Rare, Untouched Theatrical 1977 'Star Wars' Is Streaming on Roku Right Now

[Omaha Steve]

We are watching. So far no commercials.

OS



The Roku App called Cinema Box has a 1977 'Star Wars.' But for how long?

Ryan Britt
Feb 28, 2025 5:22 PM EST

https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/theatrical-1977-star-wars-is-streaming-roku

A lost version of Star Wars is currently streaming online, for free. But for how long isn't clear.

As of right now, those who use Roku with their TVs can locate an app called Cinema Box. And on it, users will find the 1977, theatrical version of Star Wars. No use calling this version of the movie "A New Hope," because this streaming version doesn't have that subtitle in the opening credits. This means the version uploaded to Cinema Box predates 1981, which is the year that George Lucas retroactively added "Episode IV, A New Hope" to the opening title crawl.

If you watch this version of Star Wars on Cinema Box right now, with your Roku, you won't see the words "A New Hope" in that opening title sequence at all. This is also the version from well before the 1997 "special editions." (To be clear, Cinema Box does still list the film as "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" when you search for it.)

Finding an original, theatrical version of the original 1977 Star Wars film—before it got the A New Hope subtitle in 1981, and before George Lucas retroactively made various changes in 1997—has been difficult. Sure, if you have VHS tapes or LaserDisc versions of Star Wars, watching the 1977 version of the movie, without any of the subsequent changes is possible. In 2006, a standalone version of A New Hope was released on DVD, which contained the theatrical cut of the movie.

FULL story at link.

[highplainsdem]

1. Cool. K&R.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Thanks for the tip. I've been spending some time there.

At 50 minutes in, in the bar scene, {no spoiler}.