Title: List of Star Wars films
Content:  The main Star Wars film series is a trilogy of trilogies; as it neared completion, it began to be referred to as the "Skywalker Saga". It was released beginning with the original trilogy (Episodes IV, V and VI, 1977–1983), followed by the prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II and III, 1999–2005) and the sequel trilogy (Episodes VII, VIII and IX, 2015–2019). The first film released, Star Wars (1977), is the fourth film chronologically and was later subtitled Episode IV – A New Hope. The saga begins chronologically with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) and concludes with Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019). The story follows each generation of the Force-sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against the evil Sith Lord Darth Sidious (Palpatine). 
Title: Star Wars
Content:  which were self-financed by Lucasfilm. Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977, and first subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in the 1979 book The Art of Star Wars. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980, also achieving wide financial and critical success. The final film in the trilogy, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was released on May 25, 1983. The story of the original trilogy focuses on Luke Skywalker's quest to become a Jedi, his struggle with the evil Imperial agent Darth Vader, and the struggle of the Rebel Alliance to free the galaxy from the clutches of the Galactic Empire.
Title: Star Wars
Content:  the first PG-13 film in the franchise, was released on May 19, 2005. The first two movies were met with mixed reviews, with the third being received somewhat more positively. The trilogy begins 32 years before Episode IV and follows the Jedi training of Anakin Skywalker, Luke's father, and his eventual fall from grace and transformation into the Sith lord Darth Vader, as well as the corruption of the Galactic Republic and rise of the Empire led by Darth Sidious. Together with the original trilogy, Lucas has collectively referred to the first six episodic films of the franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader".
Title: Star Wars (film)
Content:  Star Wars (retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space-opera film written and directed by George Lucas, produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker and Peter Mayhew. It is the first film in the Star Wars film series and fourth chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". Lucas had the idea for a science-fiction film in the vein of Flash Gordon around the time he completed his first film, THX 1138 (1971) and began 
Title: Star Wars Trilogy
Content:  Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977; unlikely hero Luke Skywalker is drawn into a galactic conflict between the Empire and Rebel Alliance by two droids and an old Jedi Knight; he helps make one of the Rebellion's most significant victories. The film's unanticipated success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate serial. With the backstory he created for the sequel, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy of trilogies, with the original film given the subtitle Episode IV – A New Hope to establish it as the first part of the second trilogy. The first sequel, Star Wars: Episode 
Title: Changes in Star Wars re-releases
Content:  The first film was released in 1977 under the title Star Wars. The subtitle Episode IV – A New Hope was retroactively added to the opening crawl in a subsequent release. Lucasfilm dates the addition to the theatrical re-release on April 10, 1981. This change was made to bring the original film in line with the titling of its sequel, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
Title: Star Wars prequel trilogy
Content:  Having been significantly anticipated by fans, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was released on May 19, 1999. It sees the Jedi coming into contact with the young Anakin Skywalker and the corruption of the Galactic Senate by Palpatine (Darth Sidious). Episode II – Attack of the Clones was released on May 16, 2002. The story jumps ahead 10 years and finds Anakin—now a Jedi apprentice of Obi-Wan Kenobi—pursuing a forbidden romance, as well as the outbreak of the Clone Wars. Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, the first PG-13 film in the franchise, was released on May 19, 2005. It depicts Anakin's fall to the dark side of the Force and his rebirth as Darth Vader.
Title: Changes in Star Wars re-releases
Content: 1977: In May, Star Wars was theatrically released. Three different audio versions (a Dolby Stereo mix, a six-channel mix for 70 mm screenings, and a mono mix print) were created, with significant differences. Later that year, among others, a silent, English-subtitled Super 8 reel version of the film was released by Ken Films. ; 1980: In May, The Empire Strikes Back was theatrically released. After its initial opening, but before its wide release, George Lucas extended the end sequence. A 70 mm print of the film differed from the more widely distributed 35 mm print in takes of dialogue, visual and sound effects, shot choices, and transitions between shots; none of these changes 
Title: Star Wars (film)
Content:  Worried that Star Wars would be beaten out by other summer films, such as Smokey and the Bandit, 20th Century-Fox moved the release date to May 25, the Wednesday before Memorial Day. However, fewer than 40 theaters ordered the film to be shown. In response, the studio demanded that theaters order Star Wars if they wanted the eagerly anticipated The Other Side of Midnight based on Sidney Sheldon's 1973 novel by the same name. Star Wars debuted on Wednesday, May 25, 1977, in fewer than 32 theaters, and eight more on Thursday and Friday. Kurtz said in 2002, "That would be laughable today." It immediately broke 
Title: Star Wars opening crawl
Content:  The opening crawl in the first Star Wars film is very different from Lucas's original intention. The original text, used in the rough cut he showed to friends and studio executives in February 1977, appears in the Marvel Comics adaptation of the film. When originally released in May 1977, the first film was simply titled Star Wars, as 20th Century Fox forbade Lucas to use a subtitle on grounds that it could be confusing, since there had been no other Star Wars movies prior to 1977. In addition, it was not certain if the film would be followed with a sequel. When The Empire Strikes Back was released 

Question: when was the first star wars film released?
Answer: 1977.
May 25, 1977.