Star Wars and Star Trek are considered the best of all the science fiction franchises in the entertainment industry. Throughout all these years, each franchise has transformed from its initial TV premiere and movie release in 1966 and 1977 into big establishments with fans across different generations.
The TV series of Star Trek evolved into a massive entertainment franchise, which now features various shows as well as films, books, comics, and merchandise series. The brand constructed its way from being dropped after three seasons to achieving its status as one of the most recognizable sci-fi properties.
As a creation of George Lucas, Star Wars grew into a movie-based multimillion-dollar powerhouse that changed the meaning of blockbusters and produced huge merchandising programs. Despite sharing elements of space themes and fan communities, the financial power of their productions differs significantly.
Star Wars at the box office
Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977)
A New Hope completely transformed sci-fi movie production by generating $775.3 million at the worldwide box office (via Box Office Mojo). Through its characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo, its unique story, and visual effects, the film also earned six Academy Awards. The tremendous commercial success kickstarted Star Wars into a blockbuster franchise.
Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Many critics view The Empire Strikes Back as the highest artistic peak in the entire franchise. Despite its complex narrative with dark elements, the movie managed to collect $550 million throughout the globe (via Box Office Mojo). The sequel exposed the famous plot twist that Darth Vader knew Luke Skywalker and built the Star Wars universe through the additions of Yoda and many other characters, which solidified its cultural status.
Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983)
The final film in the original trilogy achieved $482.4 million in total global revenue (via Box Office Mojo). The film delivered an appropriate conclusion to the initial Skywalker saga section while bringing Ewoks into the story alongside presenting the final duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.
Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Phantom Menace brought George Lucas back to directing duties 22 years later to earn worldwide revenues of $924.3 million (via Box Office Mojo). Even though it was not much loved by critics, the audience attendance was impressive to see Anakin Skywalker’s storyline as the prequel film became one of the most successful film releases in the franchise.
Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones (2002)
The worldwide gross earnings of Attack of the Clones reached $653.7 million (via Box Office Mojo). The movie develops Anakin and Padmé’s romantic bond and reveals the Clone Wars, which transformed the historical prequel events. While audiences made the film profitable, its storytelling received unfavorable criticism regarding dialogue and pacing.
Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Revenge of the Sith became a box office success by grossing $850 million (via Box Office Mojo) globally. The prequel trilogy reached its peak with this installment by showing how Anakin changed into Darth Vader through dark transformations while directly tying into the original trilogy and bringing nostalgia to original fans.
Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015)
The Force Awakens succeeded in generating record-breaking collections totaling $2.07 billion throughout the world (via Box Office Mojo). The franchise reboot by J.J. Abrams featured new characters Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren and reopened the original storyline to have the biggest box office success in Star Wars history.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
The anthology release Rogue One achieved a worldwide total of $1.05 billion (via Box Office Mojo). The prequel of A New Hope introduced how the Rebellion secured the Death Star plans in a more authentic and intense war film that received both critical and market success.
Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017)
Starring one of the most disputed Star Wars productions in history, the film successfully accumulated $1.3 billion (via Box Office Mojo) globally. The unexpected storyline of Star Wars mythology by Rian Johnson received some fan criticism but the movie achieved vast financial success.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Solo received a disappointing reception from box office viewers as the movie collected $392.9 million (via Box Office Mojo) from theaters worldwide. The Han Solo origin story faced some production complications that led to its position as the least successful Star Wars installment of the Disney period.
Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
The conclusion of the Star Wars sequel trilogy brought $1.07 billion (via Box Office Mojo) to its global collections. Audiences across the world approved of how the Star Wars Skywalker saga’s story ended in the feature that went on to become 2019’s third most profitable release.
Star Trek‘s box office journey
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
The revival of the franchise through The Motion Picture brought in $82.2 million (via Box Office Mojo) in global revenue after an absence of 10 years. The movie drew inspiration from 2001: A Space Odyssey in its direction while bringing back the original cast of the series to establish the groundwork for upcoming films despite its slow pacing.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
The Wrath of Khan holds the status of being the best Star Trek movie as per critics, and the movie brought in $79.8 million globally (via Box Office Mojo). Ricardo Montalban delivered a memorable villain performance in the film alongside emotional scenes like Spock’s sacrifice which have moved viewers for many years.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
The worldwide gross earnings from The Search for Spock are about $76.5 million (via Box Office Mojo). Under the direction of Leonard Nimoy, the film picked up post-Wrath of Khan themes to show how the crew recovered their deceased comrade against Christopher Lloyd’s antagonist character, Klingon.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
The worldwide box office revenue from Star Trek IV totaled $109.7 million (via Box Office Mojo). The Enterprise crew crossed dimensions and traveled back to 1986 San Francisco to protect whales. The movie’s fish-out-of-water humor and environmental message drew viewers that were not seen in earlier installments.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
The worldwide box office collection of Star Trek V totaled just $52.2 million (via Box Office Mojo) under the direction of William Shatner. The search for God in this poorly received film remained unrecognizable to both critics and viewers.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
The worldwide earnings of Star Trek VI reached $96.8 million (via Box Office Mojo). In its role as the conclusion for the original character lineup, the Cold War theme delivered a suitable ending for the Enterprise’s crew alongside Kirk and Spock.
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
Generations earned $75.6 million globally (via Box Office Mojo). Audiences from both the older and newer Star Trek eras showed interest in watching the film because it contained characters from the original series along with The Next Generation.
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
The worldwide earnings of $92 million (via Box Office Mojo) made First Contact the top-performing movie from The Next Generation series. The battle-heaviness combined with Borg antagonism earned huge praise from critics and audiences around the world.
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Insurrection brought in $112.5 million globally (via Box Office Mojo). The lack of cinematic experience within this movie made it feel like a prolonged TV show, which affected its financial performance.
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
The franchise suffered its lowest point with Nemesis because it earned only $67.3 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). The release of the film, despite featuring a young Tom Hardy in the role of Picard’s clone, ended The Next Generation era by generating negative feedback.
Star Trek (2009)
J.J. Abrams led a successful Star Trek reboot, which generated $385.6 million internationally (via Box Office Mojo). By featuring a different timeline with freshly cast familiar characters, the film managed to spark new interest in the franchise when it had been absent for seven years.
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Into Darkness reached the highest domestic and worldwide grossing numbers, which totaled $467.3 million (via Box Office Mojo). The sequel became successful commercially due to its energetic storyline and villainous portrayal by Benedict Cumberbatch, although fans argued about its connection to Wrath of Khan.
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
Beyond earned $343.4 million globally (via Box Office Mojo). Even though the film was critically acclaimed, it was not a commercial hit, which played a big role in the cancellation of any further installments.
Comparing the box office collections of Star Wars and Star Trek
The difference between the top-earning films within each franchise is quite large. All records of financial success belong to The Force Awakens in Star Wars, as it pulled in $2.07 billion worldwide, while Star Trek Into Darkness brought in just $467.3 million during its run. A single Star Wars movie generated more profits than almost all movies in the complete Star Trek franchise combined, proving clear financial differences.
In terms of lowest collections, Solo ($392.9 million) takes place as the third most successful Star Wars among the series directed by Abrams. For Star Trek, The Final Frontier came out as the worst performer as it gathered only $52.2 million. Solo earned seven times more despite being regarded as subpar by Star Wars standards.
The total box-office collection from all movies of both franchises shows a substantial gap. Star Wars movies earned more than $10 billion worldwide through 11 theatrical releases at an average of approximately $909 million each film. 13 Star Trek films produced worldwide revenues totaling $2.04 billion when averaged at $157 million per movie.
Star Wars has established itself as an unrivaled financial champion at the movie theaters globally as it achieved billion-dollar success multiple times while drawing substantial mainstream support. Despite its cultural importance, Star Trek has achieved limited success that stays true with its precise science fiction methods, yet it fails to match the same earning potential of its peers.
Star Trek movies are available to stream on Paramount+.
Star Wars movies are available to stream on Disney+.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
