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It was a quiet year for the Star Wars franchise. While Walt Disney Studios struggled with its Marvel franchise and George Lucas’ other franchise, Indiana Jones, Star Wars only released two TV shows all year. But despite that, Star Wars fans still want more, and according to Fandom, Star Wars was the most popular franchise of 2023, even without releasing a single film.
Credit: Lucasfilm
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But perhaps that’s a lesson that Walt Disney Studios can learn from. Less is more. Throughout 2023, Disney released The Mandalorian Season 3 and Ahsoka from the Star Wars franchise, and that was all. Disney released three films from the MCU and Loki Season 2 and Secret Invasion. What became clear from the Marvel movies is that fans are having a bit of superhero fatigue. And it wasn’t just for Marvel; the DC Universe also suffered this year.
Reviews for the Star Wars TV shows were generally positive, outside of The Mandalorian bringing in Jack Black. Disney has made it easier for Star Wars fans to keep up with what’s happening within the Universe without overwhelming them. This strategy also allows Disney to tell better stories.
Peter Csathy, founder and chair of advisory firm Creative Media, told CNBC:
The Mouse House pivoted to a strategy of scarcity for the big screen, while fleshing out the characters and storylines on TV and introducing them — and the entire Star Wars universe — to new generations with new viewing habits, essentially going where the audience was going. This, in turn, builds anticipation and buzz for future main marquee events at a theater near you.
Grogu, or Baby Yoda, is one of the most prominent characters in Disney’s ‘The Mandalorian’ / Credit: Lucasfilm
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Disney has announced that another round of Star Wars movies will be coming soon, but with the end of the storylines of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, and Princess Leia, writers will have to create new characters to fill that void. The Star Wars franchise will continue with three new films, initially scheduled for release in 2026, but that timeline is uncertain now due to the writer’s and actor’s strikes.
But hopefully, Disney will learn that less is more to create fan buzz and interest. And now that the Skywalker saga is over, fans expect something different, and we’ll hopefully get it in the future.
The Rest of the Top Franchises
Disney has four of the top 10 franchises, according to Fandom. Star Wars was first, Disney was second, the MCU was fourth, and Avatar was 10th. Warner Brothers’ Harry Potter series was the third favorite film franchise, and the DC Universe was fifth. The DC Universe faced some of the same issues that the MCU had in 2023. But much like Star Wars, Harry Potter remained popular despite not releasing a film.
Credit: Warner Bros.
Related: Disney Had ‘Harry Potter’ And Let it Walk Out the Door to Universal
Warner Brothers did announce that there would be a Harry Potter television show for Max. The show is expected to cover the original books over the course of 10 seasons. Warner Brothers is still sitting on parts four and five of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, with no scheduled release date.
Rounding out the top 10 were The Hunger Games (sixth), Jurassic Park (seventh), Dune (eighth), and James Bond (ninth).
We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.
