Disney is taking a massive gamble on Star Wars: Starfighter, which is an original film rather than a Skywalker entry. Add to it the film’s high budget, and there could be serious consequences for the studio if this plan backfires.
Star Wars: Starfighter will not be a cheap endeavor for Lucasfilm. According to a new report, Disney spent $226.5 million to make Starfighter. Filming took place in Sardinia and England’s Pinewood Studios. At this point in production, Starfighter has cost more to make than Star Wars: The Force Awakens. A U.K. tax credit of $51.5 million will reduce spending to $175 million. However, Disney must spend millions more on visual effects and post-production to complete the film in time for its May 2027 release.
“Bigger is better” might be a popular Hollywood phrase. But more often than not, it’s a flawed way of thinking.
Star Wars: Starfighter’s massive budget is a cause for concernAs a theatrical property, Star Wars is not in a good place. 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker significantly damaged the Star Wars brand. It may have grossed $1 billion, but the high costs to make and promote the film resulted in profits of less than $50 million.
More notably, the negative critical and fan reception to The Rise of Skywalker led Disney to pause its future film projects. It then took roughly seven years for Lucasfilm to release another Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu.
The Rise of Skywalker set Star Wars so far back that Disney had to turn its most valuable television property into a movie. The plan backfired. The Mandalorian and Grogu disappointed with a worldwide gross of $345 million on a $165 million budget.
Instead of playing it safe with Starfighter, Lucasfilm wants to go bigger. A colossal budget for a movie within a recognizable universe doesn’t guarantee a better product. Disney should know this firsthand since they witnessed the underperformance of The Marvels, Eternals, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania despite the backing of the once-bulletproof MCU.
Audiences will show up for Starfighter on opening weekend because it’s a Star Wars movie. The bigger question is whether they will show up for the second or third weekend. Will word of mouth be good enough to spread? That is what Starfighter should be focused on. This film needs audiences care about the story Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling are trying to tell, as well as the players in it.
Starfighter is an original story with new characters. It’s not a Skywalker Saga movie. That is a huge risk in itself. Add in the expensive budget, and Starfighter becomes an immense gamble. If it fails, the Star Wars theatrical brand might not be salvageable.
Originally written on SuperHeroHype
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