Could Star Wars have survived this long with just one movie?

No way would it have survived for this long. Personally (I'm 17) the prequel trilogies (as questionable as they are) is what brought me into the world of a galaxy far far away. Of course now I know the original trilogy is like a Picasso masterpiece compared to the stick drawing that is the prequels, but the younger fans wouldn't have such a connection to the franchise either if they just stopped at a new hope, and would have seen it as a 'lame old film' (which it isn't). People who like to read and collect comics (like me) also make up a very big fan base and without the EU a lot of fans would cease to exist. Maybe not cease to exist but hey, what I'm saying is true (from a certain point of view)

 

Chances are it would have become that era's "Avatar".

 

I was there when it happened, STAR WARS (ANH) was something so different and revolutionary, back then, and fan clubs (publishing fan magazines, fanzines) started to pop up immediately all around the world, even though it was anything but certain whether there really would be a sequel.

Quite in contrast to today, we only got the three original films from 1977-1983, just Brian Daley's Solo stories in book form which essentially was all there was until the early 1990's, yet despite the scarcity of literature and other tie-in books it obviously was enough to create a lasting fanbase until the era of "drought" came to an end in the 1990's.

Of course, with just one film the fan base would probably not have become as big as today, but I'm confident it would have been a (small) fan base lasting up until today because of the timeless qualities of ANH.

 

This is great question. I think it would've survived with a moderate fanbase, but a sequel at anytime would've been succcesful imo.
Just take Blade Runner as an example.

 

Couldn't agree more, I love Star Wars as it is and am happy to see the universe expanding beyond any other franchise

 

ANH and TESB are head and shoulders above any of the other subsequent SW films until TFA. They are truly great films, on so many levels. I don't think you need to be a fan to enjoy them. They would have endured.

I think subsequent films have not achieved that, until TFA. George, with the assistance of Irvin Kershner, was at his creative peak. he never hit those heights again.

 

ANH is a great film, and I think it could've gone down as one of the great films of the 1970s- it would have "survived", I think.

It would not have thrived, though. I know, I surely wouldn't be sitting here typing about it if it hadn't.

 

Agreed. But the point I was making was that Star Wars would have nowhere near as many fans as it does now without all the EU and other films. ANH and TESB were absolutely fantastic base layers and pave the absolute core foundations of what is now the franchise we all know and love. TESB is my favourite film of all time

I also agree that you can enjoy those films without being a true fan, but the franchise would not quite be what it is today without all the other films, books, comics, games etc. in my opinion. What do you think?

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 13, 2017, Original Post Date: Jan 13, 2017 ---

This. *Thunderous applause*

 

It would be remembered like the Wizard of Oz or ET - huge blockbusters without sequels.

 

Most if not all movies don't need sequels to survive. In fact I'm not big on sequels much at all.

But with Star Wars it was more of a continuation to the story. So would it have lasted this long without the others? I'd say no.

 

I don't know. Maybe. The 1977 movie was very popular and it has held up over the years, despite its portrayal of a black-and-white morality.

 

Yay it "could",doesn't mean it WOULD

 

as @Lt. Hija said, it was a phenomenon in its time even with no promise of sequels.

and i was not one who invested in the EU back then, so for myself and my brothers, it dominated our attention without any extras. yes, ESB and ROTJ made that possible ultimately. it's hard to separate them now. but i think for it to have held our attention at a fixed point for three years before the first sequel was made, that's a pretty good indicator that it would have had real staying power.

i think the comparison to Blade Runner is sort of apropos. maybe closer to (ironically), classic Disney animated films: something that could come back periodically for a new generation and never lose its luster.

 

Possibly, though Urban Outfitters/Hot Topic would be rinsing it for nostalgia (even more so)

 

ANH is by far my favorite, not because it was the first but so much of it is why I'm such a fan. I really liked TESB but ANH remains my favorite. When the ROTJ was released so many critics were saying it wasn't as good as the first two although the VFX were revolutionary. I skipped it and watched it years later on VHS. I remember the dark times with no Star Wars, so now I'm really excited were getting one a year.

 

No way, a trilogy was the right call.