Ahead of next week's Disney+ launch in the UK, Disney has announced that the first two episodes of The Mandalorian will be available on launch day. While Disney+ rolled out in the US and other countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand last year, it has yet to arrive in Europe. The streaming service will finally be available for audiences next week on March 24. It arrives at a time when many people are self-quarantining at home due to the coronavirus outbreak, so a lot of people might be looking to sign up while in search of new sources of entertainment.
The Mandalorian, as the first live-action Star Wars show produced for Disney+, was among the first new programs available at Disney+'s launch and immediately became a hit for the burgeoning streamer. Telling the story of a bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) operating in the aftermath of the fall of the Empire, The Mandalorian was widely praised for how it expanded the Star Wars universe without being too beholden to the films that came before. Also, it was the source of the adorable Baby Yoda (known in Disney canon as The Child), which Disney tried to keep a secret ahead of the show's premiere despite him being a huge draw.
Deadline reports that the first two episodes of The Mandalorian will be available on launch day in the UK. The next episode will then debut three days later, on March 27, with subsequent episodes arriving each week after. This is different than how they rolled out on in the US, for only the first episode was available on Disney+'s first day with the second arriving that Friday.
Also available on launch day will be the first two episodes of the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which only began streaming in the US in February. The next episode of The Clone Wars will arrive on March 27, meaning Star Wars fans in the UK will have some very exciting Fridays for a while. Some were surprised to hear Disney would be sticking with weekly episodes for The Mandalorian while the entirety of the first season is already available elsewhere, but Disney seems to want to keep things routine as Disney+ continues its international rollout.
Disney+ has been struggling to find success with its original content, but The Mandalorian is proof that the streamer can create a series worthy of capturing everyone's attention. Of course, that could be largely due to the strength of the Star Wars brand, but one can't deny The Mandalorian's popularity. The second season is expected on Disney+ in October, though it's unclear if it will premiere at the same time in all countries. Regardless, UK fans won't have to wait much longer to finally meet Baby Yoda.
Source: Deadline