Star Wars Is Finally Getting the IMAX 70mm Treatment, and It’s About Time

A New Hope Gets Its First Ever IMAX Run

Let that sink in for a second. The 1977 film that started all of this, later renamed Star Wars: A New Hope, has never been shown in IMAX before. Not digitally, not on film, not once in almost fifty years. That changes on February 19, 2027, when a newly restored version of the original theatrical cut returns to theaters as part of Lucasfilm’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration. It’ll play across standard theaters, but a select number of IMAX 70mm film locations will get the full large format experience, the same format IMAX built its reputation on.

For longtime fans, this is a genuinely rare opportunity. Seeing the movie that changed blockbuster filmmaking forever on the biggest, sharpest screens IMAX has to offer, in the format it was never originally built for, is the kind of theatrical event you don’t get very often.

Starfighter Joins It Just Months Later

Then on May 28, 2027, during the 50th anniversary weekend of the original Star Wars release, Star Wars: Starfighter arrives, also in IMAX 70mm. This one’s a fresh, standalone story from director Shawn Levy, known for Deadpool & Wolverine and Stranger Things, starring Ryan Gosling as a cynical rogue named Kade Auberon who gets pulled into a galaxy spanning adventure tied to his own mysterious past, one Lucasfilm has described as putting him on a crash course with destiny. The cast around him is stacked too, with Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, Flynn Gray, and Amy Adams all involved. Jonathan Tropper wrote the screenplay, with Levy and Kathleen Kennedy producing.

Fans actually got their first real look at the film back at D23 in August 2026, when Gosling and Levy took the stage together during the Disney Studio Showcase panel and introduced Kade Auberon to the crowd. Levy has said the film leans into themes of hope, family, and adventure, set during a stretch of Star Wars history audiences haven’t really seen on screen before.

Starfighter was filmed using IMAX certified cameras and will be converted into IMAX 70mm film prints for select theaters. That’s a meaningful difference for anyone who cares about how a movie actually looks on those giant screens.

Why IMAX 70mm Actually Matters Here

IMAX 70mm isn’t just marketing language, it’s a genuinely rare theatrical format. The technology behind it launched 60 years ago, and it’s currently available in only a small handful of cinemas worldwide, with reportedly just 34 theaters across North America capable of properly screening it. Despite that scarcity, or maybe because of it, IMAX 70mm screens have had a massive year, pulling in a reported $78 million in global box office, an eye-popping average of $1.9 million per screen, largely fueled by Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which is now IMAX’s highest grossing release ever.

The original Star Wars stepping into that format for the first time says a lot about how Lucasfilm wants this anniversary year to feel. Not just nostalgic, but genuinely event sized.

The Whole 50th Anniversary Year Is Stacking Up

These IMAX releases are really just one part of a much bigger celebration. 2027 will also bring Star Wars Celebration back to Los Angeles, running April 1 through April 4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, marking the first time the event has landed in LA since 2006. Line it all up and fans get a genuinely wild few months: the original Star Wars returning to theaters in February, Celebration in April, and then a brand new theatrical adventure with Starfighter in May. It’s a rare stretch where the franchise gets to look all the way back and all the way forward within the same year.

What This Means for the Celebration Ahead

Two theatrical Star Wars releases in one year, both getting the rare 70mm treatment, is a strong signal for how big 2027 is shaping up to be. Between the anniversary re-release, Starfighter’s debut, and everything else Lucasfilm has planned around the milestone, it’s looking like one of the biggest years for the franchise in a long time. If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to track down a real IMAX 70mm theater near you, February 2027 is shaping up to be it.

References

Star Wars (1977) and Star Wars: Starfighter in IMAX 70mm. (2026, September 8). StarWars.com.

Donnelly, M. (2026, September 8). ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ & ‘Star Wars’ 50th edition get Imax 70mm release. Deadline.

Star Wars gets Imax 70mm for Starfighter, A New Hope re-release. (2026, September 8). Variety.

‘Star Wars’ & ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ to receive IMAX 70mm releases in 2027. (2026, September 8). MickeyBlog.

The original ‘Star Wars’ is coming to IMAX 70mm theaters in 2027. (2026, September 8). PetaPixel.

Baver, K., & Coggan, D. (2026, August 15). Ryan Gosling is Kade Auberon in Star Wars: Starfighter. StarWars.com.

Star Wars Celebration goes Hollywood with new 2027 key art. (2026, May 6). StarWars.com.

Star Wars returns to theaters for 50th anniversary. (2025, December 5). StarWars.com.