Star Wars is not just a run of movies.
It is a time capsule you can sit inside. The minutes tell their own story, about pacing, about appetite, about how the franchise learned to carry more plot, more lore, more spectacle, and sometimes more baggage.
The Original Trilogy moves with sharp intent. The prequels stretch out into politics, prophecy, and big digital architecture. The Disney-era films settle into modern blockbuster gravity, where everything needs room to breathe, and also needs to hit the next set-piece on schedule.
Below is the hard data: the official theatrical runtimes for the eleven live-action Star Wars feature films released from 1977 to 2019, listed by release order, plus a separate box for announced future releases where run times are not yet confirmed.
Star Wars Film Run times (Theatrical Releases)
| Year | Film | Runtime | Era |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope | 121 min | Original Trilogy |
| 1980 | Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | 124 min | Original Trilogy |
| 1983 | Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi | 131 min | Original Trilogy |
| 1999 | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | 136 min | Prequel Trilogy |
| 2002 | Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones | 142 min | Prequel Trilogy |
| 2005 | Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith | 140 min | Prequel Trilogy |
| 2015 | Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens | 138 min | Sequel Trilogy |
| 2016 | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | 133 min | Anthology |
| 2017 | Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi | 152 min | Sequel Trilogy |
| 2018 | Solo: A Star Wars Story | 135 min | Anthology |
| 2019 | Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker | 142 min | Sequel Trilogy |
Note: These are standard theatrical runtimes. Minor minute-level variations can appear across different listings, formats, or regional releases.
What the runtimes reveal, in plain language
The Original Trilogy is lean because it had to be. Those films are engineered like forward motion. Clear goals. Tight complications. Big moments that land, then the story keeps moving.
The prequels grow longer because they carry more systems at once: the fall of the Republic, the slow poisoning of the Jedi, multiple fronts of war, and the careful drip-feed of Anakin’s transformation. They are built with more gears, and you feel it in the minutes.
The Disney-era entries sit in modern blockbuster territory. The big swing is The Last Jedi, the longest of the released films, because it spends more time in consequence scenes, reversals, and parallel arcs. It is a movie that keeps stopping to stare back at the myth it inherited.
The two anthology films land close to the prequel range, but they feel different in the body. Rogue One is mission-first momentum with a war-film spine. Solo plays more like a character ride, with episodic adventures that intentionally echo pulp roots.
Trilogy totals, because marathons are real life decisions
Original Trilogy: 376 minutes (6h 16m). Prequel Trilogy: 418 minutes (6h 58m). Sequel Trilogy: 432 minutes (7h 12m). Skywalker Saga (Episodes I to IX): 1226 minutes (20h 26m). Anthology (Rogue One + Solo): 268 minutes (4h 28m).
If you are planning a binge, this is the hidden math. Add breaks, food, and the inevitable “wait, rewind that,” and the full run becomes a full weekend.
Announced Feature Films (Runtime Not Yet Confirmed)
| Project | Status | Runtime | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Mandalorian and Grogu | Officially announced | TBD | A theatrical feature. Release date is publicly listed as May 22, 2026. |
| Untitled New Jedi Order Film | In development | TBD | No official runtime, and release timing can shift. Treat dates as unconfirmed until formally announced. |
These projects are included for planning context only. Until a film is released, runtime is not considered stable information.
Useful trivia that actually explains the numbers
- A New Hope is the shortest because it is built like a clean adventure engine. Setup, chase, rescue, showdown, escape, victory. It does not linger.
- The Last Jedi is the longest because it is structured around reversals and fallout. It lives in the pauses where characters reassess what they believed, and what the galaxy asks of them.
- The prequels’ longer baseline reflects their load. They are not just telling events, they are explaining why the future breaks. That explanation costs time.
- Rogue One’s runtime looks moderate but it can feel dense. It is plot-forward, with a roster of moving parts that converge fast once the mission locks in.
- The Rise of Skywalker’s 142 minutes lands with sprint energy because it is trying to resolve a trilogy and a nine-film saga at once. The runtime is not short, but the pacing is relentless.
