- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: 'STAR WARS: SPECIAL EDITION' HAS A ROYAL PREMIERE IN LONDON
- Date: 20th March 1997
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 20, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) (NIGHT SCENES) (* BEWARE FLASH [PHOTOGRAPHY **) LEICESTER SQUARE / STAR WARS TRILOGY POSTERS STORM TROOPERS AND DARTH VADER ARRIVING
- Embargoed: 4th April 1997 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA7ALPU5FFURNYI3NQ5ZA0FNN3X
- Story Text: "Star Wars: Special Edition" had its London premiere last week -- 20 years after the original film was released.
The movie has grossed about 1.33 billion dollars worldwide and is set to become the biggest box office smash of all time.
Its Royal premiere' in London on Thursday (March 20) unveiled a Star Wars which has been digitally enhanced to look and sound sharper.
It also has extra scenes and characters added.
Released on January 31 in the United States, it took a staggering 37 million dollars in its first three days.
In the UK, thousands of people packed London's Leicester Square for its British premiere, attended by Prince Charles.
Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" trilogy, was cheered by fans outside the cinema.
Hamill said there had not been a proper premiere for "Star Wars" twenty years before. He said the film carried a positive message, it was about hope and appealed to young people which was a "timeless thing".
Director George Lucas was also in London for the premiere.
Lucas said he ran out of money when he originally made the film so he had to just stop and release it.
He said he was pleased to have had the chance to go back and finish the film as he wanted to because many of the special effects were not finished the first time round.
Classic Star Wars characters like Storm Troopers and Darth Vader were also present to entertain the crowds as the celebrities arrived.
Star Wars broke all box office records when it was first released. Its re-release has allowed it to overtake "ET" and regain its title as biggest-earning film of all time. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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