Rian Johnson doubling down on the original reception to Empire Strikes Back

He claims to have been disappointed with Empire when it was first released in 1980, and believes the vast majority of Star Wars fans were disappointed with it as well. In fact, Rian Johnson claims it wasn't until the mid-90s that Empire's reputation as "the best Star Wars film" was finally solidified.

He's backed up by such publications as Cinema Blend, who try to paint a retroactive picture of disappointment when the film was first released to general audiences. Here's the problem with that line of thinking though....it's absolute bullshite.

The Empire Strikes Back was the overwhelming box office champion for 1980, it won the People's Choice Award for best film of the year (confirming its popularity with mainstream audiences), and was re-released in theaters THREE times before Return of the Jedi's release in 1983. Adjusted for inflation, it's the 13th highest grossing film of all-time.

Here's a good video breakdown of everything I just said:

Rian Johnson Still Doesn't Understand Star Wars