‘Andor’ Dominates Millennials and Gen X While ‘The Mandalorian’ Captures Other Generations

The ‘Star Wars’ franchise has always catered to diverse audiences, and recent streaming data highlights this diversity more than ever. Spanning decades, ‘Star Wars’ includes everything from animated series for younger viewers to intense dramas that resonate with fans who grew up during the prequel era. Fresh Nielsen numbers provide concrete evidence of this broad appeal.

According to Nielsen, U.S. audiences spent an astonishing 33 billion minutes engaging with ‘Star Wars’ content across both linear television and streaming in 2025. This translates to an impressive 550 million hours of movies, shows, and animated projects consumed in just one year, placing the franchise among the most significant entertainment properties globally, despite discussions about individual titles’ performance.

The generational breakdown of this impressive figure reveals intriguing insights. For viewers aged two to thirteen, ‘The Mandalorian’ was the top choice, while Gen Z audiences aged fourteen to twenty-nine preferred ‘The Clone Wars.’ Both Millennials and Gen X gravitated towards ‘Andor’ as their favorite, with Baby Boomers also favoring ‘The Mandalorian.’

This pattern indicates that ‘The Mandalorian’ serves as a franchise anchor across different age groups, appealing to younger audiences with its adventurous spirit and to older viewers with its nostalgic Western vibe, while ‘Andor’ has successfully carved out its niche.

Leading all live-action ‘Star Wars’ series, ‘Andor’ amassed 7.4 billion minutes of viewership in 2025, and its second season kept it in Nielsen’s Top Ten Streaming Originals for six consecutive weeks. This achievement is particularly noteworthy as ‘Andor’ was initially viewed as a niche entry, a political drama that required viewers to engage with a storyline devoid of lightsaber battles or Force powers.

The second season of ‘Andor’ debuted with a remarkable 98 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest-rated live-action ‘Star Wars’ project to date, surpassing its first season’s 96 percent rating.

Additionally, the series made history as the first television show on IMDb to have five consecutive episodes rated 9.5 or higher, with the episode showcasing the Ghorman massacre currently holding the highest score of 9.8. For a franchise that has faced challenges in maintaining consistent critical acclaim during its Disney era, these statistics signify a pivotal moment.

In 2025, live-action films accounted for the largest share of total ‘Star Wars’ viewing at 44.2 percent, followed by live-action series at 38.9 percent and animated content at 16.8 percent. The original ‘A New Hope’ remained the most-watched film of the year, underscoring the enduring appeal of the franchise’s foundational story.

Looking forward, the franchise is gearing up for the theatrical release of ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ on May 22, 2026, featuring Pedro Pascal and directed by Dave Filoni, alongside a second season of ‘Ahsoka’ currently in production. If the Nielsen data is any indication, the galaxy has ample room for expansion in every direction.

Share your thoughts in the comments about which ‘Star Wars’ series is your most-streamed favorite and whether you believe your generation’s top choice is the right one.