starwars_550

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (also known as Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith) is a 2005 American epic space opera film that is the sequel to The Phantom Menace (1999) and Attack of the Clones (2002). It is the sixth film in the Star Wars film series, the third installment in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and third chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". It was written and directed by George Lucas, who also served as executive producer. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Frank Oz.

Revenge of the Sith is set three years after the onset of the Clone Wars, as established in Attack of the Clones, which depicts the rise of Darth Sidious and the Galactic Empire as well as Anakin Skywalker turning to the dark side of the Force, which will have wide-ranging consequences in the galaxy that lead to the extermination of the Jedi.

Lucas began writing the script before production of Attack of the Clones ended, saying he wanted the end of the trilogy to be similar to a romantic tragedy, thus leading into Darth Vader's state at the beginning of the next film. Production of Revenge of the Sith started in June 2003, and filming took place in Australia, Thailand, Switzerland, China, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Revenge of the Sith premiered on May 15, 2005, at the Cannes Film Festival, and was theatrically released in the United States on May 19. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, with praise for the mature themes, darker tone, emotional depth, and performances, although some criticism was reserved for Lucas's screenplay and Christensen's performance; many consider it the best installment of the trilogy. It broke several box-office records during its opening week and earned $850 million worldwide during its initial run, making it the second-highest-grossing film in the Star Wars franchise at the time. It was the highest-grossing film in the U.S. and the second-highest-grossing film worldwide in 2005. It also holds the record for the highest opening-day gross on a Thursday, at $50 million. It was the last Star Wars film distributed by 20th Century Fox, although it was also acquired by Disney over six years after it acquired Lucasfilm.