Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back tops the domestic weekend box office thanks to drive-in movie theaters as the coronavirus pandemic continues
As 2020 continues, yet another precedent has been set, with a 40-year-old film topping the US domestic box office over the weekend.
By Saturday afternoon, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back was tracking to lead the box office by raking in an estimated $175K at 483 locations, Deadline reports.
And with the overwhelming majority of brick-and mortar movie theaters still shuttered due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the beloved Star Wars film has a hallmark of American nostalgia to thank for its newfound success: the drive-in movie theater.
Back to the future: As 2020 continues, yet another precedent has been set, with 1980’s Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back topping the US domestic box office this weekend
In spite of the fact that they represent only a third of the over 1,000 movie theaters currently open in the country, drive-in theaters are generating the most business, with a majority of the top-grossing 135 movie locations in the US this weekend being drive-ins.
It makes sense, since the drive-in concept allows for the communal experience of going out to watch a movie as an audience, all the while allowing an adherence to current social distancing guidelines in place to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Drive-in establishments such as the Mission Tiki in Montclair, California are strict about regulations once patrons leave the car, requiring the wearing of face masks and a minimum distance of 6 to 12 feet between vehicles.
With the overwhelming majority of brick-and mortar movie theaters still shuttered, the beloved Star Wars film has a hallmark of American nostalgia to thank for its newfound success: the drive-in movie theater (pictured here: The Fort Union Drive-In in Las Vegas, Nevada)
Empire Strikes Back, originally released in June of 1980 as the followup to the original 1977 classic Star Wars, is arguably considered the pinnacle of that franchise.
It was rereleased in 1982 ahead of the third installment Return Of The Jedi, and then again as a ‘Special Edition’ with a restored print, upped visual effects and new footage in 1997.
With all those theatrical runs, plus the new box office take this weekend, Empire now boasts a lifetime gross of somewhere over $290M stateside.
Yoda knows: Empire Strikes Back, originally released in June of 1980 as the followup to the original 1977 classic Star Wars, is arguably considered the pinnacle of that franchise
The film is projected to make somewhere between $400k and $500k once the weekend is through.
Other classic ‘catalog’ films popular at drive-ins that recently enjoyed reissues are 1984’s Ghostbusters, as well as 1993’s Jurassic Park and Jaws from 1975.
Largely thanks in to the newly revived drive-in culture, these movies have been collecting somewhere in the vicinity of a half million dollars per weekend on less than 500 sites.
Moneymaker: With all its theatrical runs, plus the new box office take this weekend, Empire now boasts a lifetime gross of somewhere over $290M stateside
It makes sense: The drive-in concept allows for the communal experience of going out to watch a movie as an audience, all the while allowing an adherence to current social distancing guidelines (pictured: A pop-up drive-in in a parking lot behind the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, Massachusetts)