Disney launches first new Star Wars film in seven years

That gap matters because the summer box office is being built on the same kind of brand recognition that once made franchises feel unstoppable. Box Office Mojo defines the 2026 summer movie season as May 1 through September 7, and Disney’s release is the first major test of whether audiences still treat a familiar universe as an event worth leaving home for. If The Mandalorian and Grogu lands, it could suggest there is still room for theatrical rebounds even after years of streaming habits reshaped viewing behavior. If it underperforms, Hollywood will read it as another warning sign of sequel fatigue.

The movie also marks a larger return for Star Wars to the big screen after the Disney+ series The Mandalorian helped keep the property active at home. That crossover from streaming to theaters is now the business question hanging over the entire summer slate: can a TV-era franchise still deliver cinema-scale turnout, or has the audience learned to wait?

Disney is not alone in facing that test. Universal’s Disclosure Day is set for June 12 and pairs Steven Spielberg with Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson and Colman Domingo. Pixar’s Toy Story 5 opens June 19, with Andrew Stanton directing and Buzz, Woody and Jessie caught in a new Toy meets Tech storyline. DC Studios’ Supergirl follows on June 26 in North America, with an international rollout beginning June 24, and stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El under director Craig Gillespie.