Star Wars: Starfighter has reportedly set a new financial benchmark for the franchise, with recent corporate filings revealing its massive production budget.
According to production documents reported by Forbes, Disney spent $226.5 million gross making Star Wars: Starfighter by the time principal photography wrapped at Pinewood Studios in England. The total edges past the initial production spend of 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, making it one of the costliest entries in franchise history.
The report also revealed a significant drop in Disney’s estimated profits on the box office of its Star Wars movies. The number went from around $500 million for The Force Awakens to less than $50 million for The Rise of Skywalker, the last of the sequel trilogy.
However, the production costs had remained stable. This caused Disney to put Star Wars films on hold for a long time before it returned to the big screen this year with The Mandalorian and Grogu.
What do we know about the plot of Star Wars: Starfighter so far?
Star Wars: Starfighter is a standalone installment in the Star Wars film series and is set five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Directed by Shawn Levy, the upcoming film will center on Kade Auberon, played by Ryan Gosling.
The official synopsis of Starfighter reads, “When a cynical rogue is confronted by his mysterious past, he is hurled into a dangerous adventure across the galaxy that puts him on a crash course with destiny.”
Fans have already gotten the first look at the film at Disney’s D23 Expo fan convention in August. In the video, Gosling’s Kade tells a young boy about a decommissioned Starfighter, calling it the “fastest ever built.” When the boy says, “Never heard of it,” Kade replies, “There’s a reason for that.”
In addition to Gosling, Star Wars: Starfighter’s cast includes Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams.
Originally reported on SuperHeroHype.
