Over the weekend, the 1980 Star Wars feature The Empire Strikes Back cracked the domestic box office top five."Empire Strikes Back has returned to the Top 5 at the domestic box office this wknd. Another re-release, this time very wide in 2,097 theaters, results in a $908k wknd and $433 avg. Star Wars sequel is playing to fans who want that big screen experience," said Gitesh Pandya on Twitter.
Among holdovers this weekend, according to Variety, The New Mutants brought in $1.14 million for a domestic gross of $19.5 million. Fellow holdover Unhinged grossed another $1 million, bringing this thriller to a $17.1 million domestic haul. Meanwhile, Tenet is nearing the $300 million mark at the worldwide box office.
This is not the first time Empire Strikes Back has made a splash at the 2020 domestic box office. In July, Empire topped the domestic box office with a $611,000 gross. All told, Empire has now grossed $292.1 million domestically.
Originally released on May 21, 1980, The Empire Strikes Back is the sequel to 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope. Since the prequels' inception, it is officially the fifth chronological installment in the film saga overall.
Directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and Frank Oz, The Empire Strikes Back is now playing select theaters.