I Saw a Way Better Mandalorian & Grogu Trailer Almost 1 Year Ago, and I Don’t Get Why Disney Hasn’t Released It

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Fans are wondering what’s happening with The Mandalorian and Grogu. The recent marketing for the movie, particularly the Super Bowl ad, has left many confused instead of excited. While the ad – a playful take on old beer commercials – was amusing on its own, it highlights a bigger issue: the film isn’t generating much buzz. This is strange, considering Lucasfilm and Disney seem to have the tools to create excitement.

The recent Super Bowl ad for The Mandalorian & Grogu isn’t very effective, mainly because it’s a comedic take on the show without showing any actual scenes from the movie. This continues a pattern of disappointing marketing for the film. The initial trailer wasn’t well-received, and with the release still over three months away, this ad needed to be a big hit to generate excitement. It’s strange that they haven’t released the footage they showed at Star Wars Celebration Japan in April – that could have been a solution.

I was fortunate enough to see a preview of the show last year. Even a short clip would have excited the audience since it had been over a year since the release, but what we actually got was really good! It had some funny and heartwarming scenes, but the highlight was a fast-paced, minute-long action sequence set inside an AT-AT. It showed chaos among the Imperial forces as Din Djarin infiltrated and fought through a group of Snowtroopers. Some parts of that sequence have appeared in the released show, but not the entire scene.

The energy in the room was palpable, and the resulting action sequence was fantastic. The Mandalorian moved like a force of nature, with quick, well-choreographed fighting that showcased his variety of weapons – especially his flamethrower. It was a truly thrilling and cinematic moment that clearly resonated with the audience, suggesting Disney was confident they had a successful show on their hands.

It’s been almost a year, and this is the best piece of promotional material from the movie so far. It would have been ideal for the first trailer, or even a Super Bowl ad – especially if they’d included some charming scenes with Grogu. Even if the story isn’t compelling, this footage clearly shows the movie looks fantastic and is a step up in quality from the Disney+ series, and it accomplished that perfectly.

How Concerned Should We Be About The Mandalorian & Grogu?

Disney still has a chance to generate excitement for The Mandalorian and Grogu, particularly if the next full trailer is well-received. However, that’s not guaranteed. While the Super Bowl ad definitely got people talking about the movie and raised its profile, the conversation hasn’t been entirely positive. Instead of universal enthusiasm, the ad seems to have caused division and confusion among viewers.

Many fans are hoping Lucasfilm is saving some major surprises for later. We still don’t know much about the story or the villains, so it’s likely they have more to reveal to build excitement. While that’s a possibility, it’s starting to seem like there isn’t much to really grab audiences’ attention – which makes it even stranger that they haven’t shown the action sequence from Celebration yet.

Another key to success lies in attracting families, particularly children eager to see Grogu on the big screen. This is definitely achievable, and there’s a strong demand for movies the whole family can enjoy – which can often lead to surprisingly high box office numbers. Targeting that audience is a smart move, though it’s debatable whether the Super Bowl ad effectively does so. Many are comparing this to last year’s Lilo & Stitch ad, featuring Stitch crashing the game, which preceded a billion-dollar box office haul. However, there are significant differences between the two situations that shouldn’t be ignored.

  1. Lilo & Stitch was a remake, so people knew the story. No one has a clue what The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s story is.
  2. Lilo & Stitch’s Super Bowl ad was very well received, with 173m digital views in 24 hours and a consensus that it was fun and adorable. Mando‘s is far more divisive, and doesn’t appear to have anywhere near the same reach.
  3. The Lilo & Stitch ad made more sense, as it built on the tradition of Stitch invading Disney movies from the original marketing, which they continued with the remake. Mando‘s was… some old beer commercials.
  4. Lilo & Stitch‘s target audience is different. It’s primarily families, and kids in particular, with an adult nostalgia factor (driven by huge increase in popularity in that movie in recent years). The Mandalorian and Grogu has to target those groups, of course, but adults, particularly millennials and older, are core demos for Star Wars that aren’t being adequately reached.
  5. Grogu is not Stitch. I absolutely love the Child, and have plenty of merch myself, but he’s not even in the same stratosphere. Stitch merchandise is an absolutely insane moneymaker for Disney: in the fiscal year 2024, Lilo & Stitch merch made around $2.6bn for the Mouse House, a figure that’s more comparable to the merch sales for Star Wars as a whole, and that was before the live-action movie boosted it further (it jumped to an estimated $4bn in 2025). Stitch is closer to Mickey Mouse than he is to Grogu (a visit to any Disneyland will confirm it, he’s everywhere).

Despite current challenges, the popularity of Grogu and a more compelling trailer could still help the movie succeed. Importantly, it’s also the most affordable Star Wars film Disney has made so far, with a reported production cost of $166 million. This lower cost means it only needs to earn around $400 million to break even, making success more achievable.

It’s concerning that a new Star Wars movie isn’t automatically generating excitement. These films should be major cultural moments with guaranteed box office success, but that doesn’t seem to be the case right now. Beyond a brief teaser scheduled for April 2025, there hasn’t been much to generate enthusiasm, particularly following the disappointing last season of the TV series. I really hope the movie is both critically acclaimed and a commercial success, as that would help restore Star Wars to its former glory as a grand cinematic saga, but I’m worried it won’t happen.

The Mandalorian and Grogu will be released in theaters on May 22nd, 2026.

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2026-02-11 16:11