The Mandalorian and Grogu was the first new Star Wars film in theaters since the release of The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. You’d expect audiences to be hungry for a new Star Wars movie, particularly one starring the leads of its biggest Star Wars series on Disney+. But the film didn’t meet expectations and became the lowest-grossing live-action Star Wars film with just $345.2 million worldwide.
Now, Disney has admitted that the film fell short, although it added that it did drive revenue to other parts of the business.
Disney on The Mandalorian and Grogu
“Even when our franchise films don’t meet our box office expectations, as with The Mandalorian and Grogu and the live-action Moana, our investments in these core properties fuel other parts of our company,” Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro told investors on an earnings call. “The Mandalorian and Grogu drove healthy growth in retail sales for the Star Wars franchise and drew guests to the updated Millennium Falcon attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and led to significant engagement in gaming as well. And the live-action Moana is expected to be a strong title on Disney+, building on the success of the original film, which is one of the most-streamed movies of all time.“
Disney CFO Hugh Johnston added, “Look, theatrical performance is important to us, of course, and we certainly aspire to deliver consistent financial results for our films, but the nature of the film industry is such that it is more of a portfolio game. The good news for us is our diversified business helps us basically cover the volatility that comes out of the film business.“
The film’s budget was around $165 million, which is still a large chunk of change but relatively inexpensive for a Star Wars movie. Even still, the studio felt that it could have done better.
All Eyes on Starfighter
With The Mandalorian and Grogu underperforming, it will be up to Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter to deliver the win the franchise needs.
Lucasfilm hasn’t revealed much about the film, only that it takes place five years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. Ryan Gosling (The Fall Guy) leads a star-studded lineup for the film, which includes Flynn Gray (Wednesday), Matt Smith (Caught Stealing), Mia Goth (Pearl), Aaron Pierre (Lanterns), Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners), Jamael Westman (The Essex Serpent), Daniel Ings (The Gentlemen), and Amy Adams (Man of Steel).
Starfighter will hit theaters on May 28, 2027.
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