It's taken Star Wars movie came out every year from 2015 through to 2019.

It's important to there were a lot of teething troubles behind the scenes at Lucasfilm, though. These were particularly notable in the anthology projects; Rogue One's reshoots totally changed the story, while Solo's behind-the-scenes drama made it shockingly expensive - and turned it into the first Star Wars movie to make a loss at the box office. Still, even considering all these factors, it's more than a little surprising that it's taken five years to complete filming on the next movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu. What went wrong?

The Star Wars Movies Became More Controversial Than Anyone Expected

The problems started back in 2018

Let's face it, the problems didn't really start with Lucasfilm - but, instead, with the fandom. Star Wars: The Force Awakens got the sequels off to a strong start, grossing over $2 billion worldwide (although personally, I felt it overplayed the nostalgia card). Not everybody was happy, but it wasn't until Star Wars: The Last Jedi that the controversy really kicked off. There was a vocal backlash that seemed to take Lucasfilm by surprise, and the studio scrambled to get back on the front foot (not helped by the sad ing of Carrie Fisher, which added another complication).

The result? J.J. Abrams ultimately returned with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, a movie that tried to please everybody and as a result... well, just didn't. To be fair, The Rise of Skywalker isn't quite the disaster it's often portrayed as; it broke $1 billion in the box office, and its audience score on Rotten Tomatoes actually sits at 86%. But it certainly wasn't the critical success and popular crowd-pleaser Lucasfilm hoped for, and it ended things on an off note, leaving the future uncertain.

There are reportedly multiple movies in the works that all have Ridley in the cast, and Rey's course will be decided by which one happens to shoot first.

That's the real key point: the future was left uncertain. Last year, at Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm finally committed to bringing back Daisy Ridley's Rey at the helm of a New Jedi Order. Even now, though, the studio don't quite seem to know what to do with her; there are reportedly multiple movies in the works that all have Ridley in the cast, and Rey's course will be decided by which one happens to shoot first, with the others forced to pivot around it. It's far from ideal.

The Star Wars Anthology Movies Collapsed After Solo

Star Wars' first box office failure

The sequel trilogy problems wouldn't have been so bad, had it not been for the unfortunate fate of the Star Wars anthology movies. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was a hit, lavished with critical acclaim and grossing over $1 billion worldwide. The costs on Solo: A Star Wars Story ballooned due to expensive reshoots, with the budget believed to have exceeded $330 million. It only grossed $393 million in the global box office, becoming the first Star Wars movie to fail to make a profit.

The entire anthology approach was abandoned.

This isn't the place for a(nother) post-mortem on Solo. What matters, though, is that Solo's performance clearly shook Lucasfilm's confidence. The entire anthology approach was abandoned, and actors like Aldren Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, and Donald Glover haven't been seen on screen in the franchise since. The timing couldn't have been worse; the sequels hadn't been the success Lucasfilm hoped for, and now the anthologies strategy had shut down too.

Disney's Corporate Focus Meant Star Wars Moved To The Small Screen

Lucasfilm changed focus

There's another factor, of course; the launch of Disney's streaming service, Disney+. This was at the center of Disney CEO Bob Iger's corporate strategy, and every one of the House of Mouse's studios was ordered to focus on content for the streaming platform. Lucasfilm became central to this, with The Mandalorian season 1 serving as the flagship show. It was a hit, soon followed by an equally-popular second season. Lucasfilm pivoted to the small screen.

Any studio can only do so much at the same time without quality suffering.

Again, it's important to be fair here. Some Disney studios have struggled to balance TV shows and movies; it's one of the reasons even the venerable Marvel Studios has stumbled since 2019's Avengers: Endgame. The problem is simply bandwidth, because any studio can only do so much at the same time without quality suffering. Lucasfilm's bosses were wise to narrow their focus only on to TV shows for a time, especially during the disruption of COVID.

Disney Want Star Wars Back In The Box Office At Last

Things are changing again at Disney

Things are changing again at Disney, though. Whisper it quietly, but streaming hasn't quite been the success that studios hoped for; the core problem lies in the fact you're spending money to stand still, because you eventually run out of potential subscribers, while people tend to leave if there isn't a steady stream of new content. Bob Iger is back, and he's working hard to figure out how to make streaming pay, with a focus on ad revenue. Meanwhile, he wants more movies - specifically, more Star Wars movies.

Again, there are strategic reasons for this. All the evidence suggests Disney+ viewers are interacting with live-action Star Wars shows as a single entity, with the reduced viewership and engagement normally seen with multiple seasons of a single show. After five years and eight "seasons" of Star Wars, the returns just aren't really there anymore. Besides, with the exception of Solo, let's face it; if any franchise has proved itself in the box office, it's Star Wars. Little wonder Lucasfilm is ramping up production, with two Star Wars movie release dates booked for 2026 and 2027.

Amusingly, Lucasfilm's pivot to Disney+ meant that three Star Wars movie pitches turned into TV shows. Now, things are working in the opposite direction; The Mandalorian & Grogu was clearly adapted from Jon Favreau's plans for The Mandalorian season 4, with a TV script adapted into one for theaters. Din Djarin and Grogu proved to be a hit on the small screen, and Lucasfilm's hope is that the same will be true on the big screen as well. If things work out, the cinematic future of Star Wars will be secured at last.