How much profit did Disney’s Star Wars movies really make?

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While Disney’s Star Wars films have made huge amounts of money worldwide, recent financial reports reveal their actual profits after accounting for production and marketing expenses, and the results might be unexpected.

The Star Wars universe is returning to the big screen! A new Mandalorian and Grogu movie is scheduled for 2026, which will be the first Star Wars film released in theaters since 2019’s *The Rise of Skywalker*. Another movie, directed by Shawn Levy, is planned for 2027.

New Star Wars content is on the way with the release of Visions Season 3 later this month, plus Ahsoka Season 2 is currently being made, and Maul – Shadow Lord is planned for Disney+ in 2026. Meanwhile, recent reports show just how successful the last five Star Wars movies have been financially.

American movie studios generally don’t reveal film budgets, often including those costs within their general spending. However, in the UK, where the Star Wars movies were filmed, production costs must be disclosed if a company wants to get money back from the government.

Disney reveals Star Wars movie profits and losses 

Forbes analyzed the box office earnings of each film and found some surprising results. Despite having the highest production costs, *The Force Awakens* proved to be the most profitable, earning over $500 million.

Here’s the list of movies, how much they cost, and their profits: 

  • The Force Awakens – budget: $638.9m / profit: $500.2m
  • The Last Jedi – budget: $414.6m / profit: $324m
  • Rogue One – budget: $327.5m / profit: $258.4m
  • The Rise of Skywalker – budget: $593.7m / profit: $48.3m
  • Solo: A Star Wars Story – budget: $365.7m / profit: –$103.3m

Released in 2015, *The Force Awakens* was the most expensive film ever made, with a production cost of $638.9 million. Despite the high cost, it was also incredibly profitable, earning the largest profit and delivering a 93.4% return on investment.

The film’s popularity was definitely boosted by huge excitement beforehand. It was the first Star Wars movie in ten years, bringing back beloved original actors alongside a fresh cast of characters.

While the recent film is performing better overall than 2016’s *Rogue One*, the earlier movie actually generated a higher return on investment (95.4%). However, as Forbes points out, ROI doesn’t necessarily equal overall profit.

Return on investment (ROI) is figured out by looking at how much profit an investment makes compared to how much it cost. For example, Disney spent $4 billion to buy Lucasfilm, and because ‘Rogue One’ was the least expensive film to produce, it generated the highest return on that investment.

Profit calculations are based on how much money movies make in theaters. We’re assuming studios keep around half of the ticket sales, but this doesn’t include expenses like marketing or money made from selling merchandise.

While Disney spends a lot on marketing, which makes things complicated, these numbers still offer a better understanding of how successful the Star Wars franchise is for them.

Look, after the disappointments with the Solo movie and The Rise of Skywalker not quite hitting the mark, Disney’s being a lot more cautious with Star Wars, kind of like how they handle the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Next year, all the pressure is on The Mandalorian and Grogu to see if they can bring back some of the magic and excitement we felt with The Force Awakens. I’m really hoping they can!

While you wait, be sure to explore our guide to all upcoming Star Wars shows and movies, review the complete Star Wars timeline, and see our picks for the best characters in the galaxy.

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2025-10-20 17:19