Is Star Wars BACK??

Against all odds, people enjoyed a Star Wars movie??!

I was absolutely DREADING the conversation around The Mandalorian and Grogu this week.

Firstly because the Star Wars fandom has become so unbelievably toxic and divisive that everything gets picked apart to death. And secondly because I went to see the movie, actually had a really good time… and immediately knew the internet was going to act like it was either a masterpiece or a disaster.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people online just… enjoying it.

Not over-analyzing it. Not declaring it the future of cinema. Just treating it like what it is: a fun, straightforward Star Wars adventure. And that alone feels like a win right now.

There was a lot of cautious expectation going in, but the film came out with a reported $165 million global opening weekend on roughly a $165 million production budget. For context, that immediately puts it in a very different conversation to Solo: A Star Wars Story, which had a much larger $275 million budget and struggled to convert its opening into anything like a strong return.

So purely on numbers? This is a solid start. But the more interesting part isn’t really the money. It’s what people actually felt leaving the cinema.

Because what Star Wars has been missing for a while isn’t just box office strength, it’s audience goodwill. It’s the ability to release something without the entire conversation immediately splitting into extremes.

And this one, at least from opening weekend reactions, seems to have avoided that (to an extent).

It’s not trying to reinvent anything. It’s not trying to carry the weight of the entire franchise on its shoulders. It’s just a simple adventure story in the Star Wars universe, and for a lot of people, that’s enough.

Families are showing up. Kids are into it. And the general vibe coming out of theatres is pretty uncomplicated: people had a good time.

Another small but notable metric: it’s currently sitting at around 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the better-reviewed Star Wars releases of the Disney era. And considering how much hate this franchise has endured in recent years, is an absolute win.

So is Star Wars “back”?

I don’t think we need to overstate it. One film doesn’t reset a franchise as messy and heavily scrutinized as this one. But for once, the conversation isn’t dominated by frustration, fatigue, or outrage. It’s mostly just people saying they enjoyed a Star Wars movie again.

And that alone is probably the most promising sign the franchise has had in a while.
So yeah… I’ll take it!