Lucasfilm has announced that the original 1977 Star Wars film will be shown in IMAX 70mm for the first time, marking the franchise's 50th anniversary, alongside the newest instalment, Star Wars: Starfighter. The move matters most to longtime fans because the classic will reportedly be presented from a newly restored version of the original theatrical cut, rather than the digitally altered special editions that have circulated since the late 1990s, giving audiences a rare chance to see the film as it first appeared.

The original Star Wars will screen in IMAX 70mm from 19 February 2027, having only been officially shown twice since 1997, both at a UK film festival last year, and will now be presented on IMAX's large-format screens with John Williams' score in 12-channel surround sound. Star Wars: Starfighter follows on 28 May 2027, exactly 50 years after the first film's premiere weekend; shot digitally on Sony's CineAlta Venice 2 cameras at up to 8.6K, it will need to be upscaled and converted to IMAX 70mm, which can exceed 14K resolution.