The only thing TPM3D has really done is vindicate all the critics that they ban for "blasphemy" at places like theforce.net. No, the kids who were 7 years old in 1999 and who are now 20 years old are not swarming the internet to praise the childhood cult classic. No, critics who review it again 13 years later do not have some "enlightened" perspective. And no, the general populous does not care to see this film again. It turns out: it was just a shitty movie. Oops!

In 1999, TPM had hype and no one had seen it yet. It made $400 million domestically. In 2012, TPM no longer is the new Star Wars movie, and everyone knows its quality. It makes $40 million domestically. And this is the second thing vindicated: no, the hype did not kill TPM, did not cause the criticism or the unfair expectations. Hype, in fact, was the one thing the film had going for it. Episode I minus the hype gets you a flop, with the same bad reviews but this time barely any money and barely any audience.