The Mandalorian and Grogu are coming home. Four months after the Star Wars film brought the saga back to the big screen for the first time in seven years, the Razor Crest is touching down on Disney Plus this September 2.
The film arrived a lengthy three years after its (less well-received) third season and didn't quite set the box office on fire. It scored a reasonably low 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, and many have questioned the wisdom of turning a streaming show into a theatrical movie – or criticized the film for focusing on a standalone adventure story rather than weaving in the wider galaxy.
Still, despite it all, I firmly believe there was no better film to kickstart Star Wars's theatrical comeback than The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Welcome back
That might seem like a nuclear take, but I have my reasons. Personally, I simply loved the movie: an all-grown-up Rotta the Hutt became my surprise MVP; Grogu, continuing to grow into his Mandalorian and Jedi potential, was a delight; and I thought the whole thing was a good old-fashioned, fun adventure tale with cool and creepy critters, spectacular action set-pieces, and all the heartwarming Clan of Two moments you could ask for.
I'm not alone in this, either: the film was well-liked by the audiences who showed up for Din Djarin and Din Grogu, with a healthy 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- CinemaScore on opening night. The box office may have been a somewhat underwhelming $345.8 million (though, on a budget of $165 million, that's not a total disaster), but the film succeeded elsewhere. It returned us to the Mando-verse era of the Star Wars timeline just in time for Ahsoka season 2, and it also seemed to give the three seasons of the flagship show a boost: The Mandalorian was Disney Plus's third most-watched original series in the first half of 2026 with 2.4 billion minutes viewed, according to Luminate. That's particularly noteworthy considering the show hasn't released a new episode in three years.
Aside from the film deserving a much warmer reception and boosting the show's streaming fortunes, though, it was also the right choice for getting audiences used to Star Wars as a theatrical experience again. Seven long years have passed since The Rise of Skywalker, and, in that time, the franchise has released a whole host of Disney Plus shows. Like Marvel, this seems to have contributed to a certain dilution of the franchise, with every new Star Wars project no longer feeling like an unmissable event – unthinkable even 10 years ago – regardless of each show's quality. But, despite the more lukewarm reception to season 3, Mando and Grogu have remained instantly recognizable Star Wars icons, even though they originated on streaming themselves. Choosing this duo to launch Star Wars's return to theaters made total sense.
While the film drew criticism for its self-contained story, going in such a standalone direction was also a wise move. There's nothing more off-putting than feeling like you need to do your homework before you head to the theater, after all. And, since the film is so self-contained, it's also primed to be a new generation's introduction to Star Wars.
Maybe most importantly for the saga at large, though, The Mandalorian and Grogu set the stage for Star Wars: Starfighter. Any film tasked with bringing Star Wars back to the big screen was going to face a great deal of scrutiny – and the pressure of high expectations – but, now that Mando has broken that barrier already, Starfighter has something of a clearer runway.
Next moves
Judging by The Mandalorian's streaming boost, it's likely that the movie will do very well on Disney Plus. In the wake of The Mandalorian and Grogu's theatrical performance, it's hard to imagine Disney and Lucasfilm won't pivot when it comes to its theatrical slate. I would bet that Dave Filoni's movie, announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023 and set to tie together the Disney Plus shows, will be reconfigured into a streaming event (most likely an Heir to the Empire-style showdown against Grand Admiral Thrawn, considering the Ahsoka season 2 trailer).
The future of Star Wars on the small screen seems less certain, with nothing live-action confirmed past Ahsoka. It's doubtful that Lucasfilm will abandon TV entirely, but I expect the days of multiple Star Wars shows a year are long behind us.
But for the saga's return to the big screen, I'm glad Lucasfilm chose The Mandalorian and Grogu. If nothing else, the film was a fun few hours at the theater this summer, and it reunited me with two of my favorite Star Wars guys. This is the way.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is streaming on Disney Plus now. See what else the galaxy far, far away has in store with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, or check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review.
