Star Wars: A New Hope is set to receive its first ever IMAX release, timed to coincide with the film's 50th anniversary. The recently restored original 1977 print, predating the addition of its "Episode IV" subtitle, will screen in select IMAX cinemas fitted with 70mm film projectors, marking a significant moment for a film that transformed blockbuster cinema and spawned a vast franchise of sequels, spin-offs and merchandise.

Other IMAX venues will also show the film, though it remains unclear which version they will screen given the various cuts released over the decades. Star Wars first returned to cinemas in 1981, when George Lucas added the "Episode IV: A New Hope" subtitle to the opening crawl, and later resurfaced in 1997 in a remastered "Special Edition" with new effects and scenes. The re-release also arrives amid a wider resurgence of interest in IMAX, fuelled by the success of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, the first major studio feature shot entirely in the format.