Newly-released viewing figures for Star Wars movies and TV shows have revealed a surprising lack of interest in the franchise’s recent sequel trilogy era, and now fans are discussing how this may already be impacting Disney’s plans for the series going forward.
Nielsen broadcasting data for 2025 has given fans an intriguing peek behind the curtain of Disney+’s usually opaque viewing figures, and revealed exactly which Star Wars movies and TV shows are being binged and rewatched. And, unfortunately, it’s not great news for the sequels.
Of the 33 billion minutes spent watching Star Wars content in 2025 (across linear TV and streaming), 44.2% of that time was spent viewing Star Wars live-action films — with A New Hope, The Phantom Menace and Rogue One in the top three.
It’s interesting here to see that the franchise’s original film still remains the most popular, followed by the once-derided Phantom Menace (in recent years, the Prequel trilogy is now looked upon by a younger cohort of fans with kinder eyes). And then there’s Rogue One, whose 2025 viewing figures were undoubtedly boosted by last year’s final Andor season, but which remains a compelling watch.
While Nielsen does not go on to list out the rest of the Star Wars movies by viewing popularity across the whole year, it has provided what was being watched specifically on May 4, 2025 (Star Wars day!) as a snapshot. In terms of Star Wars movies, A New Hope and The Phantom Menace both led the chart (mirroring the trend for 2025 as a whole), followed by Empire Strikes Back, Revenge of the Sith, Attack of the Clones, Return of the Jedi and then Rogue One. In other words: the six films from the original and prequel trilogies, with not a single sequel trilogy film in the most-streamed top 10, which is otherwise filled by Disney+ shows Andor and Tales of the Underworld, and the ever-popular Clone Wars cartoon series.
As if the lack of interest in the sequels wasn’t already obvious, Nielsen provides one final statistic: the most-streamed Star Wars titles by generation, this time for the first quarter of 2026. This is interesting, as the period lacked any major new Star Wars launches to disrupt the rankings, and it also provides a glimpse at which characters and settings are resonating with Star Wars’ fanbase, both young and old.
The Mandalorian is the favorite of both Gen Alpha (ages 2-13) and the Baby Boomers (62-80), while Andor holds the top spot for Millennials (ages 30-45) and Gen X (ages 46-61). And, perhaps predictably, the Clone Wars cartoon is still beloved by Gen Z (ages 14-29). There’s some really good episodes in there!
Once again, however, there’s no sign of the sequel trilogy — something Disney may be concerned over. It’s one thing if only a portion of the fanbase is a fan of it — such as the prequels always having trended to Star Wars’ younger fans. But what if the sequels don’t have a clear fanbase at all?
The release of these numbers has prompted further speculation among fans as to where Disney will take Star Wars next, especially after the changes within Lucasfilm that saw the departure of former studio chief Kathleen Kennedy. After this year’s The Mandalorian and Grogu and next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter, both of which have already been shot and are well on the road to release, there’s no clear roadmap.
Plenty of other Star Wars projects have been announced over the years — some with considerable fanfare, such as the Rey-centric movie helmed by director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy — but many are thought to no longer be in active development. At the time of her exit, Kennedy suggested that the new film (which may become a trilogy) from Dark Phoenix writer and director Simon Kinberg was the saga’s likeliest route forward, but even this seemed uncertain.
Where could Star Wars’ storytelling go next? It’s a matter of much fan debate, and as the years pass by there seems like waning interest in seeing Rey’s story continue, even if Rise of Skywalker placed her as the galaxy’s new hope.
Fans have pointed to how the Galaxy’s Edge theme park attraction recently added in original trilogy characters for the first time (after it launched firmly set within the sequel trilogy era) as further evidence that Disney knows it is Star Wars’ older films that still retain fan interest. Reportedly, characters are explaining their presence at Disneyland parks by claiming they are visiting via the World Between Worlds, a more recent franchise concept that essentially allows for time travel.
The World Between Worlds was last seen in Ahsoka, which will stream its second season of episodes later this year — with plenty of speculation on where its story will head. On the surface, the series is telling a big story around the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn (one that The Mandalorian was also set to showcase in its now-scrapped season 4). But there’s growing speculation that Ahsoka’s use of The World Between Worlds could also be used to reshape the future of the whole franchise, one where the sequels have a lesser focus — seemingly in line with the saga’s audience taste.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
