The Star Wars franchise spans 11 films and a bevy of spinoff shows and video games, but there are few entries in its canon as beloved as the second entry George Lucas released to the world on May 21st, 1980. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back remains not only the most popular Star Wars movie among the massive fanbase, but it’s also easily one of the most successful sequels of all time, expanding the universe and characters of the original in ways that few follow-up films ever have.
Now, VUE Cinemas in the UK intend to re-release the pic on the big screen in 4K sometime soon as theaters around the world begin reopening following months of closures due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. No specific date has been set for the launch of this 4K remaster, but it’s hard to imagine it would be long after the doors open to the public once again, as companies are eager to begin enticing customers back to theaters.
In fact, The Empire Strikes Back won’t be the only classic coming back to cinemas. For instance, Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending Inception will also see a limited run beginning on July 17th and will be accompanied by the very first public footage of upcoming films Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong. Some of the other classic movies you can catch in theaters throughout 2020, meanwhile, include The Color Purple, the original King Kong, The Shining and The Blues Brothers. There are plenty more, too, so fans of some of the most influential and adored pics of all time should find something they’ll want to watch.
VUE Cinemas will reopen on July 4th, with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back expected to begin showing fairly soon after. Theaters are slowly beginning to reopen in the US as well, with AMC expected to begin reopening at an undisclosed date in July and Regal Theaters announcing just yesterday that they intend to swing their doors open on July 10th.