Original Star Wars poster artwork sells for record $3.8M at US auction

The original painting that first introduced Star Wars to audiences nearly 50 years ago and was later used on the film's iconic poster was sold at auction on Wednesday for $3.875 million.

The acrylic and airbrush piece by movie-poster artist Tom Jung was first published in newspaper ads on May 13, 1977, just under two weeks before George Lucas' space epic debuted.

Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz kept the original painting displayed in his office before passing it to his daughter, and the family later offered it for sale at Heritage Auctions' Dallas headquarters, where bidding began at $1 million.

The sale marked a record high for both Star Wars memorabilia and movie-poster artwork overall, with the winning online bidder choosing to remain anonymous.

Before this sale, the franchise's most expensive memorabilia item was Darth Vader's lightsaber, which fetched $3.6 million at auction.

Star Wars, one of the highest-grossing film franchises ever since its 1977 debut, went on to generate multiple sequels, prequels, and spin-off films, books, and series, building a global fan base.