Seven years after The Rise of Skywalker, the great Star Wars movie hiatus ended this summer with The Mandalorian and Grogu hit theaters. Though it marked the long-awaited big-screen return of one of Hollywood’s most beloved franchises, the film wasn’t the massive moviegoing event Lucasfilm was hoping for. Hamstrung by mixed reviews (60% on Rotten Tomatoes) and an underwhelming marketing campaign, The Mandalorian and Grogu struggled to appeal to general audiences. After a solid $98 million domestic opening over the extended Memorial Day weekend, the film took a nosedive at the box office and ended up being outgrossed by indie horror movies Backrooms and Obsession. After an uneven theatrical run, a new revenue stream is about to open, as The Mandalorian and Grogu is coming to home media soon.
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Today, Lucasfilm announced The Mandalorian and Grogu will be available to purchase on Digital on July 21st. For those who would rather own a physical copy of the film, the 4K Ultra HD disc will be released on August 25th. The physical release also includes a standard Blu-ray and a digital code.
When Will The Mandalorian and Grogu Release on Disney+?
There’s one crucial piece of information missing from this Mandalorian and Grogu home media announcement. For the time being, Disney and Lucasfilm are remaining mum on when the latest Star Wars film will be available to stream on Disney+. There’s an obvious business reason for that; the studios don’t want to eat into Digital sales by revealing when people will be able to watch the movie at home for “free,” so they’re going to hold off on revealing that right now. Nevertheless, fans will be wondering when The Mandalorian and Grogu will join the rest of the Star Wars releases on the streaming service.
If Disney’s history is anything to go by, The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s streaming release date will probably be shortly after the 4K comes out. How long is anyone’s guess, as the Mouse House doesn’t appear to have a set timetable for these things. Last year, The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrived on Disney+ on November 5 (three weeks after the Blu-ray), Thunderbolts* hit streaming on August 27 (one month after the Blu-ray), and Lilo & Stitch was on Disney+ on September 3 (a week after the Blu-ray). Going by that, The Mandalorian and Grogu could be streaming anywhere from a week after the physical release to a month. Regardless of how long it takes, audiences shouldn’t expect the film on Disney+ until early September at the earliest.
It’ll be interesting to see how The Mandalorian and Grogu performs on the home media market. One of the reasons why it underwhelmed at the box office is because it never felt like a must-see cinematic event on the big screen. In the post-pandemic landscape, general audiences have shown that they’re still willing to go out to the theater, but they want to feel like the trip will really be worth it. This is why well-received titles like Project Hail Mary and Obsession thrive while The Mandalorian and Grogu disappointed. It’s easier for people to be more selective about what they see at the multiplex, and something like Mandalorian and Grogu (which came across as an extended episode of the streaming TV show) didn’t take priority. Some viewers felt fine waiting for home media to watch it.
There’s a long history of films with middling box office returns performing well on Digital and streaming, so odds are The Mandalorian and Grogu will find an audience at home. Disney will certainly appreciate whatever extra money the movie brings in from purchases and rentals. Budgeted at $165 million (the lowest for a Disney-era Star Wars movie), The Mandalorian and Grogu didn’t need to break records to turn a profit, but the studio was probably hoping for more than a $340 million worldwide total. However, once home media money is added to whatever the film has generated in merchandise sales and licensing, The Mandalorian and Grogu should recoup its production and marketing expenses. Plus, it’s going to be a big draw on Disney+ whenever it does hit streaming.
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Courtesy of Universal Pictures
