Disney spent years preparing one of the biggest updates ever made to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. The company added an entirely new mission, introduced The Mandalorian and Grogu, expanded gameplay, and even changed how guests interact with the attraction.
The goal seemed obvious. Disney wanted to give fans a reason to return to one of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge's original attractions.
Instead, the crowds have largely stayed away.
Despite months of anticipation and a heavily promoted launch, Smugglers Run is currently averaging just a 33-minute wait this week at Disney's Hollywood Studios. That marks the attraction's second-lowest weekly average since opening in 2019. Only a single week during 2021 recorded a lower average.
Disney Completely Reworked the Experience
The refreshed version debuted on May 22, 2026, alongside The Mandalorian and Grogu film.
Rather than repeating the original coaxium smuggling mission, guests now join Din Djarin and Grogu to hunt down Imperial Officers across the galaxy.
Disney also expanded the attraction's gameplay.
For the first time, crews choose where they fly. Possible destinations include Bespin, Coruscant, and the wreckage surrounding the second Death Star near Endor. Engineers now communicate directly with Grogu, while pilots face new flight challenges during every mission.
It was easily the biggest upgrade Smugglers Run has received since Galaxy's Edge opened.
The Numbers Haven't Changed
For all the new technology and story changes, guest demand looks remarkably familiar.
Posted wait times frequently drop to just 10 minutes throughout the day, making the attraction almost a walk-on during slower periods. Even during busier afternoons, the queue often remains well below Disney's other headline attractions.
Meanwhile, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance continues attracting significantly longer waits, showing that guests remain interested in Star Wars attractions. They simply aren't flocking to Smugglers Run the way Disney likely hoped.
The Attraction's Biggest Problem Never Went Away
The Mandalorian update addressed several long-standing complaints.
Engineers finally have a larger role.
Guests now enjoy multiple destinations instead of following one fixed storyline.
Every ride feels slightly different depending on the crew's decisions.
Yet one criticism still remains.
Many guests continue to view Smugglers Run as an attraction that shines during the first ride but loses much of its appeal on repeat visits. Unless someone lands one of the pilot seats, the experience can still feel less engaging than many traditional Disney attractions.
The refreshed mission improves the formula, but it doesn't fundamentally change how the attraction works.
Disney's Experiment Offers an Interesting Lesson
Disney clearly believed new characters and expanded gameplay could reinvigorate one of Hollywood Studios' flagship attractions.
The investment wasn't small, and the update received plenty of attention before launch.
So far, however, guests haven't responded with dramatically longer lines.
That doesn't mean visitors dislike the new mission. Many fans have praised the added destinations and Grogu interactions. But based on current wait-time trends, the overhaul has not created the sustained surge in popularity Disney may have expected.
For guests, that's welcome news. Boarding the Millennium Falcon has rarely been easier.
For Disney, the attraction's historically low waits suggest that even a major Star Wars refresh can't solve every long-term challenge.
