On this day 46 years ago, arguably the greatest sequel in cinema history (many would say the greatest film full stop) arrived. With the near-impossible task of living up to its 1977 predecessor, The Empire Strikes Back not only matched the ambition of A New Hope, but surpassed it, and while its box office didn’t quite match the original ($209,398,025 compared to Star Wars $221,280,994), by the end of 1980 the top three movies of all time were Star Wars, Jaws and The Empire Strikes Back.
Watch the teaser, read the scroll up, check out the gallery, or just set aside 124 minutes and watch it all over again.
Episode V
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy.
Evading the dreaded Imperial Starfleet, a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker has established a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth.
The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space….
