‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Posts One of the Weakest Disney+ Streaming Debuts
Disney has increasingly relied on Nielsen viewership data in recent years to provide context for its streaming performance beyond mere box office figures. This trend has revealed a consistent pattern: successful theatrical releases often lead to strong debuts on Disney+, while films that underperform tend to fade quietly in the streaming realm. This month, that pattern was evident once again with one of the year’s most anticipated franchise releases.
‘The Mandalorian and Grogu‘ hit theaters in May, marking the first live-action ‘Star Wars’ film in seven years. However, it left a complicated legacy, grossing $345.8 million worldwide and becoming the lowest-grossing live-action entry in the franchise’s history. This disappointing box office performance raised an important question ahead of its Disney+ release: would streaming numbers tell a different story?
According to Nielsen data, the answer appears to be no. ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ garnered the equivalent of 5.5 million complete views in its first five days on Disney+ in the US, placing it firmly in the lower half of recent theatrical live-action releases on the platform, rather than among the top performers.
This number is nearly identical to Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts,’ which also opened to 5.5 million views during its first five days on the service. For a franchise as historically successful as ‘Star Wars,’ landing in a virtual tie with a mid-tier Marvel ensemble film is a notable outcome.
When examining the broader chart of Pay-1 theatrical live-action releases on Disney+, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’s’ 5.5 million views fall significantly short of several stronger recent performers. ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ leads the list with 14.1 million views in its first five days, followed by ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ at 10.9 million and ‘The Little Mermaid’ at 10.2 million.
Even films like ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ and ‘Eternals,’ which received mixed reviews, surpassed ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ with 9.7 million and 9.2 million views, respectively. Other titles such as ‘Haunted Mansion’ at 8.1 million and ‘Lilo & Stitch’ at 7.4 million also performed better than the new ‘Star Wars’ release.
The films closest to ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ on the chart tell their own story. ‘Snow White’ and ‘The Marvels,’ both of which are known for their recent box office disappointments, each recorded 5.3 million views, closely matching the ‘Star Wars’ spinoff’s figures. ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ and ‘Black Widow’ also cluster nearby with 5.2 million and 5.1 million views, respectively.
This streaming performance mirrors the film’s theatrical run. ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ opened domestically with a three-day total of around $82 million, climbing to approximately $102 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend. These figures were close to those of 2018’s ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story,’ historically the franchise’s weakest domestic performer under Disney ownership.
Despite its challenges, the film did receive some praise, earning an A- CinemaScore and a solid 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, indicating that those who watched it generally enjoyed the experience. However, positive audience sentiment did not translate into a standout streaming debut when the film became available on Disney+ on September 2.
A new journey begins.
Watch the big game spot and see The Mandalorian and Grogu only in theaters and IMAX May 22. pic.twitter.com/5M0MKbJFqr
— Star Wars (@starwars) February 8, 2026
For context on how ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ compares to the platform’s biggest hits, it’s notable that only two titles on the full ranking performed worse: ‘Freakier Friday’ at 3.4 million views and ‘Tron: Ares’ at 2.2 million, both of which similarly struggled to gain traction with audiences beyond their opening weekends.
As Disney continues to view these Nielsen figures as a significant measure of a title’s longevity, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’s’ streaming numbers contribute to a rocky rollout for the franchise’s long-awaited return to theaters. Whether this will lead to any reevaluation of future ‘Star Wars’ theatrical plans remains uncertain, but the data clearly indicates that this particular chapter did not achieve the crossover moment Disney likely envisioned.
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