New data reveals that Disney+'s The Mandalorian is still the most popular Star Wars series. The debut live-action series first premiered in November 2019 on Disney+'s U.S. launch date and has since gone on to become a fan-favorite. The adventures of the titular Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his adorable foundling Grogu ("Baby Yoda") have continued to capture the hearts of audiences everywhere as they embark on journeys of found family and self-discovery. With The Mandalorian season 3 slated to release in February 2023, anticipation has only grown for the series' return.
The Mandalorian has been joined by 2 live-action Star Wars series since its 2019 premiere: 2021's The Book of Boba Fett and this year's Obi-Wan Kenobi. The former panned out to be a continuation of Mando's story in the second half of the season alongside Boba's own journey through healing and redemption. The latter saw the return of Ewan McGregor as the titular Jedi in addition to Hayden Christensen's return as Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. The hype of Obi-Wan Kenobi caused many audiences to expect that the viewer turnout for the limited series would easily top that of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, as social media reactions alone seemed to point towards that.
New data from Nielsen, however, proves that The Mandalorian still remains Disney+'s most-viewed series. Data for the first four episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi showed that the series collected 3.3 billion minutes of viewership in the U.S., while the first four episodes of The Mandalorian season 1 collected 2.2 billion minutes with only half the amount of current Disney+ subscribers. In all fairness to Obi-Wan Kenobi, the show competed with Ms. Marvel for viewership as well as Netflix's record-breaking Stranger Things season 4 premiere. On the other hand, it still had years of anticipation to draw viewers in, as well as a longer runtime average per episode than The Mandalorian. The latter was also the most in-demand show worldwide during its run.
While viewership data can be deceiving, it's quite clear by a variety of factors that The Mandalorian remains the most popular Disney+ Star Wars series. From the array of brand-new characters and worlds to the adorable pull of "Baby Yoda," viewers can't seem to get enough of the armored warrior and his foundling. With many more live-action Star Wars series on the way, it'll be interesting to see if The Mandalorian continues to hold its top spot over time, especially with the release of the highly anticipated season 3 in February 2023.
The popular Star Wars series will see the return of Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) in season 3, as well as a journey towards Mandalore. With Din seeking atonement on the home planet of his people for the sin of removing his helmet, he'll have to team up with the former ruler of Mandalore and wielder of the Darksaber. Footage shown exclusively at Star Wars Celebration also details the return of Carl Weathers' Greef Karga and some new faces, including a group of Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker's Babu Frik's species. There's just over a half a year to go until The Mandalorian returns and proves once again why it's become such a favorite amongst Star Wars viewers.
Source: Nielsen