Originally posted by: Jumpman
Obi,

If it's true that audiences loathed the Trilogy's trio, then how can the three films make 431 million, 310 million, and 380 million respectfully?

It can't just be the Star Wars name alone. Star Wars name or not, you don't get those kind of numbers unless people like what they saw? People don't go back if they didn't like what they saw....

I went back, as did many of my friends. I saw each of the prequels more than once in the theater, and I bought each DVD when it came out. But I still didn't like what I saw, especially after the initial excitement wore off. It was still a disappointment. However, I had to see all the films anyway, because they were all there was going to be. I enjoyed the parts that were good (and there were a few), and cringed or got bored through the rest. The prequel DVDs are on my shelf, mainly for reference, but I will still occasionally watch them again just to see the good parts. The original trilogy, on the other hand, I will watch over and over again for pure enjoyment.

Another thing to consider is the collector mentality of so many Star Wars fans out there. They have to have it, they have to see it, they have to experience it if it's Star Wars... even if it's bad. And there's also the stubborn tendency many of us have to not want to accept that anything with the Star Wars name on it could be bad, so we continue to buy into it. These are a couple of reasons why so many tickets were sold, and why so many people went back to the theater again and again.

--SKot