The Super Bowl commercial for The Mandalorian and Grogu movie left many in the audience baffled.
Disney and Lucasfilm had the biggest stage in television. They had over 100 million viewers watching. They had the first theatrical Star Wars film in years to sell.
And what did they spend roughly $8–10 million on?
A gag.
A new journey begins.
Watch the big game spot and see The Mandalorian and Grogu only in theaters and IMAX May 22. pic.twitter.com/5M0MKbJFqr
— Star Wars (@starwars) February 8, 2026
The Mandalorian and Grogu Super Bowl commercial — a parody spot riffing on classic Budweiser Clydesdale ads — has quickly become one of the most divisive marketing swings Lucasfilm has taken in years. And not because it was bold.
Because it felt careless.
The Most Expensive Joke of the Night
Super Bowl commercials are among the most expensive advertising buys in the world. A 30-second placement now costs around $8 million, with some brands paying upward of $10 million depending on placement and demand.
That’s just airtime — not production.
A piece of the Mandalorian and Grogu movie poster – Disney
So when Lucasfilm chose to use that premium slot on a parody ad instead of a hard-hitting theatrical trailer, the reaction was immediate.
Why?
This wasn’t a mid-season Disney+ promo. This was the return of Star Wars to theaters — a franchise that hasn’t had a big-screen release since 2019.
If there was ever a moment to sell scale, stakes, and spectacle… this was it.
A screencap from The Mandalorian and Grogu – YouTube, Star Wars
Instead, audiences got slow-motion sleigh imagery, Tauntaun stand-ins for horses, and a sentimental tone lifted directly from heritage beer advertising — a creative direction widely recognized as a riff on Budweiser’s iconic Clydesdale campaigns.
That might’ve worked if Star Wars still had any lingering fan goodwill intact.
It doesn’t.
Star Wars Is No Longer a Guaranteed Draw
There was a time when the Star Wars logo alone could sell tickets.
That era is over.
The Mandalorian and Grogu spying on enemies – YouTube, Star Wars
After years of divisive projects, inconsistent storytelling, and brand dilution under the Kathleen Kennedy regime, Lucasfilm enters this theatrical return without the universal fan enthusiasm it once commanded.
Outside of a shrinking sect of die-hard loyalists, the franchise has been forced into a position it hasn’t occupied in decades:
Having to re-earn trust.
A screenshot from The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer – YouTube, Star Wars
And trust isn’t rebuilt through parody ads.
It’s rebuilt through:
- Visceral action
- Mythic stakes
- Clear narrative direction
- A promise that lessons have been learned
The Super Bowl was the place to communicate that reset. Lucasfilm chose nostalgia comedy instead.
Lucasfilm’s Spending Problem Hasn’t Gone Away
The decision also feeds a long-standing criticism of Disney-era Lucasfilm:
Reckless spending.
Cartman as Kathleen Kennedy in South Park – Paramount+
From ballooning film budgets to streaming oversaturation, the studio has repeatedly been accused of treating money as an afterthought rather than a strategy.
Dropping close to $10 million on a commercial that doesn’t even showcase the film reinforces that perception — especially when theatrical performance is far from guaranteed.
Marketing is supposed to mitigate risk. This ignored it.
Theatrical Track Record Isn’t on Their Side
Let’s be blunt.
Lucasfilm’s recent theatrical history is shaky at best.
(L-R): Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) in Lucasfilm’s INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Star Wars itself retreated from theaters after 2019 following costly misfires and franchise fatigue. Meanwhile, the studio’s most recent big-screen swing — Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny — became synonymous with financial disappointment.
That context matters. Because The Mandalorian and Grogu isn’t launching from a position of dominance.
It’s launching from recovery.
Which makes cautious, confidence-building marketing essential — not optional.
The Mandalorian Brand Isn’t Bulletproof Anymore
Even the film’s strongest asset — The Mandalorian name — isn’t untouchable.
Season 3 drew significant fan backlash, with criticism ranging from narrative direction to character focus shifts and tonal drift.
(L-R): Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) with the Darksaber in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
The brand that once felt like a lifeline for modern Star Wars suddenly looked… vulnerable.
Add to that growing discourse around Pedro Pascal’s overexposure across major franchises, and the marketing calculus becomes even more delicate.
Pedro Pascal at Star Wars Celebration – YouTube, Star Wars
This movie has headwinds. It needed reassurance marketing. It got a Super Bowl joke.
The Budweiser Problem
And then there’s the optics layer.
By structurally parodying Budweiser’s classic Clydesdale imagery, Lucasfilm indirectly tethered its marketing to a beer brand still navigating reputational fallout from the Bud Light Dylan Mulvaney controversy — a cultural flashpoint that triggered boycotts and brand turbulence.
A screenshot from a Bud Light commercial featuring Dylan Mulvaney that led to a costly boycott – YouTube, 4thphaseofmalaise
Whether intentional or not, the association muddies the waters.
Instead of standing cleanly on its own mythic identity, Star Wars visually evoked another brand’s tarnished legacy — one that has spent years trying to rebuild its own image.
For a franchise trying to stabilize perception, that’s… questionable synergy at best.
Fans Wanted Confidence — Not Cute
This is the core failure. No one tuning into the Super Bowl needed to be reminded that Grogu is adorable. They needed to be reminded that Star Wars on the big screen still matters.
(L-R): Paz Vizsla and the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) in Lucasfilm’s THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, exclusively on Disney+. © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.
They needed:
- Starfighters screaming across the frame
- Blaster fire
- Mythic villain reveals
- Cinematic scale
- Emotional stakes
They needed proof of theatrical ambition.
Instead, they got a parody sleigh ride.
Final Word
This film already has everything working against it:
- A divided fanbase
- A damaged brand reputation
- A weakened theatrical track record
- Streaming oversaturation
- Franchise fatigue
The Super Bowl was Lucasfilm’s chance to reset the narrative in front of the largest television audience of the year.
(L-R): Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) in Lucasfilm’s THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, exclusively on Disney+. © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.
Instead, they spent up to $10 million on a gag that left many viewers asking the same question: If this is how they’re selling the movie…What aren’t they showing?
What did you think of the Mandalorian and Grogu Super Bowl commercial? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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Not seeing this in theaters. Star Wars is over. They lost a generation. We’re a family of five.
Im a non-BUYnary on this one.. Couldn’t care less, especially after the switcharoo they did with Bo Katan, fool me once, shame on me, it aint gonna happen twice..
A fumble.
When was the last time disney ran for a touchdown? Or completed a pass even?
The Fagolorian and Grossgoo. No thanks.
Fagolorian lol 👍
I think it’s fitting with Star Wars being a joke these days.
The trailer was a disaster too. Who wants to see a granny girl boss and a baby goblin with cutesy eyes? This movie is made for Kathleen Kennedy, not for us.
Disney bocott continues.