<Tr> <Th> Theme park attractions </Th> <Td> List of theme park attractions </Td> </Tr> <P> Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise, centered on a film series created by George Lucas . It depicts the adventures of characters "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away". </P> <P> 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, making it the second highest - grossing film series . Theatrical spin - off films include Rogue One (2016) and Solo (2018). </P> <P> The film series has spawned into other media, including television series, books, computer and video games, theme park attractions and lands, and comic books, resulting in significant development of the series' fictional universe . Star Wars holds a Guinness World Record for the "Most successful film merchandising franchise ." In 2015, the total value of the Star Wars franchise was estimated at US $42 billion . As of August 2018, it is the third - highest - grossing media franchise of all time . </P>

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