Why The Force Awakens Deserves a Theatrical Re-Release

Theatrical re-releases of Star Wars films are a longstanding tradition dating back to the franchise’s earliest days. After all, the inaugural installment of Star Wars was re-released in theaters in August 1982 (to help promote the 1983 debut of Return of the Jedi), just five years after its initial release. Since then, several theatrical reissues have constantly reaffirmed that the only “proper” place to watch Star Wars is on the biggest screen possible.

With Revenge of the Sith scoring major box office returns in its April 2025 theatrical reissue and the original Star Wars poised for a 50th anniversary re-release in April 2027, the prominence of Star Wars in the theatrical re-release space is more tangible than ever. That’s why the Mouse House should open up the gates on giving Disney-era Star Wars properties theatrical reissues, starting with The Force Awakens.

The Force Awakens‘ Anniversary Is Approaching

Star Wars theatrical reissues tend to tie into a nice round anniversary number. There are exceptions to this, such as The Phantom Menace’s 2012 digital 3D re-release happening due to the resurgence of 3D exhibition rather than a year easily divisible by five. Typically, though, the 1997 Star Wars reissue was intertwined with the film’s 20th anniversary, while the various 2020s Star Wars re-releases (including Revenge of the Sith’s 2025 reissue) have been connected to similar anniversaries. That makes it a no-brainer to give The Force Awakens a proper theatrical reissue in 2025.

After all, the 10th anniversary of its release (on December 18, 2015) is drawing closer and closer. A film that once looked like it would never actually exist (a motion picture set after the continuity of Return of the Jedi) will soon have existed for years in the double-digit range. That’s a momentous occasion, especially since this is also the first title in the Disney Star Wars era of the franchise. The Mouse House’s control of new big-screen entities in this saga is officially a decade old, a tremendous feat worth commemorating with a theatrical reissue.

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Plus, while subsequent sequel trilogy installments have inspired divisive responses from fans, The Force Awakens has largely been shielded from such criticisms. There aren’t constant mocking memes online about it, nor have snippets of its dialogue become go-to punchlines when snarky YouTubers talk about poor screenwriting. Unleashing The Force Awakens back into theaters, even if it’s just for one week like Revenge of the Sith’s 2025 reissue, wouldn’t be as much of a lightning rod for immediate controversy.

All Eras of Star Wars Media Need to Be Big Theatrical Deals Again

As Disney prepares to relaunch new Star Wars movies on the big screen with May 2026’s The Mandalorian & Grogu, the studio is grappling with how to sell this franchise as a must-see theatrical event after years of costly live-action Star Wars media being exclusive to Disney+. Revenge of the Sith’s lucrative theatrical reissue, which inspired countless stories of audience members joyfully cheering together over certain sequences, was one step towards reminding people of the wonders of communal Star Wars experiences in movie theaters.

Bringing The Force Awakens back to movie theaters could be an optimal way to remind people of the virtues of Star Wars on the big screen. After all, it isn’t just pre-2010s Star Wars media that’s valuable in a theatrical setting. All eras of Star Wars cinema should be reaffirmed as theatrically valuable so that any new movie in the saga (like The Mandalorian & Grogu) is seen as similarly vital. Plus, putting The Force Awakens on the big screen once more could remind people of joyful memories they made in theaters ten years ago when this title first hit lightspeed in pop culture.

There are even box office reasons why The Force Awakens should come back to theaters: namely, it’s still the biggest movie ever at the domestic box office. Something that’s clearly a beloved theatrical event should never remain out of theaters for too long – or be afraid to redeploy for another battle to keep its crown (see also: Avatar). Disney+ is not the ideal destination to watch a film that towers over all North American films in terms of raw dollars. Especially not a film within a franchise that’s famous for constantly rotating its installments (save for Attack of the Clones) back into multiplexes. Before 2025 draws to a close, The Force Awakens deserves a 10th anniversary theatrical reissue so that it can properly “rhyme” with its cinematic brethren.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now streaming on Disney+.