The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)

The Mandalorian and Grogu marks the first time a live-action Disney+ series has directly transitioned its central characters to a theatrical feature. Director Jon Favreau brings the show's Western-in-space aesthetic to the big screen with a $165 million budget: this is the best-looking Star Wars property since The Last Jedi, with creature design and action choreography that utterly embarrasses everything that appeared in the sequel trilogy. The story is deliberately low-stakes — refreshingly so. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu travel to an uncharted world to fulfill a promise made to a dying elder of Grogu's species, discovering a centuries-old secret connecting to the earliest days of Mandalorian culture. The film functions as a 125-minute character study rather than a conventional action spectacle. Pedro Pascal is extraordinary. His performance — almost entirely physical given the helmet — has been called one of the finest pieces of wordless acting in franchise cinema. The film's climactic sequence, in which Din removes his helmet in an act of profound trust, has moved audiences to tears at every reported screening. The film opened to $98 million over Memorial Day weekend, with $297 million worldwide. The 62% Rotten Tomatoes critics score reflects the divide between fans (89% audience score) and critics who found the plotting too thin.