New Star Wars streaming report exposes a major issue facing the franchise

Image: Lucasfilm/Disney

Happy Star Wars Day to everyone celebrating! Whether your loyalty lies with the original trilogy, the prequels, or modern gems like Andor and The Clone Wars, there is plenty to appreciate. However, one specific faction seems notably absent from the festivities this May 4: fans of the sequel trilogy, who, according to a recent analysis, appear to be a vanishing breed.

A fresh report from Nielsen, featured in Variety, paints a stark picture: the most recent Star Wars film trilogy is seeing virtually no engagement on Disney Plus. The data highlights two noteworthy findings—the most-watched Star Wars content on May 4, 2025, and the top-streamed titles broken down by generation. Conspicuously, the films produced under the Disney banner are entirely absent from these rankings.

Last year’s top-watched title was Andor, likely bolstered by its series finale, followed by a robust selection of original and prequel trilogy films, alongside various shows and Rogue One.

The generational breakdown reveals some intriguing viewing habits: both Gen Alpha and Baby Boomers gravitate toward The Mandalorian, while Gen Z retains a strong affinity for the animated The Clone Wars. Meanwhile, Millennials and Gen X continue to favor the mature, political tension found in Andor. Once again, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker fail to make a significant impact.

This trend is hardly shocking. While the Disney-era films saw massive box office success, The Last Jedi proved deeply polarizing, and The Rise of Skywalker was met with near-universal disdain. That final installment left such a sour impression that it arguably soured the reputation of the otherwise well-received The Force Awakens.

While this might seem like a minor hiccup in the grand scheme of the Star Wars galaxy—which still boasts massive commercial viability—the data validates a growing concern: the sequel trilogy failed to cultivate a lasting foundation for the franchise’s future. These films leaned heavily on nostalgia and the return of legacy characters, expecting a new generation of leads to naturally carry the torch. Yet, seven years after The Rise of Skywalker, that handoff has largely stalled. Projects centered on Rey are languishing, potential spinoffs for characters like Kylo Ren were abandoned, and original cast members like John Boyega and Oscar Isaac appear to have moved on entirely.

The sequel trilogy was intended to catapult Star Wars into a new era; instead, it has effectively become a narrative dead end. Disney is pinning its hopes on Grogu, aiming to lure audiences back to theaters with The Mandalorian and Grogu later this month. Beyond that, however, the long-term trajectory of the Star Wars franchise has never looked more uncertain.

Source: Polygon