There are long-running franchises, and then there's Star Wars. Generations grew up with the galaxy far, far away, which continues to expand through movies and live-action shows that are available with a Disney+ subscription. The first of these shows was The Mandalorian, which is going to make its way to the big screen with Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian and Grogu. But that upcoming Star Wars movies' budget is reportedly going to be way small for the franchise, and I'm so confused.
What we know about The Mandalorian and Grogu is limited, but fans are excited to see the beloved title characters make their way from the small to silver screen. But despite how much passion is behind the property, a report by Bespin Bulletin indicates that Lucasfilm is looking to spend less money on future Star Wars flicks. And they claim the Mandalorian movie's budget is actually less than full season of the series.
While this hasn't been confirmed by the studio yet, it's sure to give some Star Wars fans reason to pause. Bringing the franchise to life is understandably expensive, thanks to visual effects, make-up, production design, and more. The first season of The Mandalorian cost $120 million, so the movie will presumably follow suit if this report is to believed. And considering how successful the show has been, this small budget is a bit mystifying.
While $120 million is a big chunk of money, it's small change compared to the budget of recent Star Wars movies. For example, the last flick to hit theaters was The Rise of Skywalker, which had a budget of a whopping $416 million. But that huge sum also made Episode IX's box office performance precarious, as it needed to hit really big to make a profit.
If The Mandalorain and Grogu is successfully made on such a smaller budget, Lucasfilm could end up making a ton of money. The Disney+ series is wildly popular, and smart money says plenty of fans would shell out to see the title characters travel through the galaxy on the big screen. We'll just have to wait and see how much money the studio actually commits to this exciting project. Maybe they'll give Mando the big budget he deserves after all.
Fans are eager to see what comes next for Pedro Pascal's title character after The Mandalorian's Season 3 finale. Grogu and Din Djarin seem to have found their happy ending, but it's rarely thats simple in the galaxy far far away. And if Season 4 happens before the movie, a ton could potentially change.
It's been years since The Rise of Skywalker's release, and Star Wars has been noticeably missing from theaters. Lucasfilm announced a new trilogy, which didn't include The Mandalorian flick or Taika Waititi's announced project. We'll just have to see when these projects start production, and what their budgets are.
None of these Star Wars movies have release dates yet. While we wait for information, check the 2024 movie release dates.
