As recently reported by IGN, fresh Nielsen data proves fans keep choosing the classic Star Wars films over the sequel trilogy. Disney poured billions into those three movies, yet the numbers show they never built a steady audience like the original films or the prequels did.
In all of 2025, people watched 33 billion minutes of Star Wars content on Disney+. Of that total, 44.2 percent came from live action movies. The top three spots went to Star Wars (often called A New Hope), The Phantom Menace, and Rogue One. No sequel trilogy title cracked the top rankings at all.
The pattern held firm on Star Wars Day last year. On May 4, 2025, the most streamed movies started with Star Wars and The Phantom Menace. They were followed by The Empire Strikes Back, Revenge of the Sith, Attack of the Clones, Return of the Jedi, and Rogue One. The rest of the top ten filled up with shows such as Andor, Tales of the Underworld, and Clone Wars. Once again, not one sequel film made the list.
The first three months of 2026 told the same story with no new releases to change the results. The Mandalorian topped the charts for both Gen Alpha kids and Baby Boomers. Andor led for Millennials and Gen X viewers. Clone Wars stayed the favorite for Gen Z. The sequel trilogy stayed off every age group chart.
That leaves Disney with a very clear problem, and one of their own making. The prequels built a loyal base among younger fans over time. The original trilogy of classic films still draw in everyone. But the sequels never found their own group. So what will Disney will do next now that the person in charge of Lucasfilm during the sequel era of films, Kathleen Kennedy, has finally left Lucasfilm?
Kathleen “The Force is Female” Kennedy and AlliesThe first thing is the company already shifted gears at Galaxy’s Edge in the theme parks. It added original trilogy characters for the first time by using the World Between Worlds idea from Ahsoka. That move came after the land opened deep in the sequel era. At the same time, plans for a Rey movie from director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy are now in doubt, and many other discussed projects have quietly faded, while the latest animated Darth Maul series (a product of the prequel era) was met with rave reviews.
Theme parks, streaming subscriptions, and future films all depend on keeping fans happy. When viewers choose to ignore one part of the saga, the company loses money and trust. There have been rumors the studio is considering removing the sequel era from canon, but that’s extremely unlikely. Meanwhile the data proves that fans still love classic era Star Wars, which affirms that they want stories that respect what came before instead of forcing new directions that never clicked.
Disney would do well to pay close attention before the next big bet misses the mark too.
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