Key Insights

• Star Wars fans are excited about the new series Maul — Shadow Lord, which has already been renewed for a second season.
• The film The Mandalorian and Grogu has received mixed reviews but quickly recouped its budget.
• Despite past criticisms, Revenge of the Sith is now recognized as one of the most-watched films on Disney Plus.
• The prequel trilogy continues to spark discussions among fans regarding its narrative and pacing.

Star Wars fans have been riding high this year, and it’s not just due to the excellent release of the first great Disney Plus series of the year, Maul — Shadow Lord. After using Darth Maul as more of a complimentary piece for years, new LucasFilm President Dave Filoni has brought the Sith Lord out of the shadows to lead a new series, which has already been picked up for Season 2. For the first time in seven years, Star Wars fans are also heading to theaters to see a new movie on the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu, which is a direct continuation of the 2019 Star Wars Disney Plus series. The Mandalorian and Grogu has been up against some polarizing reviews so far, but the film recovered its reported budget in only one weekend, so it could yet be remembered as a box office success.

Only time will tell how The Mandalorian and Grogu will be remembered in the larger scope of the Star Wars universe, but it will certainly be hard to top some of the franchise’s more controversial releases. While the sequel trilogy has drawn its fair share of criticism, most fans would agree that it still hasn’t equaled the level of divisive conversations as the prequel trilogy, which premiered in the late ’90s and early 2000s. The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones are understandably criticized for disjointed narratives and poor pacing, but Revenge of the Sith serves as the perfect send-off for this era of characters, even if it wasn’t treated that way at the time of release. Now, more than 20 years after release, the film is finally getting the attention it deserves as one of the top 10 most-watched movies in the world on Disney Plus.