Star Wars is an epic science fantasy saga and fictional universe created by George Lucas during the late 1970's. The first film was Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), which was released on May 25 1977. The film became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning two sequels titled The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Star Wars Expanded Universe included three spin-off flims, five television series and an extensive collection of licensed products. In 2007 the overall box office revenue generated by the entire Star Wars phenomenon is around $4.3 billion, making it one of the most successful franchises of all time.