Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)/Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – 32 years

Though George Lucas had toyed with the idea of a Star Wars sequel trilogy for years, he ultimately decided to move forward with a prequel trilogy to his beloved Star Wars films in the late '90s and early 2000s. In the 10 years since Revenge of the Sith, Lucas ended up selling his company and the film rights to Disney, which ushered in a new era and canon separate from all the books, comics, and video games that expanded the Star Wars universe. This new expanded universe was led by J.J. Abrams’ 2015 film The Force Awakens, coming 32 years after the end of the original trilogy Return of the Jedi. The long-awaited sequel was rewarded by fans as it opened to a then record-breaking $247 million en route to becoming the highest grossing domestic film at $936 million, and finishing with an impressive $2 billion worldwide.