It really doesn’t feel like it has been 20 years! The hype and merch were indeed strong for those releases. Much stronger than the quality of the actual release.
WHen I think about it now, the whole “for the first time on DVD” marketing thing was bullshit. These 2004 cuts (with even more alterations) were the first time they’d ever been released, not just on DVD.
“We know how long fans have waited for this release and how much they have been looking forward to it, so everyone has been working overtime to make sure that the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD is an awesome experience,” said Jim Ward, Vice President of Marketing and Distribution for Lucasfilm Ltd. and the DVD collection’s Executive Producer.
“First and foremost, the DVDs will deliver the very best possible sound and picture and take advantage of everything the medium can offer.”
They did not deliver anywhere near “the best possible sound and picture”, and was far from “an awesome experience”, as Jim Ward claimed. LMAO.
20th Century Fox claimed that first day sales alone made over $100m - https://money.cnn.com/2004/09/23/news/midcaps/starwars/index.htm
