By Published May 4, 2026, 8:52 AM EDT Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2026. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2026, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, , Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on . He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts. Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
is still just as powerful as it's always been.
According to data released by Nielsen for Star Wars Day, it's been revealed just how much of the franchise fans really watched in 2026, and what projects were the most popular. Despite the polarizing reception to the and prequel trilogies, the franchise has maintained popularity for decades thanks to its sprawling sci-fi lore, action-adventure premises, and human storytelling. In the 2020s, much of this development has happened on Disney+, where the franchise has released plenty of new TV shows, from the Western-inspired The Mandalorian to the .
Now, has released detailed data for Star Wars Day, revealing just how much fans of the franchise watched on Disney+ in 2026. According to the data provided, Star Wars movies, TV shows, animated projects, and documentaries were viewed a total of 33 billion minutes, or 550 million hours, on Disney+ in 2026. According to the percentages, live-action movies make up 44.2% of this time, followed by live-action TV shows at 16.8%, animated projects at 16.8%, and documentaries at 0.2%.
Based on the data, A New Hope was the most-watched movie in the catalog, while The Phantom Menace and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story earned second and third place respectively. A New Hope was the first film ever released, while The Phantom Menace was the first movie of the prequel trilogy, as well as the debut project for Darth Maul. As for Rogue One, it was likely bolstered following the in 2026, which leads directly into the spinoff movie.
Fittingly, Andor was the most-watched live-action Star Wars TV show on Disney+ last year, in no small part because of season 2's release. , which also debuted in 2026, earned second place, while The Mandalorian came in third. In addition, Andor was the most-streamed Star Wars project on May 4, 2026. Additionally, Nielsen reported the most-watched Star Wars projects in 2026 per generation. For Gen Alpha and Baby Boomers it was The Mandalorian, for Millenials and Gen X it was Andor, and for Gen Z it was Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
This new data from 2026 emphasizes just how much strength the Star Wars universe has maintained on Disney+, from new releases to classics. 2026 is already shaping up to be another important year for the franchise, with the marking the series' first big-screen release since 2019. is also expected to premiere this year on Disney+, rounding out the franchise releases expected for the year.
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The future of the sci-fi series is looking strong, too, from the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter movie starring Ryan Gosling, scheduled for release in 2027, to a New Jedi Order movie that serves as a continuation of the sequel trilogy. With the franchise earning hundreds of millions of hours watched across 2026 on Disney+, it seems like the Star Wars universe is still standing strong, and will remain so as new projects continue to expand on its ever-growing lore and stories.
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