The early reviews for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu are painting an ugly picture for Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Company.
The film debuted at a Rotten 58% on Rotten Tomatoes before briefly climbing to 62% as more reviews rolled in. Since then, however, the score has slipped again to 61%, leaving the movie hanging just one percentage point above the dreaded Rotten threshold. The cutoff for a “Fresh” score is 60%.
Rotten Tomatoes Scores for The Mandalorian and Grogu as of May 19, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. – Rotten Tomatoes
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That’s not where Disney wanted to be heading into the franchise’s long-awaited return to theaters.
This was supposed to be the movie that restored confidence in theatrical Star Wars after years of declining enthusiasm surrounding the sequel trilogy and the divisive Disney+ era. Instead, critics are repeatedly describing the film as something that feels more like a stretched-out streaming series than a cinematic event.
And the similarities between many of the reviews are hard to ignore.
Critics Say It Feels Like “Content,” Not Cinema
One of the harshest reviews came from Tessa Smith at Mama’s Geeky, who wrote: “The Mandalorian and Grogu feels like a mashed-up TV arc that belonged on Disney+ rather than in IMAX.”
That criticism has become a recurring theme across multiple outlets.
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Matt Oakes of Silver Screen Riot went even further, delivering one of the most brutal assessments yet: “It barely qualifies as a movie.” He added: “It has the shape and style of content, not cinema.”
That phrase — “content, not cinema” — may end up haunting Disney if audience reactions mirror the critical response.
Hoai-Tran Bui at Inverse similarly argued that the movie feels assembled rather than crafted: “It feels like a series of cutscenes edited together.”
Meanwhile, Stephen Silver of The SS Ben Hecht blasted the film’s storytelling and visuals, writing: “The storytelling is disjointed, the action sequences are subpar, the visual style is bland and uninteresting…”
Rotten Tomatoes Scores for The Mandalorian and Grogu as of May 19, 2026 at 11:45 a.m. – Rotten Tomatoes
Even some of the more moderate reviews still describe the film as safe, generic, or lacking ambition.
Jonathan Sim of ComingSoon.net called it: “A generic, safe Star Wars movie.”
Reuben Baron at Looper criticized the project for being: “Bereft of risk and ambition.”
And Preston Barta of the Denton Record-Chronicle dismissed the movie as: “One more fetch quest.”
The Worst Possible Narrative for Disney
The biggest problem for Disney is not simply that critics are divided.
It’s what they are divided over.
The dominant criticism emerging around the film is that it doesn’t justify its existence as a theatrical release. Critics repeatedly argue that the movie feels like extended Disney+ material blown up for IMAX screens rather than a true cinematic experience worthy of reviving Star Wars on the big screen.
A screenshot from The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer – YouTube, Star Wars
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That feeds directly into a growing theory among fans that the project may have originated less from creative necessity and more from business concerns.
For years, reports and industry speculation have surrounded the massive production costs associated with The Mandalorian. Disney reportedly spent enormous amounts of money building the Volume technology pipeline and producing premium streaming content for Disney+, only for multiple Star Wars streaming projects to struggle critically or commercially — including The Acolyte.
Some fans have theorized that moving Din Djarin and Grogu to theaters was partially an attempt to shift those escalating costs away from Disney+ and turn the franchise back into a theatrical revenue machine.
(L-R): Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) in Lucasfilm’s THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, exclusively on Disney+. ©.
Whether that theory is true or not, the current critical response is reinforcing a dangerous perception: that this movie exists because Disney needed a Star Wars film, not because there was a compelling story demanding a theatrical release.
Positive Reviews Exist — But Even They Come With Caveats
Not every review has been negative.
Some critics praised the spectacle, visuals, and action.
Alonso Duralde of The Film Verdict praised the movie’s: “Star Wars-level wow factor.”
Travis Hopson of Punch Drunk Critics called it: “An adrenaline shot of summer spectacle.”
But even many of the Fresh reviews include major caveats about the thin plot, formulaic structure, or lack of emotional depth. And that may be even more concerning than outright hatred.
(L-R): Grogu and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©.
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A polarizing movie can still create passion. A movie widely viewed as “fine,” “safe,” or “forgettable” often struggles to generate repeat business at the box office.
And that’s a problem when early tracking for the film has already raised concerns about its opening weekend potential.
One Bad Day Could Push It Rotten
At 61%, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is effectively walking a tightrope when it comes to reviews.
One wave of negative reactions could send Disney’s massive theatrical return officially into Rotten territory.
A piece of the Mandalorian and Grogu movie poster – Disney
If that happens alongside a soft opening weekend, the conversation around the future of theatrical Star Wars could become far more difficult for Lucasfilm to control.
Because right now, the biggest takeaway from these early reactions is not excitement. It’s uncertainty.
Are you surprised at these Mandalorian and Grogu reviews? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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