Star Wars was written by director Lucas
The George Lucas directed classic tells the story of Luke Skywalker who leaves home to band with other rebels to save Princess Leia from the evil clutches of Darth Vader.
Click here to see the Empire list of top movies in full.
The 1977 film shot its stars - Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher - to immediate fame.
Lucas's third Star Wars film The Return of the Jedi, made in 1983, also makes it into the list at number 40.
But the 1999 prequel The Phantom Menace, starring Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor, does not appear.
Classic films like Orson Welles' Citizen Kane or Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo only appear very far down the list.
More recent hits like Ridley Scott's Gladiator, which won an Oscar for star Russell Crowe, is at number nine.
Scott is the only British director to make the top ten.
Readers rated Raging Bull, Goodfellas and The Godfather actor Robert de Niro as the greatest actor ever.
He was followed by American Beauty star Kevin Spacey and Scarface actor Al Pacino.
Top actress is Notting Hill star Julie Roberts, followed by Silence of the Lambs' Jodie Foster and Aliens' Sigorney Weaver.
Steven Spielberg was named best director with Martin Scorsese coming in second and British suspense master Alfred Hitchcock came in third.
The Empire greatest movies ever in full:
1. Star Wars
The follow up to Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back - came runner-up in the magazine's ultimate movies poll.
Gangster movies prove a hit, with The Godfather, Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction all making the top ten.
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. The Shawshank Redemption
4. The Godfather
5. The Matrix
6. Fight Club
7. Gladiator
8. Goodfellas
9. Breakfast At Tiffany's
10. Pulp Fiction
11. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
12. The Usual Suspects
13. Jaws
14. American Beauty
15. Casablanca
16. Blade Runner
17. The Godfather Part II
18. Se7en
19. Aliens
20. Saving Private Ryan
21. Silence Of The Lambs
22. Schindler's List
23. Alien
24. Some Like It Hot
25. LA Confidential
26. Apocalypse Now
27. Magnolia
28. Citizen Kane
29. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
30. It's A Wonderful Life
31. Braveheart
32. Leon
33. 2001: A Space Odyssey
34. Titanic
35. The Big Lebowski
36. Lawrence Of Arabia
37. Taxi Driver
38. Gone With The Wind
39. Fargo
40. Return Of The Jedi
41. Singin' In The Rain
42. Raging Bull
43. Jurassic Park
44. The Searchers
45. Forrest Gump
46. Grosse Pointe Blank
47. Rear Window
48. Dr Strangelove
49. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
50. Vertigo
Related to this story:
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The Phantom Menace invades the UK
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Mystery of Star Wars phantom edit
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Honorary degree for Star Wars actor
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Lucas tops star earners
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Star Wars: Lucas strikes back
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No Star Wars sequels, says Lucas
(07 Jan 99 | Entertainment)
Star Wars design secrets on show
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Julia Roberts: America's sweetheart
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De Niro still box office leader
(16 Oct 00 | Entertainment)
Gladiator conquers the Baftas
(25 Feb 01 | Entertainment)
Indiana Jones tops hero hot list
(26 Jan 01 | Entertainment)
Psycho 'most thrilling film ever'
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Kane tops best-ever script list
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