Disney has just saved their nextStar Warsmovie. Remarkably, the galaxy far, far away hasn’t had a theatrical release since 2019’sRise of Skywalker. Now,The Mandalorian and Groguis set to release almost exactly a year from now (and Disney has just done it a major favor).
Following the first three seasons ofThe Mandalorianon Disney+,Lucasfilm is set to releaseThe Mandalorian and Groguin 2026, a full-feature theatrical release starring Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin and his adoptive son Grogu.Directed by Jon Favreau, next year’sThe Mandalorian and Groguis quite a high-profile film for multiple reasons, though Disney was taking a big risk with its release schedule had it not just delayedAvengers: Doomsday.
Disney Was Taking A Big Risk Putting The Avengers & Star Wars Up Against Each Other
Two High-Profile Movies That Would Have Both Released In May
As of yesterday,Avengers: Doomsdayhas been officially moved from its May 1st date to December 18th, 2026. Additionally,Avengers: Secret Warsin 2027 has been moved from its original May date to December as well.While the delay should allow Marvel Studios to focus on both crossovers' overall quality with greater time for post-production, there is a direct positive impact on theStar Warsfranchise as well.
Originally, bothAvengers: DoomsdayandThe Mandalorian & Groguwere going to be released in May of next year. This felt incredibly risky for multiple reasons. Not only hasStar Warsnot been at the box office since2019’sRise of Skywalker,but putting two high-profile movies from two of Disney’s biggest franchises in direct competition with each other felt pretty concerning due to the likelihood of such a major Marvel crossover greatly overshadowingThe Mandalorian and Grogu, potentially hurting its overall performance and success. After all, this kind of scenario has been seen before.
Star Wars Movies Have Been Hit By Avengers Films Before
Solo and Avengers: Infinity War
Admittedly, 2018’sSolo: A Star Wars Storyfailed for several reasons. Behind-the-scenes drama with reshoots and a new director, the residual fallout from 2017’s divisiveThe Last Jedi, and weak marketing all contributed toSolo’s underperformance at the box office. However, another key reason was the overcrowded release schedule withSoloreleasing on May 10, withAvengers: Infinity Warhaving released just two weeks earlier (Fox’sDeadpool 2releasing the week after didn’t help either).
Solowas certainly hit by its proximity to the major blockbuster that wasInfinity War. Not only was the thirdAvengersmovie a major powerhouse as the beginning of the end for the Infinity Saga, but Disney justifiably made it a bigger priority in terms of marketing. As such, one could imaginethe exact same risk could have happened withAvengers: DoomsdayandThe Mandalorian and Grogu.
It Looks Like May Is Now Star Wars Month
May The Fourth Be With You!
Additionally,Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling’sStar Wars: Starfighterno longer has to worry aboutAvengers: Secret Warsin May of 2027, which has also been moved to a December date. It looks as thoughStar Warsand the MCU have effectively swapped their traditional release windows, which does make a fair amount of sense.After all, May the Fourth celebrations do mean May is when engagement with the franchise is at its yearly peak. Having aStar Warstheatrical release in the same month makes all kinds of sense, as does moving any Marvel competition out of its path (for both franchises' sake).
The Mandalorian & Groguis set to release on May 22nd, 2026.
