Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Rotta the Hutt in The Mandalorian & Grogu
Star Wars Movies Rotta the Hutt becomes Rotta the cut in our best look yet at the surprisingly muscular Mandalorian and Grogu villain
Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars Movies Every new Star Wars movie and TV show currently in the works
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Star Wars Movies Pedro Pascal says it makes "perfect sense" for Din Djarin to remove his helmet in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Rotta the Hutt in The Mandalorian & Grogu
Star Wars Movies After fake Mandalorian and Grogu image of Rotta the Hutt took off online, ILM animator debunks the picture: "It's BS"
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Star Wars Movies Lucasfilm boss Dave Filoni says The Mandalorian and Grogu is "a big celebration" of the Star Wars duo
Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan in Lanterns.
DC TV Shows DC fans aren't impressed with the suit in the new HBO Lanterns trailer
How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
Star Wars Movies How to watch the Star Wars movies in order (release and chronological)
The Mandalorian and Boba Fett
Star Wars Movies Boba Fett star all but confirms his Star Wars bounty hunter won't show up in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Dave Filoni
Star Wars Movies Kathleen Kennedy says Dave Filoni taking over as Lucasfilm co-president has "been a 10-year mentoring process"
A still from The Mandalorian season 3
Star Wars Movies Kathleen Kennedy insists Baby Yoda won't speak in The Mandalorian and Grogu
The Acolyte
Star Wars TV Shows The Acolyte showrunner defends one of the most controversial aspects of the Star Wars show, but jokes "I'll take the L"
Hayden Christensen in Revenge of  the Sith
Star Wars Movies Star Wars fans are debating an iconic Revenge of the Sith scene that's now one of the saga's biggest 'what if' moments
Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars Movies Steven Soderbergh says he is "very disappointed" by the decision to cancel The Hunt for Ben Solo
Star Wars Galactic Racer big preview
Racing Games Star Wars: Galactic Racer makes more sense for the Star Wars universe than Palpatine somehow returning ever did
The Mandalorian
Star Wars TV Shows The Mandalorian season 4 release date speculation, potential cast, trailer, plot, and movie details
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Sci-Fi Movies
  4. Star Wars Movies
  5. The Mandalorian & Grogu

Lucasfilm says the 36-second Mandalorian and Grogu Super Bowl ad nods to "classic Big Game spots of years past," but fans aren't happy

News
By Molly Edwards published 10 February 2026

The Mandalorian and Grogu Super Bowl ad wasn't a regular trailer

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Din Djarin and Baby Yoda sitting together in the Super Bowl TV spot for The Mandalorian and Grogu
(Image credit: Disney)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
0
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

While The Mandalorian and Grogu had a presence at this year's Super Bowl, it wasn't a straightforward trailer for the Star Wars movie.

Instead, the clip was a 36-second ad that saw Mando and Grogu travelling through the snow, pulled along by tauntauns. Grogu takes the reins, and, at the end of the ad, he also strokes a tauntaun snout.

So, why not a traditional trailer? Lucasfilm's marketing brand lead Ryan Stankevich shed some light on the move.

You may like
  • Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu The latest Mandalorian and Grogu trailer proves the film will be worth the 7-year wait for Star Wars' big screen return
  • Din Djarin and Grogu in The Mandalorian & Grogu Mandalorian and Grogu teaser feels like classic Star Wars as the galaxy's first movie since 2019 gears up for release
  • Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu Disney reportedly worried about The Mandalorian and Grogu, but thinks Star Wars: Starfighter "is more likely to satisfy"

"Our creative and marketing team landed on a unique concept that gave a nod to classic Big Game spots of years past,” he shared in a statement that went live with the commercial (H/T The Hollywood Reporter). "In partnership with Jon Favreau, the teams at Lucasfilm and ILM brought to life a spot that felt to us instantly iconic, cinematic, and quintessentially Star Wars. It captured the warmth, humor, and emotional connection between these two beloved characters and was the perfect next step for our campaign as we lead up to their big screen debut this summer."

The Mandalorian and Grogu | A New Journey Begins | In Theaters May 22 - YouTube The Mandalorian and Grogu | A New Journey Begins | In Theaters May 22 - YouTube
Watch On

But, fans aren't impressed with the decision. "It was a cute ad, it would've been better if it ended on 'trailer online now' or 'trailer coming soon'…something! The movie comes out in 3 months and nobody knows what it's about. Just more member berries, and this time it's for an unrelated beer commercial," said one person.

"It would've been great if we'd already had more than one disappointing teaser and weren't three months away from release. The marketing on this is worse than it was for Solo," says someone else.

"This is a hot take, but I actually didn't mind it. I think if everyone wasn't expecting them to drop a trailer, the spot would've been better received," is someone else's verdict.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"Fumble after fumble. This could have been a fun homage/spoof intro had they attached an actual trailer to it. Instead, a few months before release, this cemented that the movie doesn't seem to have anything remotely interesting in it that they could've shown instead," someone else thinks.

"I think it's really funny that people were confused by this when it's the most straightforward parody of a common Super Bowl ad ever," is another person's response. "That said, this advertising strategy for a Star Wars movie would be raising massive red flags if they weren't already raised by That Trailer"

The Super Bowl ad follows the film's first trailer, which teased Mando and Grogu on another adventure. You can read more about it in our The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer breakdown through the link.

The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives on May 22. In the meantime, keep up to date with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.

TOPICS
Disney Lucasfilm
Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Social Links Navigation
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu
The latest Mandalorian and Grogu trailer proves the film will be worth the 7-year wait for Star Wars' big screen return
 
 
Din Djarin and Grogu in The Mandalorian & Grogu
Mandalorian and Grogu teaser feels like classic Star Wars as the galaxy's first movie since 2019 gears up for release
 
 
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Disney reportedly worried about The Mandalorian and Grogu, but thinks Star Wars: Starfighter "is more likely to satisfy"
 
 
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Lucasfilm boss Dave Filoni says The Mandalorian and Grogu is "a big celebration" of the Star Wars duo
 
 
The Mandalorian and Grogu in the Big Game Spot
Jon Favreau admits The Mandalorian's jump to the big screen means they have to "up their game"
 
 
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Pedro Pascal is unmasked and back in gunslinging action in new Mandalorian and Grogu trailer
 
 
Latest in Star Wars Movies
Hayden Christensen in Revenge of  the Sith
Star Wars fans are debating an iconic Revenge of the Sith scene that's now one of the saga's biggest 'what if' moments
 
 
Dave Filoni
Kathleen Kennedy says Dave Filoni taking over as Lucasfilm co-president has "been a 10-year mentoring process"
 
 
A still from The Mandalorian season 3
Kathleen Kennedy insists Baby Yoda won't speak in The Mandalorian and Grogu
 
 
Rotta the Hutt in The Mandalorian & Grogu
Rotta the Hutt becomes Rotta the cut in our best look yet at the surprisingly muscular Mandalorian and Grogu villain
 
 
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Pedro Pascal says it makes "perfect sense" for Din Djarin to remove his helmet in The Mandalorian and Grogu
 
 
Rotta the Hutt in The Mandalorian & Grogu
After fake Mandalorian and Grogu image of Rotta the Hutt took off online, ILM animator debunks the picture: "It's BS"
 
 
Latest in News
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 support agent says "there's no balance team" at Arrowhead because "it's all a team effort"
 
 
Ghostwire Tokyo
Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami has been working on a new AAA action RPG for at least 1 year, and no one noticed
 
 
Key art for Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen showing Venasaur against a swirling green background, cropped for a header image
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have been on Switch for over a week, but many players are still stuck in Oak's Lab
 
 
Big Walk
"Complicated feelings on our end": Indie devs behind new Peak-like co-op understand you think it's friendslop
 
 
A Na'vi draws a bow in Avatar: Fire and Ash
James Cameron says Avatar 4 is still "very likely", despite Fire and Ash making $870 million less than The Way of Water
 
 
Ghost of Yotei Legends
"Mark my words. You cannot win without 4 players," Ghost of Yotei multiplayer lead warns of Legends' "hardcore content"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Ghostwire Tokyo
    1
    Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami has been working on a new AAA action RPG for at least 1 year after Microsoft closed his last studio, and no one noticed
  2. 2
    How to complete the Marathon Introducing Sekiguchi contract
  3. 3
    How to start Ghost of Yotei Legends online co-op
  4. 4
    Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have been on Switch for over a week, but many players are still stuck in Oak's Lab trying to get shiny starters: "I'm going to cry"
  5. 5
    James Cameron says Avatar 4 is still "very likely", despite Fire and Ash making almost a billion dollars less than The Way of Water

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...