The Empire Strikes Back
The Star Wars saga continues.
The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda.But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke.Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.
- Director
- Irvin Kershner
- Signature
- Craft · Wonder · Action
- Worldwide
- $538M
Who's in it
Cast
The billed ensemble, with character names. Open any performer for their Nutevio filmography.
The Nutevio profile
Movie DNA
How The Empire Strikes Back actually feels to watch, measured on the twelve traits our editors track across every Nutevio title.
Story overview
What It's About
Spoiler-free. Read the analysis below for the full argument.
The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
Checking regional listings…
Why We Recommend It
Why It's Ranked
The Empire Strikes Back appears in 8 Nutevio collections. Here is the argument behind each placement.
- Hidden Sci-Fi Gems Ranked #7
Placed at #7 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Best Space Movies Ranked #7
Placed at #7 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Best Action Movies Ranked #9
Placed at #9 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Action Movies Ranked #10
Placed at #10 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Sci-Fi Movies Ranked #13
Placed at #13 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Adventure Movies Ranked #17
Placed at #17 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Top 100 Mind-Bending Movies Ranked #17
Placed at #17 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Top 250 Movies of All Time Ranked #29
Placed at #29 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
The record
Awards
3 wins · 3 nominations
Academy Awards
1 win · 3 nominations
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Original Score
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
1 win
- WinnerHugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
Saturn Awards
1 win
- WinnerSaturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film
The numbers
Box Office & Release
The Empire Strikes Back returned 29.9× its budget worldwide.
- Budget
- $18M
- Opening weekend
- —
- Domestic gross
- —
- International gross
- —
- Worldwide gross
- $538M
- Release date
- May 20, 1980
- Runtime
- 2h 4m
- MPAA rating
- —
- Language
- English
- Country
- United States of America
Figures from the verified production record. Fields we cannot source are left blank rather than estimated.
Watch
