The Mandalorian might have a weak spot in its proverbial beskar armor since the Season 3 premiere has put in lower-than-expected streaming numbers, possibly proving signs of Star Wars fatigue.
The Star Wars spinoff series, which helped launch Disney+ in 2019, reached the top of the streaming viewership charts based on trends collected from Samba TV, as reported via The Wrap, but there's cause for concern. While The Mandalorian Season 3 premiere episode "Chapter 17: The Apostate" topped Andor's Sept. 21 premiere by 50%, it actually trailed fellow Star Wars offering Obi-Wan Kenobi's opener by 28% and, in a closer number, The Book of Boba Fett by 2%. Two years after December 2020's dramatic Season 2 finale episode featuring Luke Skywalker's return, The Mandalorian's underwhelming premiere numbers have analysts speculating that viewers are starting to have enough of the galaxy far, far away.
Are Viewers Getting Tired of Star Wars?
The talk of Star Wars franchise fatigue is nothing new. Beginning with 2015's Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, fans were treated to a new installment each year. But after the box office underperformance of Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018, Disney CEO Bob Iger -- who has since retired only to return to his post this past November -- decided that Lucasfilm needed to slow down the release schedule. "I made the timing decision, and as I look back, I think the mistake that I made — I take the blame — was a little too much, too fast," Iger said.
Additionally, Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, expressed concern about the abundance of Star Wars content on the Disney landscape. "I will say they should pace themselves, because you don't want to over-saturate it," Hamill cautioned. "I said to Disney, 'Really? Five months after we come out comes [Solo: A Star Wars Story]? Can't you at least wait until Christmas?' But they've got things booked - they're doing Marvel and their own movies, so that's beyond my [purview.]"
The Mandalorian Brings Star Wars Back to Basics
After the release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, future projects were regulated to Disney+ beginning with The Mandalorian. With a return to form as a George Lucas-inspired space western and the intense popularity of Grogu/Baby Yoda, Mandalorian gained 5.42 billion minutes of viewing time in Season 1 while Season 2 was the most-watched streaming series in the U.S. Yet, it was followed in 2022 by The Book of Boba Fett and Obi Wan-Kenobi, each of which achieved finale numbers representing increases in viewership compared to the finale of The Mandalorian Season 2.
While the reason for The Mandalorian's early Season 3 viewership slide remains subjective, a contingent of fans feels it now looks "weak" compared to the complex storytelling of Andor. Despite the perceived issues, series creator Jon Favreau is encouraging fans to keep the discourse going. "The goal is -- I don't know about breaking the internet -- but the goal is that we have enough things happen each episode that everybody wants to jump around the digital kitchen table and talk about, and argue about, and guess to what is going to happen next," he said.
The Mandalorian Season 3 is currently streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays.
Source: Samba TV via The Wrap