On May 25th, the beloved third film in the original Star Wars trilogy– Return of the Jedi– will celebrate its 40th anniversary of having been released into theaters. And in celebration of that momentous occasion, the movie has been rereleased theatrically, including at the Disney-run El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.
This evening I was lucky enough to attend the Opening Night Fan Event for Return of the Jedi’s 40th Anniversary at El Capitan, and it was such a treat being able to see this movie with an enthusiastic crowd of Star Wars fans again on the big screen.
In the lobby of El Capitan Theatre, guests are greeted by a Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary photo op, complete with green and red-bladed lightsabers to pose with, recreating the epic battle of good vs. evil as depicted in the classic film produced by George Lucas. Attendees of the Opening Night Fan Event were also treated to complimentary popcorn and soft drinks included with the price of admission, plus unique credentials for the celebration and surprise blind-bag Funko Star Wars Pop! Vinyl figures. I got A New Hope Luke Skywalker initially, but decided to trade with a friend after the movie for Darth Vader, which I felt was more appropriate.
Before the film began, El Capitan treated guests– as per usual– to a wonderful performance by organist Rob Richards, who played the theme from Phantom of the Opera as the seats gradually filled up.
Then to close out his set, Richards performed the Star Wars Main Title theme by John Williams.
El Capitan also hosted a costume cavalcade, its terrific curtain show, and trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid prior to the start of Return of the Jedi. But as always, the best part of the evening was El Capitan Theatre’s state-of-the-art presentation, which ensured that we saw the movie (which, by the way, was the most recent edit that George Lucas approved prior to the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney) with the best possible level of quality.
Return of the Jedi is playing from now through Tuesday, May 2nd at El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, in addition to the full original Star Wars trilogy screening tomorrow, April 29th. For additional information and to purchase advance tickets, be sure to visit El Capitan’s official website.