The nextStar Warsmovie,The Mandalorian and Grogu, officially has the lowest budget of any DisneyStar Warsfilm to date. Filmed in California,The Mandalorian and Grogutook advantage of ILM’s latest innovations - notably the Volume technology.This clearly made it much cheaper than otherStar Warsmovies.
According to the California Film Commission (viaCollider),The Mandalorian and Groguhad an overall production budget of just £$166.4 million. It received tax credits of $21.75 million, which will have further helped. This is unusual for Disney, which has frequently struggled to keep costs under control when it comes toStar Wars.
1977
$11 million
1980
$18 million
Return of the Jedi
1983
$32.5 million
1999
$115 million
2002
2005
$113 million
2015
$245 million
2016
$200 million
2017
$317 million
2018
$275 million
2019
The Mandalorian and Grogu
2026
$166.4 million
How The Mandalorian & Grogu Compares To Other Star Wars Stories
A Staggering Degree Of Budget Control
The news comes after surprising discussions over thecost of Disney’s live-actionStar WarsTV shows.Andorseasons 1 and 2 had a combined $645 million budget, whileThe Acolyteran over-budget to the tune of $231 million. This had led to intense concern that Lucasfilm had lost a George Lucas talent; keeping the budgets under control.The Mandalorian and Groguhas, therefore, clearly broken a trend.
The Mandalorianseason 1 had an overall budget of just $120 million - or under $150 million, factoring in inflation. That meansthe nextStar Warsmovie cost only a little more than a single season ofThe Mandalorian, a remarkable accomplishment for director Jon Favreau. There are, of course, good reasons the budget was so low.
How The Mandalorian Kept Its Budget Under Control
The Volume is An Absolute Game-Changer
The key to this achievement surely lies in the Volume, ILM’s revolutionary CGI technology that allows for more filming on closed sets (this is also why there have been precious few spoilers to date). While the Volume has become quite controversial of late, it must be noted thatJon Favreau is surely an exception to that rule; the pioneer who first mastered the technology, he is also well-known for skillful and creative use of CGI. This should be a best in class when it comes to the Volume.
We’ll be learning Mandalorian and GroguatStar Wars Celebrationnext month, which will kick off with a panel dedicated to the nextStar Warsmovie. It’s pretty certain the event will feature a first look of some kind, although it remains to be seen whether this will be shared online or whether it will instead be exclusive.ScreenRantwill be on hand to keep you up to date.
