What Is Star Wars Day? The History Of May The 4th Be With You Here's why May 4 is such a big deal. May the 4th be with you. You'll see people online writing that every single year on this date, and it seems a little weird, right? It feels weird to write it today. Every year, May 4 is widely considered to be Star Wars Day, where fans across the globe celebrate the sci-fi franchise. But what does it mean and where does it come from? Star Wars: A New Hope hit theaters on May 25, 1977. The movie was a smashing success making over $775 million globally. Keep in mind, this is 1977 and getting close to that $1 billion mark during that time was huge. It was already a cultural phenomenon, just after one movie. And 44 years later, it's still going strong.