A few weeks from now, in a movie theater not far, far away, IU Cinema is set to screen the entire original “Star Wars” trilogy.
The cinema announced the movie marathon via a promotional graphic on its Twitter accountin June, captioned “SOON” with the emoji of a pair of eyes.
All three original “Star Wars” films — “A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” — will screen back-to-back-to-back on August 24 at IU Cinema. A screeningtime has yet to be announced.
A ticket for all three films costs $20 and will be available for purchase online or at the box office at a date yet to be announced.
“IU Cinema is thrilled to welcome everyone back to campus this Aug. w/ a special engagement screening marathon of ‘Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope,’ ‘Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back,’ and ‘Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi,’” reads fine print at the bottom of a promotional flier.
“These rare digital screenings of the special edition versions of the original Star Wars trilogy will help IU Cinema kick off Indiana University’s Bicentennial celebration. See these films as they were intended to be seen, in a THX® Certified Cinema!"
The special editions are rereleased versions of the three original “Star Wars” movies supervised by George Lucas to include altered sequences, deleted scenes and newer visual effects.
Though often maligned for minorly altering the beloved originals, they are the only commercially available versions of the “Star Wars” movies and likely the versions most fans have seen.
“Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017. The film jump-started one of the most lucrative and culturally significant franchises in cinematic history, which will conclude this December with the ninth chronological installment, “The Rise of Skywalker.”
