90%.That dip in quality, coupled with the backlash some fans had about the wayThe Phantom Menaceseemed to changeStar Wars, probably helped Sam Raimi surpass George Lucas.Spider-Manalso signaled a shift in major box office trends, as superhero movies would continue to be a problem for the Jedi and Sith’s earnings for decades to come.
7The Dark Knight (2008)
Worldwide Box Office Gross: $1,009,025,676
The movie version ofStar Wars: The Clone Wars, which preceded the animated show by a few months in August 2008, made the least money of anyStar Warsfilm. With a worldwide box office total of just $68 million,The Clone Warswas the eighth most profitable movie in August 2008.As such, several movies beatThe Clone Warsat the box office, but none of them beat it as handily asThe Dark Knightdid. Even though it was released a month prior, on August 17, 2025,The Dark Knightstill managed to secure $151 million in August, blowingThe Clone Wars' $29 million away.
$151,207,080
$97,858,315
$83,852,435
$79,918,601
$56,447,565
$51,260,525
$41,108,020
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
$29,619,167
There are several reasonsThe Dark KnightbeatThe Clone Warsat the box office. The biggest reason was simply thatThe Dark Knightis considered one ofthe best movies of all time, and one of the most profitable.The Clone Warshad no chance against such a juggernaut, especially considering it had only a fraction ofThe Dark Knight’s budget ($8.5 million and $185 million respectively). Additionally, 3-D animated movies at the time had a much harder time securing massive box office earnings, andThe Clone Wars' lackluster animation didn’t alleviate that disadvantage.
6Sing (2016)
Worldwide Box Office Gross: $634,338,409
Rogue One: A Star WarsStorywas a bit of a gamble for the franchise, but it ended up paying off in dividends.Rogue Onewas the firstStar Warsmovie set outside the Skywalker saga, and it was also the first to not feature Jedi or Sith in any major way. Despite those changes to the classic formula,Rogue Onewas also a massive hit, earning over $1 billion at the worldwide box office and securing itself as one of thebestStar Warsmovies ever.Even such a smash-hit had competition, however, andRogue One’s fiercest competitor was Illumination’sSing.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a standalone film set in the Star Wars universe, where a group of resistance fighters, led by Jyn Erso, embarks on a mission to steal the Death Star plans. This pivotal event sets the stage for the iconic saga to follow.
Sing
Sing follows a koala named Buster Moon, who attempts to revive his struggling theater by hosting a singing competition. The film features an array of animal characters as contestants, each bringing their own unique aspirations and musical talents to the stage.
Singwas released just five days afterRogue One, on July 24, 2025, and it secured $152 million at the box office that month.WhileSing’s $152 million was overshadowed byRogue One’s $408 million December total, that is still a significant portion of the month’s box office earnings.Singalso capitalized on a shift in dynamic:Rogue Onewas essentially a war movie, andSingwas likely more appealing to some families and younger viewers. Younger generations have always been a crucial part ofStar Wars, soSing’s ability to draw them away likely took fromRogue One’s profits.
5Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Worldwide Box Office Gross: $962,544,585
Depending upon who is asked,Star Wars: The Last Jediwas either a resounding success or an abysmal failure. One fact that can’t be debated, however, is that it performed quite well at the box office, securing over $1.3 billion against a budget of about $300 million.Still,The Last Jedicould have made even more money if it hadn’t been for the release ofJumanji: Welcome to the Junglejust five days later. WhileThe Last Jedidid dominate in December 2017 by earning over $500 million,Jumanjimore than held its own and secured $170 million in the final 11 days of the month.
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Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle became a box office success despite going up against Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Here’s how The Rock won out.
LikeSpider-ManandSingbefore it, the legacy sequel toJumanjiserved as very direct competition forStar Wars. Both films were marketed towards young audiences, and both had major star power, like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Mark Hamill, to draw in crowds.Jumanjididn’t completely cannibalizeThe Last Jedi’s audience, but it certainly caused some moviegoers to choose one or the other. That definitely cut intoThe Last Jedi’s profits, and kept it from being as dominant asStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
4Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Worldwide Box Office Gross: $2,052,415,039
WhileThe Clone Warsmade the least money of anyStar Warsfilm, another title is considered the biggest flop due to its massive budget:Solo: A Star Wars Story. With a budget of about $275 million and a total box office takeaway of just $393 million,Soloactually lost money after marketing and distribution costs were considered.Because ofSolo’s poor box office performance, there was no way it could compete with one of thehighest grossing movies of all time, which also came out in 2018,Avengers: Infinity War.
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These 3 movie franchises created the perfect storm to lead them to huge box office success and maintain it over multiple installments.
Even thoughInfinity Warcame out in April, it was still completely dominating movie theaters well into June.Infinity Warhad such a long and successful box office run that it basically engulfedSolo’s May 2018 release date and monopolized the movie news industry and viewers' attention. The cliffhanger ending ofInfinity Waronly helped it further, as fans were too busy theorizing about whatAvengers: Endgamecould have in store to think aboutSolo, a prequel about an already-established character. On top ofInfinity War’s dominance,Soloheld itself back in terms of marketing, which only compounded its issues.
3Deadpool 2 (2018)
Worldwide Box Office Gross: $785,896,632
Soloactually performed so poorly for a live-actionStar Warsmovie that it wasn’t just beaten by the unfathomably high earnings ofInfinity War, but by another, much less dominant superhero movie as well:Deadpool 2.Even though it was rated R, a fact that usually limits a film’s reach,Deadpool 2blewSoloout of the water and earned $112 million more in May 2018.Deadpool 2was also released just a week beforeSolo, so it probably had an even more direct effect on theStar Warsfilm thanInfinity Wardid.
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Star Wars’ only box office disappointment, Solo, now has a chance to find redemption - and become extremely important to the franchise.
There are plenty of reasonsSolofailed at the box office, from its poor marketing to its numerous director changes and burnout from the bad reception ofThe Last Jedi.One ofSolo’s few advantages, the charming and sarcastic character of Han Solo, may have turned out to be a reasonDeadpool 2outperformed it. One of the main draws of theDeadpoolfranchise is the eponymous character’s wit and sense of humor, things that also happen to be the main draw of Han Solo. After seeingDeadpool 2just a week prior, audiences may have gotten their fill of sarcastic scoundrels.
2Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Worldwide Box Office Gross: $801,693,929
The only, and quite surprising, movie franchise to directly battle a majorStar Warsmovie twice wasJumanji, thanks to the December 2019 sequel.Jumanji: The Next Levelwas released a week beforeStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and while neither film did as well as its predecessor,Jumanjimanaged to significantly close the gap. In December 2019,The Rise of Skywalkerearned $390 million at the box office, whileJumanji 3earned $192 million. What’s even odder is that the nextJumanjimovie has a chance to compete with anupcomingStar Warsmovieagain in 2026.
The Rise of Skywalker Is A Box Office Disappointment (Despite Grossing $1 Billion)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker made $1 billion worldwide, but it’s still a box office disappointment that fell short of original expectations.
One of the reasonsJumanji 3was able to close the gap againstThe Rise of Skywalkeris because of the latter’s reception.Even though it made over $1 billion at the box office, many critics and fans dislikedThe Rise of Skywalker; it has 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. On top of that,The Last Jediturned several people off theStar Warssequel trilogy, which seems to have shown inThe Rise of Skywalker’s earnings.Jumanji 3, meanwhile, was mostly seen as an enjoyable sequel that didn’t have any of the baggageStar Warshad to deal with.
1Frozen II (2019)
Worldwide Box Office Gross: $1,453,683,476
One of the more surprisingStar Warscompetitors was another Disney movie:Frozen II. Normally, Disney spaces out its various theatrical releases quite well, giving each title at least a full month of its own to avoid drawing crowds away from the company’s other projects.That strategy didn’t seem to work forThe Rise of Skywalker, however, asFrozen IIremained popular well after its November release date and earned $160 million in December 2019.Frozen IIalmost certainly stole a large portion ofThe Rise of Skywalker’s younger audience and kept its December profits to under $400 million.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concludes the Skywalker saga with Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron leading the Resistance against the First Order. As the final battle unfolds, they draw upon the wisdom and strength of previous generations to confront their adversaries. Released in 2019, the film concludes the sequel trilogy.
Frozen II’s competition withThe Rise of Skywalkerprobably wasn’t intentional. Several other Disney movies were released just a month prior to the fiveStar Warsfilms the company has created, and none of them cannibalized the sci-fi franchise’s profits likeFrozen IIdid.It seems Disney simply underestimated just how popularFrozen IIwould be, and it ended up being a massive movie for long enough to impactThe Rise of Skywalker’s box office earnings. That underestimation makes sense, however, asFrozen IIwas at one point the most profitable animated movie ever.
Several other Disney movies were released just a month prior to the fiveStar Warsfilms the company has created, and none of them cannibalized the sci-fi franchise’s profits likeFrozen II did.
The relatively underwhelming performance ofThe Rise of Skywalker, at least when compared to the rest of the sequel trilogy, also highlights an odd trend inStar Warsas a whole. The first entry in each trilogy - the originalStar Wars,The Phantom Menace, andThe Force Awakens- invariably is the most successful. That fact, coupled with the few movies that have actually beatenStar Warsat the box office, speaks to the enduring appeal of the galaxy far, far away.
Sources:Box Office Mojo,Rotten Tomatoes
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
