The latest report on The Mandalorian & Grogu indicates the movie is much, much more expensive than initially anticipated. More than three years after The Mandalorian's last season on Disney+, Din Djarin and Grogu's story is set to continue in their own big-screen Star Wars adventure. Behind a thrilling cast of characters from Star Wars lore, it will also be the first theatrical film in this universe since 2019's Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
Lucasfilm hopes this film will be the next major hit at the box office after the Disney+ shows in The Mandalorian's realm all performed well in the streaming venue. To do that, however, the studio does not appear to be holding back from a budget perspective.
The Mandalorian & Grogu's Budget Might Break the Bank for Disney
According to a new report from industry insider Jeff Sneider, The Mandalorian & Grogu could have a far higher budget than many fans and critics initially anticipated.
While discussing Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy's reported tendency to spend big for Star Wars, he indicated that the upcoming Mando movie will cost "significantly more than has been suggested thus far." Sneider did not report on a specific number for that budget.
While this movie may end up having a massive budget, it would not be a change of pace for Disney, which has put forth huge sums of money to make theatrical Star Wars movies.
For instance, 2015's Episode VII: The Force Awakens broke the half-billion mark with a reported $533 million budget. That film now sits as the sixth-highest-grossing film in history at $2.06 billion in box office gross revenue (a record that was just topped by the hit Chinese animated movie Ne Zha 2).
Most recently, 2019's Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker cost $416 million to make and grossed $1.07 billion globally.
Below is a list of the budgets for the last five Star Wars movies, along with their global box office hauls:
- The Force Awakens - $533 million ($2.06 billion)
- Rogue One - $200–280.2 million ($1.06 billion)
- The Last Jedi - $300 million ($1.33 billion)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story - $275–330.4 million ($393 million)
- The Rise of Skywalker - $416 million ($1.07 billion)
Previously, Bespin Bulletin teased an expectation for The Mandalorian & Grogu to have a budget of about $120 million or less.
After that, Games Radar noted information from the California Film Commission that indicated the movie's budget was just over $166 million.
How Will The Mandalorian & Grogu's Budget Affect Its Reception?
Star Wars is no stranger to making movies with massive budgets, as fans have seen for the better part of the last decade. However, the real question is how successful The Mandalorian & Grogu will be in theaters after the last few years have seen such up-and-down results for Lucasfilm and Disney.
Helping this movie out is the history of The Mandalorian on Disney+, with most of the show's three seasons earning positive reviews since the show debuted in 2020. Particularly considering how popular Grogu still is amongst the Star Wars fan base, the movie has plenty of positive energy going into its release.
Also helping this movie's prospects is that it will be the first theatrical effort for Star Wars in seven years after Lucasfilm developed over half a dozen Disney+ shows. Fans are eager to see this franchise return to its original big-screen home after such a long delay, especially behind a franchise as big as The Mandalorian.
Now, with still more than a year left until the movie debuts in theaters, fans will wait to see just how much the film's true budget allows for it to be the next big thing in the galaxy far, far away.
The Mandalorian & Grogu is currently filming, and it will debut in theaters on May 22, 2026.
