The Rey Skywalker movie may have taken a backseat, but Jon Favreau is going to be bringing Star Wars back in theaters with The Mandalorian and Grogu.
The movie will be the first theatrically released Star Wars film since The Rise of Skywalker, and it had a very unique title when it comes to Disney-era Star Wars—it’s going to be the cheapest movie produced since Revenge of the Sith.
According to Collider, Mando and Grogu has a budget of $166.4 million, significantly lower than the budgets for all the Disney era Star Wars films that have released since 2015. Compare that also to the Prequel Trilogy whose cheapest movie, ROTS, had a budget of $113 million.
Here’s the budget for other Star Wars movies for comparison:
| Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope | 1977 | $11 million |
| Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back | 1980 | $18 million |
| Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi | 1983 | $32.5 million |
| Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | 1999 | $115 million |
| Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | 2002 | $115 million |
| Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | 2005 | $113 million |
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens | 2015 | $245 million |
| Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | 2016 | $200 million |
| Star Wars: The Last Jedi | 2017 | $317 million |
| Solo: A Star Wars Story | 2018 | $275 million |
| Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | 2019 | $275 million |
| The Mandalorian and Grogu | 2026 | $166.4 million |
It is worth noting that Mandalorian was one of the shows to pioneer the use of the Volume, and it’s possible that this could be the reason why production was able to save costs. Besides not having to find as many locations, the lead character having his face hidden constantly also allows for multiple scenes to be shot simultaneously—saving lots of time and money for production. It’s also what makes The Mandalorian so cleverly crafted from a practical standpoint.
Admittedly, a lot of fans have logged out of the Mando/Grogu story ever since they reunited the two in Book of Boba Fett, but if all they want to bring is a spectacle, the big screen is surely the place to check it out when it comes to Star Wars.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is set to come to cinemas on May 22, 2026.
