The Mandalorian & Grogu is set to be Star Wars' grand return to theaters after nearly seven years away, arriving on May 22. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film follows bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his Force-sensitive ward, Grogu, as they take on a mission from the New Republic that leads them straight into the orbit of Rotta the Hutt, voiced by Jeremy Allen White. The stakes of this film couldn’t be any bigger for the Star Wars franchise.
However, for some weeks, the enthusiasm fans had for the film waned a bit, and for good reason. The campaign for The Mandalorian & Grogu stumbled in a public way, snuffing out a large chunk of the excitement in the air. This misstep in question is the Super Bowl ad spot for The Mandalorian & Grogu, which didn’t quite hit the mark.
However, Disney and Lucasfilm managed to bring back the love. Since then, they have rolled out a series of marketing campaigns that fans have warmly welcomed, a big step up from the Super Bowl blunder.
Fans would recall that when Super Bowl LX aired on February 8, anticipation for a new Mandalorian & Grogu trailer was running high. The film's first official trailer, released in Fall 2025, had drawn a mixed response, with many fans feeling it looked more like a bonus episode of the Disney+ series than a proper theatrical blockbuster. Fans were hoping the big game would deliver something far better, especially given how expensive a Super Bowl ad spot is.
Surprisingly, what we got was a 36-second spot directed by Favreau himself, a playful parody of classic Budweiser-style Super Bowl commercials featuring Din and Grogu riding a wagon pulled by Tauntauns. It was creative, no question. But fans immediately expressed frustration online, calling it a waste of the year's most-watched broadcast.
Senior Vice President of Marketing at The Walt Disney Studios, Ryan Stankevich, and Disney Executive Vice President of Creative Marketing, Jackson George, both spoke to Variety in defense of the unusual approach. Stankevich described the spot as a nod to classic Super Bowl advertising, one designed to highlight the warmth and emotional bond between the two characters. George framed Grogu as a pop culture phenomenon in his own right, someone whose presence alone could carry a moment.
The explanation did little to calm the reaction online. Variety's also noted internal concern at Disney that the ad had not generated the excitement the marketing team hoped for. At that point, it became emphatically clear that the campaign needed a reset, and it definitely got one.
Disney/Lucasfilm’s Marketing of Mandalorian & Grogu Has Improved Significantly
Just over a week after the Super Bowl, on February 17, Lucasfilm dropped a full-length trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu. This time, it delivered. The footage was action-heavy and packed with new characters, including a legendary Kyuzo bounty hunter, Zeb Orrelios flying for the New Republic, an Ardennian fry cook voiced by Martin Scorsese, and a first proper look at Jeremy Allen White as Rotta the Hutt.
The trailer also confirmed Sigourney Weaver's Colonel Ward as the New Republic authority who tasks Din and Grogu with their mission, giving the film a clearer sense of structure and showing fans how high the stakes are. We even got to see Din unmasked for a large chunk of the trailer, ending a six-year The Mandalorian streak.
As of writing, this trailer has 11 million views in just a month. For context, the first trailer released last year has 12 million views to date. This is a clear sign of how well-received the second trailer is and a significant improvement over the first in terms of quality.
Disney and Lucasfilm did not stop there. They pushed the marketing up a notch. At the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver took the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood to present the award for Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects. Their presentation brought a cute, furry green creature into the mix.
Grogu, in full animatronic form, was spotted sitting in the audience next to Kate Hudson. Weaver, drawing on her history with the Alien franchise, blew a kiss toward her co-star before making a humorous reference to her legendary line when Hudson reached for the little alien. Adapting the famous delivery to protect Grogu from Hudson's attention, she says, "Get away from him, you bi*ch".
Host Conan O'Brien took the humour further and noted that Grogu could not clap, and the creature dutifully raised both arms in response. O'Brien then encouraged Grogu to clap, which he attempted to but failed woefully. The exchange was every bit adorable and downright hilarious. The film's trailer was also played at the event, a great marketing move given that millions of people worldwide were watching.
There's also the Empire Magazine May 2026 issue, with The Mandalorian & Grogu as its cover feature. Two covers were revealed, both photographed exclusively by Robert Ascroft. One cover placed Din Djarin and Grogu side by side, the Mandalorian in full armor, with Grogu in a director's chair bearing his name. The other image zoomed in on Grogu alone, with a clapboard in hand, referencing George Lucas's debut film, THX 1138, in the shot number.
The issue also included several new images, among them a shot of Din Djarin riding an AT-RT on a snow-covered planet and a revealing look at Jonny Coyne's Imperial warlord, seated across from an Iktotchi during what appears to be a Shadow Council gathering. A separate, more spoiler-heavy image from the magazine showed Grogu in a birdcage next to the same warlord, suggesting the creature is captured and separated from Din at some point in the film.
Beyond the headline moments, the Mandalorian & Grogu campaign is expanding on multiple fronts simultaneously, with Disney leaning hard into the film's May 22 release date across platforms, parks, and merchandise.
Tokyo Disneyland is also getting in on the action. Starting April 23 and running through June 30, the park's Star Tours: The Adventures Continue attraction will be updated to guarantee riders an encounter with Din Djarin and Grogu rather than the usual randomized sequence.
The promotion coincides with new Grogu-themed merchandise hitting the park on the same date, and Tokyo Disneyland is also offering special Star Wars Day photo opportunities on May 4. Stateside, both Disneyland and Walt Disney World are overhauling their Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run attractions to tie into the film, with a new mission launching on May 22.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
