"The Mandalorian and Grogu" cost $160 million - the cheapest Star Wars film from Disney
The upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu received the lowest budget of any Disney-led Star Wars film, coming in at just over $160, according to the California Film Commission (via Collider million
Modern technologies from the visual effects studio ILM and filming in California helped reduce the cost of production - the state provided the team with a tax credit in the amount of $21.75 million. Quite unusual for Disney, which tries to independently control costs and usually spares no expense even on failed television shows.
For comparison, here are the production budgets of the other Star Wars films:
| Title | Year of release | Production budget |
|---|---|---|
| “Star Wars. Episode IV. A New Hope | 1977 | $11 million |
| Star Wars. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | 1980 | $18 million |
| Star Wars. Episode VI. Return of the Jedi" | 1983 | $32.5 million |
| "Star Wars. Episode I. The Phantom Menace | 1999 | $115 million |
| Star Wars. Episode II. Attack of the Clones | 2002 | $115 million |
| Star Wars. Episode III. Revenge of the Sith | 2005 | $113 million |
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens | 2015 | $245 million |
| Rogue One. Star Wars: A Story | 2016 | $200 million |
| Star Wars: The Last Jedi | 2017 | $317 million |
| Han Solo. Star Wars: A Story | 2018 | $275 million |
| Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Rising | 2019 | $275 million |
| The Mandalorian and Grogu | 2026 | $166, 4 million |
On the one hand, a modest budget is something new for giant studios. However, large expenses usually put additional pressure on box office results, and if the cost of The Mandalorian and Grog really is that low, then Lucasfilm should have no problem with return on investment and profitability.On the other hand, this price indicates that production mainly took place on The Volume's sound stage.
The technology, which began to be actively used in the early 2020s and was used in the series “The Mandalorian” in particular, is essentially a large circular installation of seamless LED screens on which computer images are displayed using various graphics technologies, united by the term StageCraft. In fact, The Volume involves working with graphics before the film is shot, and not at the post-production stage, and this is a big plus for directors who immediately see the finished picture, and not a green screen. However, it also has certain disadvantages - the actors are locked in space, which limits camera movement; and intensive use of technology is sometimes too conspicuous and reduces the cost of the final result.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will be the first theatrical release of a Star Wars film in seven years. Disney clearly has high hopes for it - the series, starring Pedro Pascal, became the face of Disney+ during the streaming platform's launch and received generally positive reviews (especially compared to other Star Wars series).
The film will continue the story of Mandalorian and bounty hunter Din Djarin along with his assistant Grogu, known as Baby Yoda. The plot is being kept under wraps for now, but we expect to see characters like Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), Bo-Katan Kryze (Kate Sackhoff), Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and others. Jeremy Allen White and Sigourney Weaver also joined the cast.