After several years of focusing solely on streaming series and spin-off shows for Disney+, the Star Wars franchise is finally heading back to the big screen next year with The Mandalorian and Grogu in 2026. This is a huge deal for the Star Wars franchise, whose beginnings are intrinsically tied to the dawn of the blockbuster itself.

While it’s easy to feel underwhelmed given the saturation of Star Wars content over the last few years, it’s easy to forget that it’s actually been a H๏τ minute since we’ve actually had a Star Wars movie on the big-screen. The return of Star Wars to theaters isn’t just another movie release, it’s a key moment for the franchise’s entire future.

After six years, Lucasfilm is well overdue for a theatrical movie. Here’s why The Mandalorian and Grogu’s release is going to be so important for the entire Star Wars franchise.

Star Wars Is A Movie Franchise At Its Core

Star Wars was made for the theatrical experience. After all, it was originally envisioned by George Lucas to be a major spectacle of mythology amid an ever-expanding galaxy. A New Hope was groundbreaking for its visual effects, kickstarting what would become the entire franchise that’s often been on the cutting edge of cinematic breakthroughs worthy of the big screen.

Each movie has historically pushed cinematic technology forward via digital breakthroughs, innovations in sound design, and visual effects that have reshaped the movie-making industry itself. A new film will hopefully give Lucasfilm another chance to re-establish its reputation as a creative leader.

While The Mandalorian and Grogu’s first trailer admittedly looked and felt like another season of The Mandalorian series on Disney+, there’s still time for Lucasfilm to put its best foot forward when it comes to Star Wars’ long-awaited return to the big screen.

This isn’t to discount achievements that have been made for the small-screen with Star Wars projects like The Mandalorian, Andor, and/or Ahsoka. Released on Disney+ since 2019, characters and new events explored in these shows have featured incredibly dynamic storytelling thanks to new technologies like ILM’s Volume.

However, Star Wars at its core needs more than just the small screen with character-driven stories. It demands a much bigger scale that comes from the larger-than-life theatrical experience. To put it simply, the opening John Williams score and crawl just doesn’t hit the same watching on your TV at home.

Star Wars needs to return as the gold standard and cornerstone of blockbuster cinema, a major part of its past and legacy that should be maintained for the future.

Star Wars Hasn’t Released A Movie Since 2019

The importance of Star Wars returning to the big-screen is also such a big deal considering how poorly the last Star Wars movie was received back in 2019.

Despite earning over a billion at the box office, 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker performed significantly less than The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi. Billed as the culmination of the entire Skywalker saga, The Rise of Skywalker proved to be extremely divisive instead.

Critics and fans alike found Episode IX to be extremely uneven with rushed storylines, contradictions to past films, and an over-reliance on nostalgia. It should have been a beloved celebration of Star Wars’ legacy. Instead, it marked one of the most controversial releases in the franchise’s entire cinematic history.

Lucasfilm’s entire Star Wars release calendar has since seen numerous movie project announcements, delays, and indefinite pauses. It’s only recently that we’ve had solid and tangible development/confirmed releases with productions like The Mandalorian and Grogu and Shawn Levy’s Star Wars Starfighter releasing in 2027 starring Ryan Gosling, Mia Goth, Matt Smith, and more.

Star Wars’ true strength since 2019 has been on the small-screen with the aforementioned shows (particularly Andor), while at the same time proving how eager fans are to see Star Wars on the big-screen again, where the franchise’s ultimate focus really should be. The galaxy far, far away just needs a powerful theatrical comeback to have a truly successful resurgence.

Star Wars Needs A Movie Win – The Mandalorian Movie Can Achieve That (Theoretically)

It should be noted that the first trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu did not instill the confidence and levels of hype Lucasfilm was undoubtedly expecting and hoping for. There’s also a good amount of pressure and expectation for this movie in particular, as the first Star Wars movie in over half a decade.

Even so, the first Star Wars movie to release since 2019 still has the potential to resonate with fans and bring about the big-screen comeback the Star Wars franchise needs. After all, Star Wars movies should feel like they are “can’t miss” events.

The Mandalorian and Grogu seems to have the right ingredients with director Jon Favreau, top talent with Pedro Pascal, Sigorney Weaver, and Jeremy Allen White, beloved characters audiences know and love from the small screen, new characters, and key nostalgia sprinkled throughout from The Mandalorian and beloved Star Wars movies like The Empire Strikes Back.

Taken to the big screen, The Mandalorian’s formula could in theory reignite the Star Wars franchise at its core.

The duo of Din Djarin and Grogu and their journey represent a perfect bridge between older and newer elements of Star Wars, so expanding that dynamic into a full cinematic narrative could remind fans why these characters (and the entire Star Wars galaxy at large) continues to matter.

That being said, it’s also possible that 2027’s Starfighter could serve as a much bigger comeback for Lucasfilm, which seems like it will cover even fresher territory with brand-new characters while being set beyond the events of the sequels. At any rate, a return to the big-screen for the Star Wars franchise is crucial, and it’s very exciting that the wait is almost over.

The Mandalorian & Grogu releases in theaters on May 22nd, 2026.