In 1999, the first new Star Wars movie in sixteen years came to theater screens worldwide. Leading up to the release of the film, the hype and media coverage reached epic proportions. The Phantom Menace graced every cover from Vanity Fair to Newsweek to Entertainment Weekly. Fans began camping in line for more than a month in Los Angeles just to be first to see the new film.
Anticipation tells the real-life story of a movie that faced expectations unlike those of any other film in history, but had the advantage of years of anticipation and excitement from eager fans and the public. The Phantom Menace deserves a place in film history not only as the most anticipated film ever made, but also for its place as the first film presented to the public with digital projection technology, its status as one of the highest grossing films ever made, and the unbelievable devotion of thousands of fans who demonstrated the great meaning movies can have to people of all ages and social backgrounds.
