Star Wars has two thrilling new movies coming down the line, but they are unfortunately about to face the very same obstacle that Solo: A Star Wars Story did back in 2018—and that’s almost certainly about to be a problem. The Mandalorian and Grogu has long been known to be the next release of Star Wars’ upcoming movies. Lucasfilm shocked many with the Star Wars Celebration 2025 announcement that Shawn Levy’s Star Wars movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, would be released after that.

In fact, of the Star Wars Celebration 2025 reveals, the news of Starfighter, including that Ryan Gosling would be starring in the movie, was among the most surprising. There’s already plenty of excitement building up about that movie, as there has been for The Mandalorian and Grogu for quite some time. Unfortunately, Star Wars is doing itself a mᴀssive disservice with both of these movies, suggesting the franchise hasn’t really learned from Solo at all.

Solo: A Star Wars Story Released Against Avengers: Infinity War In 2018

Infinity War Was One Of The Most Highly Anticipated MCU Movies Of All Time

Solo was released on May 10, 2018, which put Solo directly in compeтιтion with Avengers: Infinity War. Although Infinity War had already been in theaters for nearly two weeks at that point, given its April 27, 2018, release date, there’s little doubt that Infinity War detracted from the hype about Solo. In fact, to date, Infinity War remains one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies that was the most highly anticipated.

This was particularly bad news for Solo, which was already going to struggle to perform. Star Wars has consistently been a box office hit, but that successful history primarily reflects the fanbase’s dedication to and love for the Skywalker Saga. Not only did Solo fall outside that saga, but it also featured a recast of Han Solo, which has always proven to be a challenge in this franchise. Even though an actor younger than Harrison Ford was required for the point in the Star Wars timeline in which Solo is set, this fanbase isn’t one that does well with change.

Pitting Solo against a movie that was drawing so much attention from MCU fans—and was the culmination of all Avengers movies so far—surely played a role in Solo’s poor performance. Of course, even outside Solo’s box office ding, the movie isn’t a favorite among audiences. Many still consider Solo one of Star Wars’ worst movies, even now. It nevertheless holds true that Star Wars competing with MCU movies, especially Avengers movies, is a bad move, though. So why on Earth would Disney decide to do this again with not one but two new Star Wars movies?

The Mandalorian & Grogu And Star Wars: Starfighter Release Against The Next 2 Avengers Movies

These Are Star Wars’ First Theatrical Releases In Years

The Mandalorian and Grogu’s release date is confirmed to be May 22, 2026. Starfighter’s release date was also confirmed to be May 28, 2027, at Star Wars Celebration 2025. This means that both The Mandalorian and Grogu and Starfighter directly compete with the MCU’s next two Avengers movies: Avengers: Doomsday, which is releasing on May 1, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars, which is releasing on May 7, 2027.

This is a very risky move for Star Wars. Similar to the precarious nature of Solo, which was trying something effectively brand-new in the franchise, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Starfighter represent Star Wars’ first new movies in years. In fact, when The Mandalorian and Grogu releases, it will have been nearly seven years since Star Wars’ last movie, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, came out. There is therefore quite a bit riding on these movies, yet Star Wars is about to repeat Solo’s mistakes.

In a sense, this is actually a mirror image of the issue with Solo, given these Avengers movies are once again pivotal. Not unlike Infinity War, Doomsday is going to be a mᴀssive MCU event as the first Avengers movie since Avengers: Endgame. The movie will also see the return of several beloved characters and actors, which will no doubt draw mᴀssive audiences. All of this spells trouble for The Mandalorian and Grogu, but what makes this especially odd is the fact that Disney is essentially competing against itself.

Is Disney Hurting Itself By Pitting Star Wars Against The Avengers?

In A Way, Disney Is Competing Against Itself

Disney now owns both Star Wars and Marvel/the MCU, which means that by consistently pitting Star Wars and MCU movies against one another, it is likely only doing itself harm. It’s more than a little odd that both franchises seem so entirely committed to May releases for their major movies, especially because of this odd situation that consistently sees new Star Wars movies released just after brand-new Avengers movies. If Disney has a strategy here, I’m struggling to see it.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out with The Mandalorian and Grogu. As mentioned, Solo was an anomaly in Star Wars, as only Solo and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story have been full theatrical releases outside the Skywalker Saga. Although The Mandalorian and Grogu is also outside that saga, significant fanfare is building around the movie, and it’s a continuation of the very successful show The Mandalorian. This could mean a better outcome than Solo: A Star Wars Story had, but I remain concerned about these two Star Wars movies based on their release dates.