Star Wars on Locodigital

The Empire Strikes Back at 46: the film that changed Star Wars

Thu, 21 May 2026 09:00:00 -0300

On 21 May 1980, The Empire Strikes Back opened in 126 screens across the United States. Not two thousand, the way blockbuster sequels do today — 126, a deliberately small number designed to manufacture scarcity and queues. It worked: the per-screen average on opening day was over $10,000. That Memorial Day weekend became legend. And the sequel nobody was sure would work became, decades later, the near-universal consensus pick for the best Star Wars ever made.

The Mandalorian and Grogu: Star Wars returns to cinemas in May

Thu, 14 May 2026 10:00:00 -0300

The last time I went to the cinema specifically for a Star Wars film, I came out with that feeling of not quite knowing what had just happened. It was Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker — and nobody in the room seemed sure what they had seen. Since then, Star Wars has migrated almost entirely to streaming, with The Mandalorian as the high point of that whole phase. Now, on 22 May, Din Djarin and Grogu arrive on the big screen. And I can say quite calmly that it's the first time in many years I've been genuinely excited about what's coming.

Star Wars Day: how the Force turned 4 May into a pop holiday

Mon, 04 May 2026 10:00:00 -0300

Every time 4 May comes round, half the internet writes "May the 4th be with you" and the other half doesn't quite know why. If you belong to the second group, this post is for you. And if you belong to the first, you'll enjoy knowing that the habit started in a way far more mundane than the saga deserves.

The pun that started with Margaret Thatcher

Most people assume the link between 4 May and Star Wars emerged naturally when the first film came out in 1977. Not quite. The earliest recorded connection turned up two years later. On 4 May 1979, Margaret Thatcher won the general election in the United Kingdom and took office as prime minister. The London Evening News ran a congratulatory advert that read: "May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations."