Summary

• The Phantom Menace is now the most streamed Star Wars film on Disney+, proving its recent surge in popularity.
• Younger generations of fans now appreciate the prequel, despite it being despised upon release by older fans.
• The rise of social media has helped the prequels gain cult status, with even Hayden Christensen confused by initial hatred.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, which was the most hated movie in the entire franchise for many years, has recently become the most streamed Star Wars film on Disney+. The prequel recently celebrated its 25th birthday which, as well as making many Star Wars fans feel incredibly old, saw the first of George Lucas' prequel trilogy return to theaters across the world.

According to Variety, multiple sources have confirmed that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is officially the most streamed Star Wars film on Disney+, worldwide. The report doesn't give exact viewership figures. However, it is likely that the film's 25th anniversary, paired with the recent celebrations of Star Wars Day (May 4th) have caused many fans to return to the prequels. It has been a long-running tradition among Star Wars fans to re-watch the saga annually on Star Wars Day, and those that elect to watch the films in chronological order will start with The Phantom Menace.

The Phantom Menace Was Once the Most Hated Star Wars Movie

To the younger generations of Star Wars fans, especially those who grew up with the prequels as their Star Wars films, it is hard to imagine The Phantom Menace being so detested. This is especially true in modern day, as long-time fans have targeted their malice towards Disney's sequel trilogy, starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Issac. However, the original generation of Star Wars fans despised The Phantom Menace upon release. It is only in recent years that the film has become a cult classic among the very same group of fans.

The hate directed at The Phantom Menace was unprecedented, with fans going out of their way to not only attack the film's contents, but direct hateful opinions and messages towards the actors themselves. The most heartbreaking example is in the case of Jake Lloyd, who portrayed a young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace. Lloyd was only 9 years old at the time, but that didn't stop Star Wars fans from detesting his performance, leading to Lloyd quitting acting altogether. It wasn't just The Phantom Menace that was disliked (although it did receive the majority of the hatred), the entire prequel trilogy was heavily criticized by the fan base upon release, due to its over-reliance on CGI, and some of the performances.

However, as is evident in The Phantom Menace's popularity on Disney+, the prequel trilogy reached cult status in the late 2010s and '20s. This is thanks in part to the rise of social media and the internet, which has 'memed' the prequels into oblivion, to the point it has drastically raised their status and perceived quality - every Star Wars fan now knows of the "Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise." While it has taken over a decade for Star Wars fans to truly appreciate the prequel trilogy, one of its leading stars, Hayden Christensen, was confused why the films received such hatred in the first place. Speaking to Empire earlier in 2024, Christensen said:

"The character was criticized, my performance was criticized, and that part sucked. I didn’t understand the disconnect between the movie that I saw, and the negativity in some of the reviews."

Every movie and series in the Star Wars saga is available to stream on Disney+.