Disney is reportedly concerned about The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first Star Wars film in nearly seven years, according to a recent Variety report. The Mandalorian and Grogu is the feature-film continuation of The Mandalorian, the popular Disney+ series that ran for three seasons before its planned Season 4 was scrapped and reworked into the upcoming feature film. The Mandalorian and Grogu, directed by series creator Jon Favreau, is set for release on May 22, 2026, over Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day weekend used to be the Star Wars franchise’s coveted release window for the original and prequel trilogies.
The Variety report says that internally at Disney, there have been concerns about The Mandalorian and Grogu following the Super Bowl spot that parodied the Budweiser Clydesdale ads. Reportedly, it did not generate the type of hype Disney was hoping for, and there are concerns that the film, based on a streaming show, will not draw in general audiences outside the core Star Wars fanbase and Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) fans. However, Disney is more optimistic about Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, which opens in May 2027. The Ryan Gosling-led film reportedly “recaptured the franchise’s spirit of fun” based on footage seen so far.
‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’s Difficult Marketing Campaign
Ever since The Mandalorian and Grogu were announced in January 2024, it has faced an uphill battle getting audiences on board. The announcement was made shortly after Disney experienced a series of flops in 2023, and along with the sudden Moana 2 announcement, it seemed like Disney going on the defensive with safe bets. Despite a more mixed response to The Mandalorian Season 3, the Star Wars series was still one of Disney+’s flagship titles, and both The Mandalorian and Grogu had become two of Star Wars‘ most popular characters.
However, when the first trailer hit in September 2025, many were not impressed. Not only did it feel like a move on Disney’s part to downplay the then-recent controversy of pulling Jimmy Kimmel off the air, but the trailer itself felt thrown together. In contrast to the pre-pandemic Disney Star Wars trailer, which generated a lot of excitement and discussion, The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s teaser was seen as a whimper. The Super Bowl spot, while clever, didn’t win over any fans. The newest trailer released on Feb. 17, 2026, did get a strong response from fans, but it still has struggled to sell why this story needs to be told on the big screen.
The transition from television series to feature film has always been a rough one. Animated properties like The Simpsons and South Park managed to release blockbuster films while their television series were still ongoing. Star Trek: The Motion Picture brought back the cast of The Original Series ten years after it was canceled and launched a six-picture franchise. Yet one need only look at 1998, when X-Files: The Movie opened in theaters at the height of the series’ popularity, and it was only a mild box-office hit. There is also Entourage, where the film continuation of the hit HBO series arrived four years after it concluded and bombed at the box office. Fortunately, The Mandalorian and Grogu are the cheapest Star Wars films produced by Disney, so they do not need to make sequel trilogy levels of money to turn a profit.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
