Before we begin… In case you missed them or desire a refresher read, this column’s other Star Wars-themed retrospectives include Star Wars 40th anniversary, The Empire Strikes Back 40th anniversary (analysis of the 70mm early cut), The Empire Strikes Back 40th anniversary, The Empire Strikes Back 35th anniversary, Return of the Jedi 35th anniversary, Return of the Jedi 30th anniversary, The Phantom Menace 20th anniversary, and Fanboys 10th anniversary.

EPISODE II NUMBER$

• 0 = Number of Academy Awards
• 1 = Number of Academy Award nominations
• 1 = Rank among top-earning films during opening weekend
• 2 = Rank among top-earning films released in 2002 (calendar year)
• 2 = Number of Razzie Awards
• 2 = Number of weeks North America’s top-grossing movie (weeks 1 and 2)
• 3 = Rank among top-earning films released in 2002 (legacy / lifetime / retroactive)
• 4 = Number of days to surpass $100 million
• 4 = Rank among 20th Century Fox’s all-time top-earning films at end of release
• 5 = Rank among top-earning movies directed by George Lucas (adjusted for inflation)
• 6 = Number of months between theatrical and home-video releases
• 7 = Number of Razzie nominations
• 10 = Box-office rank among Star Wars movies (adjusted for inflation)
• 11 = Peak all-time box-office chart position
• 12 = Number of days to surpass $200 million
• 13 = Rank among top-earning films produced by Lucasfilm (adjusted for inflation)
• 16 = Rank among top-earning movies of the 2000s (earnings from 1/1/2000 - 1/2/2010)
• 33 = Number of weeks movie was in release
• 55 = Number of Digital Cinema presentations during opening weekend*
• 58 = Number of IMAX presentations during re-release
• 100 = Rank on all-time top-grossing films (adjusted for inflation)
• 104 = Number of days to surpass $300 million
• 3161 = Number of cinemas playing the movie during its opening weekend

• $25,317 = Opening weekend per screen average
• $30.1 million = Opening-day box-office gross (May 16)
• $31.3 million = Highest single-day gross (May 18, Day 3)
• $80.1 million = Opening-weekend box-office gross (May 17-19, Days 2-4)
• $115.0 million = Production cost
• $189.4 million = Production cost (adjusted for inflation)
• $310.7 million = Domestic box-office gross (includes IMAX re-issue)
• $343.1 million = International box-office gross
• $653.8 million = Worldwide box-office gross
• $1.1 billion = Worldwide box-office gross (adjusted for inflation)

*established new motion picture industry record

PASSAGES FROM A SAMPLING OF FILM REVIEWS

“Yes, Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones is better than Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace, but that’s a meaningless answer to a misleading question. Simply put, there were episodes of Lost in Space better than The Phantom Menace, 1999’s tedious and disappointing first installment of George Lucas’s prequel trilogy. The only relevant question is whether Attack of the Clones recaptures the giddy heart and adventurous sweep of the original Star Wars films. Lucas certainly pulls out all the stops—this is a visually arresting film awash in rousing digital action sequences. But Lucas again stumbles, missing the mark. Instead of zesty and daring, Attack of the Clones is often labored and stiff. Like The Phantom Menace, this film lacks the quirky charm and punchy humor that, a quarter-century ago, immediately elevated the Star Wars films above standard sci-fi fare.” – Renée Graham, The Boston Globe

“‘Are you hurt?’ emailed a friend in mockery of the Saturday-serial dialogue style in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. ‘Are you blind?’ I emailed back. For the latest entry in George Lucas’ transgalactic saga of the moral rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and the deterioration of democracy into despotism has an electric visual majesty and boasts Lucas’ best direction since American Graffiti.” – Michael Sragow, The Sun (Baltimore)

“[Anakin and Padmé] have to fall in love, we know that. Or Luke Skywalker won’t be born. There’s a timetable over their heads. Unfortunately, that seems to be the only discernible reason for their romance. The chemistry between them is a frigid zero. For one thing, neither party is particularly engaging, either as character or performer. Christensen’s Anakin is a one-dimensionally arrogant brat given to surges of petulant rage. It’s not his fury so much as his limited range that brings him up short. Portman is brittle, chilly and unconvincing as Padmé; it’s as if she hasn’t quite committed to being a Star Wars character yet. The net result: a love affair between a hothead and an ice bucket.” – Desson Howe, The Washington Post

“Some early reviews of Clones have dismissed the film as a hollow showcase for special effects, which is like saying the only good thing about an opera was the singing. Special effects have always been a big lure of the series, from the now-quaint outer space dogfights that felt so revolutionary in 1977 to the pod race that jolted audiences awake in Menace. If Attack of the Clones lacks the heart of, say, The Empire Strikes Back, it still feels more inventive and vital than the rote complacency of Return of the Jedi.” – Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald

“In reviving the saga, and setting out to chronicle Luke’s genealogy and the earlier history of the Jedi order, Mr. Lucas seems to have lost his boyish glee. As the effects have grown more intricate and realistic, their ability to yield pleasure and astonishment has diminished.” – A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“Why can’t they just clone The Empire Strikes Back? The fifth installment of George Lucas’ Star Wars saga is better than The Phantom Menace. But it’s not enough better. After the heroic grandeur of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and the zest and cleverness of Spider-Man, this movie is a disappointment.” – Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, The Atlanta Constitution

“George Lucas’ digitally shot movie looks incredible. From the mile-high skyscrapers of the city-planet Coruscant (a luminous Metropolis-like capital moving to a lurid Blade Runner beat) to the icky, wasp-winged Genosians in the mood for gladiatorial carnage at a coliseum made of what looks like skeletal remains, the Star Wars universe is rendered in breathtaking strokes and mouse clicks.” – Steven Rea, The Philadelphia Inquirer

“The hype is more muted for Episode II, the marketing campaign has been scaled down, and fan expectations are at a once-bitten, twice-shy level. Episode II meets these more realistic standards with ease and may qualify as the third-best episode yet—behind The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars.” – Duane Dudek, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Lucas makes no advances as a director. He seems clueless about how to wring deep emotions from his actors, and he is sluggish with his camera movements—perhaps to accommodate the computer graphics added later. He still changes scenes with the wipes and blackouts that went out of style in the 1950s.” – Frank Gabrenya, The Columbus Dispatch

“For the hard-core, the wizard of Skywalker Ranch can do no wrong. But the emotionally distant Attack of the Clones may leave more casual fans cold.” – Michael H. Kleinschrodt, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

“I sure miss Han Solo. I miss him because whenever director George Lucas strayed too far into the made-up mysticism of Star Wars, good old Han would bring us back to reality with a wisecrack and a smirk. Of course, Han is gone now, leaving Lucas to wallow in his special brand of meaningless gobbledygook, taking it so seriously that most of the time, his characters are not even allowed to use contractions. Jar Jar Binks aside (yes, he returns, though in mercifully short doses), Lucas has never been able to conjure another Han Solo, a character who could, with simply a wink, remind us that this was just an overgrown Saturday afternoon serial.” – Bill Muller, The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)

“George Lucas has the last laugh, or at least the penultimate chuckle, with Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones. The fifth movie in his long-running series of grandiose, light-hearted space operas and the second in chronological order is the most visually spectacular and exciting of all Star Wars movies to date.” – Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

“It is not what’s there on the screen that disappoints me, but what’s not there. It is easy to hail the imaginative images that George Lucas brings to Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones. To marvel at his strange new aliens and towering cities and sights such as thousands of clones all marching in perfect ranks into a huge spaceship. To see the beginnings of the dark side in young Anakin Skywalker. All of those experiences are there to be cheered by fans of the Star Wars series, and for them this movie will affirm their faith. But what about the agnostic viewer? The hopeful ticket buyer walking in not as a cultist, but as a moviegoer hoping for a great experience? Is this Star Wars critic-proof and scoff-resistant? Yes, probably, at the box office. But as someone who admired the freshness and energy and the earlier films, I was amazed, at the end of Episode II, to realize that I had not heard one line of quotable, memorable dialogue. And the images, however magnificently conceived, did not have the impact they deserved.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“One thing can be said for Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones: It’s a big improvement over Episode I—The Phantom Menace. Appearances by the egregious Jar Jar Binks are kept to a minimum. There’s no annoying kid. The art direction is eye-catching, and there are even some identifiable touches of human emotion. While The Phantom Menace lay dead on the screen from the opening scroll, Attack of the Clones is lively enough to maintain interest for about half its running time.” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

“Anakin Skywalker grows up, but the artistic growth of director George Lucas appears hopelessly stunted; all helmet, no Jedi.” – Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

“We’ll never see another Star Wars, no matter how much we want to. And we want to very much. But like the cherished passions of first love, the fervor called forth by the landmark film is never coming back, and no amount of prequels or sequels is going to change that. Paradoxically, the fact that the latest prequel, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, is a bit better than its predecessor makes it clear how lacking in the things that matter these newcomers are.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

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THE DIGITAL CINEMA PRESENTATIONS

Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones opened in North America on May 16th, 2002, in over 3,000 theaters. Fifty-five of the bookings were in the nascent Digital Cinema format and are cited below for historical record.

ARIZONA

• Peoria – Harkins Arrowhead Fountains 18
• Yuma – Main St. 8

ARKANSAS

• Rogers – Malco Towne 12

BRITISH COLUMBIA

• Richmond – Famous Players SilverCity Riverport 19

CALIFORNIA

• Carlsbad – UltraStar La Costa 6
• Chula Vista – UltraStar Chula Vista 10
• Del Mar – UltraStar Del Mar Highlands 8
• Irvine – Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21
• Los Angeles – Loews Cineplex Century Plaza 4
• Los Angeles – Magic Johnson Crenshaw Plaza 15
• Los Angeles – Mann Grauman’s Chinese
• Los Angeles – Pacific Sherman Oaks Galleria 16
• Los Angeles – Pacific The Grove 14
• Poway – UltraStar Creekside Plaza 10
• San Diego – AMC Mission Valley 20
• San Diego – Edwards Mira Mesa 18
• San Francisco – AMC 1000 Van Ness 14
• San Jose – Century 22 Triplex
• Santa Monica – AMC Santa Monica 7
• Universal City – Loews Cineplex Universal Studios CityWalk 19

COLORADO

• Denver – UA Denver Pavilions 15

CONNECTICUT

• Hartford – Crown Palace 17 & Odyssey
• Trumbull – Crown Marquis 16

FLORIDA

• Lake Buena Vista – AMC Pleasure Island 24
• Pinellas Park – R/C Parkside Mall 16
• West Melbourne – CinemaWorld 16

ILLINOIS

• Chicago – Loews Cineplex McClurg Court Triplex
• Schaumburg – Loews Cineplex Streets of Woodfield 20
• Skokie – Crown Village Crossing 18

KANSAS

• Olathe – AMC Studio 30
• Wichita – Dickinson Northrock 14

MARYLAND

• Annapolis – Crown Annapolis Mall 11

MASSACHUSETTS

• Boston – Loews Cineplex Boston Common 19
• Framingham – AMC Framingham 16
• Randolph – National Amusements Showcase Randolph 16

MICHIGAN

• Birch Run – Emagine Cinema Hollywood 10
• Southfield – Star Southfield 20

NEVADA

• Las Vegas – Century Orleans 18
• Las Vegas – Century Sam’s Town 18

NEW JERSEY

• Edgewater – National Amusements Edgewater 16
• Elizabeth – Loews Cineplex Jersey Gardens 20

NEW YORK

• Farmingdale – UA Farmingdale 10
• New York – AMC Empire 25
• New York – Clearview Ziegfeld

OHIO

• Springdale – National Amusements Showcase Springdale 18
• Valley View – Cinemark Valley View 24

ONTARIO

• Oakville – AMC Winston Churchill 24
• Vaughan – Famous Players Colossus Woodbridge 19
• Waterloo – Galaxy Conestoga Mall 10

TENNESSEE

• Memphis – Malco Cordova 16
• Memphis – Malco Majestic 20

TEXAS

• Big Spring – Ritz
• Plano – Cinemark Legacy 24

VIRGINIA

• Merrifield – National Amusements Arlington Blvd/Lee Highway 14

WASHINGTON

• Seattle – Cinerama

THE IMAX PRESENTATIONS

On November 1st, 2002, Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones was re-issued in North America in IMAX format. Clones was the second live-action narrative movie to be converted into IMAX format (the first was Apollo 13), kicking off the IMAX DMR conversion trend for selected “Hollywood” releases.

The IMAX version of Attack of the Clones featured a shortened running time and a modified aspect ratio.

ALABAMA

• Huntsville – Spacedome IMAX at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center

ALBERTA

• Calgary – Famous Players IMAX Paramount Chinook
• Edmonton – Famous Players IMAX SilverCity West Edmonton Mall

ARIZONA

• Tempe – Arizona Mills IMAX

BRITISH COLUMBIA

• Langley – Famous Players IMAX Colossus
• Vancouver – CN IMAX at Canada Place

CALIFORNIA

• Cathedral City – Desert IMAX
• Dublin – Regal Hacienda Crossings IMAX
• Los Angeles – National Amusements The Bridge: Cinema de Lux IMAX
• Sacramento – Esquire IMAX
• San Francisco – Loews Metreon IMAX
• San Jose – Hackworth IMAX Dome at the Tech Museum of Innovation
• Universal City – Loews Cineplex Universal Studios CityWalk IMAX

COLORADO

• Colorado Springs – Cinemark IMAX

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

• Washington – Johnson IMAX at the National Museum of Natural History

FLORIDA

• South Miami – Sunset Place IMAX
• Tampa – IMAX Dome at the Museum of Science and Industry
• Tampa – Regal Channelside IMAX

GEORGIA

• Buford – Regal Mall of Georgia IMAX

HAWAII

• Honolulu – IMAX Waikiki

ILLINOIS

• Chicago – Navy Pier IMAX
• Lincolnshire – Regal Lincolnshire IMAX
• Woodridge – Cinemark Seven Bridges IMAX

INDIANA

• Indianapolis – Indiana State Museum IMAX

MANITOBA

• Winnipeg – Portage Place IMAX

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MASSACHUSETTS

• Boston – Simons IMAX at New England Aquarium
• Natick – AT&T Broadband IMAX at Jordan’s Furniture

MICHIGAN

• Dearborn – Henry Ford Museum IMAX
• Grand Rapids – Jack Loeks Celebration! IMAX

MINNESOTA

• Apple Valley – Imation IMAX at the Minnesota Zoo

MISSOURI

• Kansas City – Sprint IMAX at the Kansas City Zoo

NEVADA

• Las Vegas – Luxor IMAX

NEW YORK

• Gates – Cinemark Tinseltown USA IMAX
• New Rochelle – Regal New Roc City IMAX
• New York – Loews Lincoln Square IMAX
• West Nyack – Palisades Center IMAX
• Williamsville – Regal Transit Center IMAX

NORTH CAROLINA

• Raleigh – Exploris IMAX

NOVA SCOTIA

• Halifax – Empire IMAX

OKLAHOMA

• Tulsa – Cinemark IMAX at The Tulsa

ONTARIO

• Mississauga – Famous Players IMAX Coliseum Mississauga
• Toronto – Famous Players Paramount IMAX
• Vaughan – Famous Players IMAX Colossus Woodbridge

OREGON

• Portland – Oregon Museum of Science and Industry OMNIMAX Dome

PENNSYLVANIA

• Pittsburgh – Rangos IMAX at Carnegie Science Center

QUEBEC

• Montreal – Famous Players Paramount IMAX

RHODE ISLAND

• Providence – Feinstein IMAX at Providence Place

SOUTH CAROLINA

• Charleston – Aquarium Wharf IMAX
• Myrtle Beach – Discovery IMAX

TENNESSEE

• Nashville – Regal Opry Mills IMAX

TEXAS

• Dallas – Cinemark IMAX
• Galveston – Moody Gardens IMAX
• San Antonio – Rivercenter IMAX

VIRGINIA

• Hampton – Riverside IMAX at the Virginia Air & Space Center
• Richmond – Science Museum of Virginia IMAX
• Virginia Beach – Virginia Marine Science Museum IMAX

WASHINGTON

• Seattle – Boeing IMAX Theatre at Pacific Science Center
• Spokane – Riverfront Park IMAX

THE Q&A

Stephen Danley is host of the Star Wars at the Movies podcast.

W.R. Miller is the author of The Star Wars Historical Sourcebook (2018).

Richard Woloski is the author of Today in Star Wars History (2022) and co-host of the Skywalking Through Neverland podcast.

The interviews were conducted separately and edited into a “roundtable” conversation format.

Michael Coate (The Digital Bits): How do you think Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones ought to be remembered on its 20th anniversary?

Stephen Danley: It should be remembered as what very well may be the most pure, undiluted and completely unleashed George Lucas creation of them all, in both the best and worst ways. The pressures of re-introducing Star Wars with The Phantom Menace and wrapping the prequel (and at that point, entire saga) story up with Revenge of the Sith were nowhere to be found with Clones. And it shows! These days, I try to view it with the carefree attitude that Lucas seemed to have made it with, and it’s much more fun.

W.R. Miller: The original Star Wars had raised the expectation that the Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, were wise, noble, and good. Attack of the Clones subverts this expectation. The hope of the galaxy becomes… corrupted.

George Lucas had been enamored with the idea of false Messiahs. Damien in The Omen. Paul Muad’Dib in Dune. Now Anakin Skywalker.

So who are we rooting for this time? The Republic and its clone warriors, soon to become agents of the Jedi’s destruction? The Jedi, who turn out to be negligent and incompetent, outfoxed by Palpatine? Jar Jar Binks, who makes the motion to grant Palpatine emergency powers? Padmé Amidala, whom we are supposed to believe falls in love with a hothead? Obi-Wan Kenobi, constantly deriding Anakin, yet we’re supposed to believe they’re good friends? Anakin, destined to become the mass-murdering Darth Vader? The droids, who are along for the ride, with R2-D2 kicking C-3PO into an assembly line for no apparent reason, given rise to Threepio’s head being severed and later, dragged through the dirt for a lame joke, “What a drag”?

Whereas the story of Star Wars was clearly a battle of good vs. evil, Attack of the Clones and its sequel was not. The adventures of Luke Skywalker was becoming the tragedy of Darth Vader. Bait and switch.

By the next film, “there were heroes on both sides.” And, “There are no absolutes.” So much for good vs. evil. So much for Star Wars’ original purpose: fun.

Richard Woloski: Two schools of thought here. First, it should without a doubt be remembered as a great Star Wars film! It has so many phenomenal sequences. The Obi-Wan vs. Jango Fett battle on Kamino gets me excited every time I see it. Anakin’s decision to follow his own path as he defies the Jedi order over and over again. And the introduction of clones which we’ve been hearing about since 1977! Now we see Palpatine’s long game finally play out in an epic battle.

Then on the other hand, George Lucas heard The Phantom Menace complaints and tried to give fans the Star Wars film they wanted. But once you turn the asylum over to the inmates, there is no happy ending. He gave fans their favorite character in Boba Fett, however he made him into his father Jango. He decreased Jar Jar Binks’s role to a very minor character and even made the Gungan into the ultimate bad guy as he gave Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers to form the grand army of the Republic. Fans still weren’t happy. Sure there are questionable performances but Lucas still insists on going for the 1930s Flash Gordon acting style. It’s his film, he can do what he wants. Having grown up watching Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, I get a thrill at this throwback style.

The Digital Bits: What was your first impression of Attack of the Clones?

Miller: Having been impressed by the original Star Wars, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed, that the noble Jedi had instead become incompetent boobs, that George Lucas had strayed from the attributes that made the original so special. It was fun to root for Han, Leia, and Luke. The prequel cast? Not so much.

Woloski: I saw the second showing of Attack of the Clones on opening day, May 16th, 2002 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. I would have seen the first show but I didn’t want to sleep on the sidewalk like I did for The Phantom Menace where I then felt overtired and grumpy. This time I wanted to be well rested and ready. I always look forward to the opening shot of a Star Wars film, and here Amidala’s royal starship flies through the Coruscant clouds. This is only second to the iconic opening shot of A New Hope.

Danley: This was my first experience with an opening night midnight screening among a rowdy group of fans and it’s one I’ll always cherish. I saw Episode II at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara with two of my best friends in high school and the energy of that initial viewing definitely carried over into a positive reaction. That night, a classic movie palace was overrun by (mostly young) people who were absolutely bonkers for Star Wars and thrilled to see where the story was going next. We all collectively went wild.

Woloski: In Attack of the Clones, you can really see that George Lucas loves to play in his digital sandbox. It doesn’t even matter that sand gets everywhere (one of my favorite Anakin lines), the style of the film, and prequels, stays consistent with a very clean look as opposed to the gritty feel of the original trilogy. My biggest takeaway from the first time I saw the film is the reaction to the Yoda vs. Count Dooku duel. I never heard a crowd roar like when Yoda pulled his lightsaber from under his cloak and lunged at Dooku. Everyone in that theater was having a great time and they were enjoying Star Wars once again.