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Movie and TV News
After a middling opening Memoral Day Weekend with a $81.67 million 3-day and $98.09 4-day weekend haul The Mandalorian And Grogu lost momentum during the week and flatlined on its second weekend with a abysmally bad second weekend drop of 70.1%, good enough for just $24.25 million – and #3 at the US box office. The Mandalorian And Grogu is several firsts for Star Wars. Click through for more details and an analysis!
Obligatory symbol photo at this point
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Afer losing Moff Jerjerrod actor Michael Pennington only earlier this month one of the pivotal people behind the success of Star Wars has now passed away as well. Marcia Lucas, the wife of George Lucas during the OT era, passed away from metastatic cancer at age 80 in her California home on Wednesday, but news only broke earlier today.
Marcia Lucas famously won the editing Oscar for Star Wars alongside Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch in 1977. She was pivotal in shaping what was then simply known as “Star Wars” and played a substantial role in making it the movie we all love to this day, especially the Death Star sequence is credited to her, she made sense of all the footage shot by her husband. She also co-edited the other two original Star Wars movies and was assistant editor for George’s THX 1138, but never worked in the business again after 1983.
Let’s all remember Marcia. Her work will live on and she shall never be forgotten. Rest in peace!
Marcia Lucas in 1977 next to Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch
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It has been 6 1/2 long years since The Rise of Skywalker bellyflopped the entire sequels trilogy project and halted any and all lofty movie plans Disney once had for Star Wars. So there is some pressure on The Mandalorian And Grogu to make fans forget about all that. Here in Germany the movie opened today, two days before regular release in the US and still one day before US preview screenings. I attended the very first showing here in the afternoon. My theater was 3/4 empty, probably also because it was still quite early. So the most pressing question now is… is The Mandalorian And Grogu a welcome return to form? Or at least a fun time and worth a visit to theaters?
And the meme image I chose for the article may provide you with a clue… No. And No… and no. My advice… wait for it to arrive on Disney+. At best.
I wish it was different
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British Actor Michael Pennington, forever remembered by Star Wars fans as Moff Jerjerrod who had the unlucky task to oversee the construction of the second Death Star and who shall double his efforts, has passed away at the age of 82.
Pennington had an accomplished theater career and was an Honorary Associate Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company, his main body of work in front of the camera includes various British tv shows and tv movies. He appeared on British tv regularly until 2022.
Let’s all remember Michael Pennington! One of the many great British stage and tv actors that made the Original Trilogy what it is!
Michael Pennington doing a stellar job of conveying apprehension as Darth Vader arrives
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I am sorry for the delay of the review for the Maul – Shadow Lord season finale with the episodes “Strange Allies” and “The Dark Lord”. But there were some technical difficulties yesterday that prevented me from posting the review as the server was down for hours. But the server issues have been sorted out and here it is, my review of the season finale of Maul – Shadow Lord.
The series is pretty popular among those who watch it, it’s currently the #202 ranked best tv show of all times on IMDB with a superb score of 8.7.
And I wish I could be one of those who think this is “what Star Wars needs” or that it’s utterly brilliant. IMDB is littered with 9/10 or 10/10 reviews for this show.
But for me the season finale only highlighted once more all the basic issues haunting this show and modern Star Wars. It’s all literally been there, done that, it’s “Key Jangling – The Series”. Even Vader returns in what will surprise probably no one, when you know the 10th episode is titled “The Dark Lord”. I mean, how many dark lords are there around this time period?
The finale is basically a 20 minute lightsaber battle between six force users, five of which have plot armor and one of which we knew would die the milisecond he appeared on the show. But people love it anyway. Because it’s flashy. And actiony.
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We are already approaching the season finale of Maul – Shadow Lord, next week we’ll get the last season 1 episodes, so this week is all about setting that up. And things heat up considerably. An inquisitor wearing a cloak and a mask arrives (so you know it’s about to get serious). And Maul, his merry gang, as well as the Lawsons and Devon with her Jedi master all need to escape the clutches of the Empire who are hot on the trail.
The double feature Call To Oblivion / The Creeping Fear was actually pretty entertaining, if only we didn’t know how and where exactly this will all end. Qi’ra will bow to her Crimson Dawn overlord Maul in Solo and Maul still wants his apprentice in Rebels… and we never hear or see a single thing about the Lawsons or Devon and her master in any of the other shows and movies set after this again. So whatever happens to them… can’t be all that important. They certainly made no difference to any of the things happening further down the road.
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Two more episodes of Maul- Shadow Lord wait to be talked about! And watching the double feature, Inquisition & Night of the Hunted, this week made me realize something….
Do you all remember this weird series that tried to portray Jedi as obsessed creeps? You know, the one series where an adult man, in his 40s or so, maybe even 50s, had an interest in a little girl bordering on obsession and wanted her to become his padawan, because he so longed for having one? Yes, that show, The Acolyte… which also had the evil guy find a young woman of his own, so she can become his apprentice (incidentally the same girl).
Well… in Maul – Shadow Lord, Maul is really, very, very hellbent on getting young padawan Devon as his apprentice, in what looks like unhealthy obsession.
What on earth was Filoni thinking here? What is it with Star Wars where an adult is obsessed with getting a child or young teen as his follower/padawan/apprentice?
Oh, and everyone’s most popular ever magic green gas cloud returns as well… I know you have been waiting for the return of Marrok! The Captain Phasma among Inquisitors. A walking and talking suit of armor!
So there is lots to talk about this week. Click here or on the banner below to discuss the latest two episodes of Maul-Shadow Lord!
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Lucasfilm released their final trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu earlier tonight at CinemaCon and it was subsequently also released on YouTube.
Click through to watch it here!
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Another week, another double feature! Episodes three and four of Maul – Shadow Lord, titled “Whispers In The Unknown” and “Pride And Vengeance” (not Prejudice) dropped on Monday. I finally got around to watching it all and I have of course a few things to say about the latest two episodes.
And it basically boils down to this… it’s the most Dave Filoni Star Wars series ever (sans space wolves or space whales – for now). And feels like content made for subscribers.
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The very first long range box office forecasts for The Mandalorian & Grogu movie have been released. These box office forecasts use a number of metrics to arrive at their projections and they usually have a pretty good accuracy, as in, they are usually in the ballpark of what the movie will actually make on openening weekend. But before I continue you need to know that this is the first forecast, as we approach release date those will be refined and adjusted, but not to the point it’s suddenly twice as high or just half of the original projection. But expect some adjustments as we get closer to release.
Ok, so what is the forecast? According to Box Office Theory, who are in the business of creating these long range forecasts, The Mandalorian & Grogu is currently tracking for a $71+ million 3-day weekend. Which would be the lowest opening of any Star Wars live action movie ever. Click through for more.
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I am back! And I have watched Maul – Shadow Lord, the show that is meant to shorten the wait before The Mandalorian & Grogu hits theaters in May! The first two episodes, The Dark Revenge and Sinister Schemes, were released on Monday. Which was a holiday here where I live (Easter Monday) and I had other things on the schedule, so I only watched the show earlier today.
Maul – Shadow Lord is certainly a Disney+ show, its content.
And that tells you already what my overall feelings are. The first two episodes are entertaining enough but I could never shake this feeling that we never really needed any of this.
Maul – Shadow Lord is basically a show about a lower body amputee trying to seduce a teenaged girl (dare I say the words “Order 66 survivor”?) to the dark side and getting back at Palpatine, while taking revenge on basically the entire underworld. Maul has a busy schedule indeed! All the while an honest space police detective is trying to figure out who this Maul person is and why he wants to kill all these people. So click through to read my review of the first two episodes and let’s discuss it all!
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Now streaming on Disney+, the first two episodes of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord kick off the series, with two new episodes debuting each Monday through May 4th. Full review coming soon!
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The official release plan for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is now out. Starting April 6, two episodes will be released every Monday, continuing through May 4.
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The latest trailer for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord just dropped. Click through to check it out and discuss!
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You can watch the brand new Mandalorian and Grogu trailer right now, it was released just a couple of minutes ago!
Click through to watch it here on JTA!
Hello there!
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In case you missed it, check out the Budweiser-style The Mandalorian & Grogu TV spot that debuted during the Super Bowl.
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The brand new trailer for Maul – Shadow Lord has dropped. Click through to watch the trailer and check out the poster art. Head over to the Official Site for full details.
Maul – Shadow Lord kicks off with a two-episode premiere on Disney+ April 6, 2026.
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Get your popcorn ready, the original release (newly restored) of Star Wars returns to the big screen in 2027 for the 50th anniversary. Details at StarWars.com.
The restoration was done by Aurora Light Imageworks. Leaked footage of the restoration is available on YouTube, not yet deleted, so be quick before Lucasfilm may claim the footage!
And this video shows more work done on Return of the Jedi.
While it is unconfirmed as of yet if ESB and ROTJ will also see a rerelease of the restored original version (I suppose this may depend on the success of A New Hope in 2027) Aurora Light Imageworks has at least done the work and everything seems to be ready.
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It’s been a while since I posted a rumors article, but with Starfighter having entered production not too long ago some (pretty juicy) rumors are beginning to spread. So if you want to learn about them, click through. Spoilerphobes should stay away of course!
You are about the enter the Star Wars Rumor Zone!
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It seems the PR campaign for the Mandalorian & Grogu movie is picking up speed, after a teaser trailer months ago we now have a first official trailer (which seems to confirm all the leaks) and a first official poster!
Click through for the embedded video, a peek at the poster and a short discussion!
In Technicolor?
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While the usual Hollywood movie / tv show awards are probably mostly meaningless to normal viewers these days and people just don’t care, they are still of some importance in the industry itself.
And last night Andor won five Emmy awards, however only one in any of the notable categories: outstanding writing for a drama series. The way the Emmys work is that only individual episodes are nominated, not entire seasons. So in this case Dan Gilroy, brother of Tony, won for the episode “Welcome To The Rebellion” in which Cassian exfiltrates Mon Mothma from Coruscant after her speech in the senate. Of course the way these shows work is that the showrunner, Tony Gilroy, is a chief narrative designer and writing credits or writing jobs get assigned, and it’s not as if his brother Dan came up with it all out of thin air, so this is really an award for both brothers.
The other awards were for best sci-fi costumes, picture editing, production design and visual effects.
The Acolyte had one nomination for best sound editing in a comedy (no further comment) / half hour series… and lost. I suppose the five fans of The Acolyte are inconsolable right now.
The fact that none of the actors in Andor received a nomination tells you all about the arbitrariness of those awards and why regular people mostly do not care anymore. Btw. Andor lost in the “best drama series” category to an ER medical drama that sounds like “24” (the series with Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer), only it’s 15 hours this time and it’s in an ER and instead of killing people people are saved. Starring a lead actor who basically played the same role on ER all those many years ago, Noah Wyle, who of course also won the award for best lead actor in a drama series.
Do you care about those Hollywood awards?
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A first picture taken on the set of Star Wars Starfighter was posted on X today. We see Ryan Gosling and his young co-star Flynn Gray pose in a moody black and white shot in front of a pretty big landspeeder.
We also have all the principal cast members confirmed now: Amy Adams will play a role in the movie (we do not know which one), Matt Smith is also onboard (most famous for once being Doctor Who), as well as Mia Goth who is supposed to play one of the villains, and then several other British actors are also on the cast list, which makes sense, because this movie is yet another Star Wars project filming in the UK, as is tradition.
Anyway, with this anyone who maybe thought this movie is all smoke and mirrors as well is now proven wrong: Shawn Levy’s movie is happening and if things go as planned will be released in theaters in 2027.
The fact that this movie has several big names attached to it probably means that they will try really, really hard to re-establish Star Wars in theaters, where it has been absent after The Rise of Skywalker, a movie experts labeled the first 1 billion dollar box office disappointment ever back in 2019, proven right by documents that eventually told us the insane budget for that movie.
Are you excited for Star Wars Starfighter? Do you think it at least has a chance to be good and to succeed? Director Levy promised “all new characters” in a “new setting”. And Star Wars absolutely needs a fresh start free from all baggage in theaters.
I suppose the movie itself will be in color though…
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I only posted an update a couple of days ago, but this week Nielsen released their new numbers in a more timely fashion, so we already have data for the following week. This is week six for Andor, or two weeks after the finale.
And it is still in the original series top 10. The only series ever to achieve the same was The Mandalorian. Nothing else. These Disney+ shows drop out of the top 10 pretty much immediately after the finale. Not Andor. With 385 million minutes it made #10. This now confirms the trend on the Luminate charts where Andor even stayed on the charts for an additional three weeks. Proving that Andor has a lot more staying power and a much stronger and longer tail end than virtually any other show that is not The Mandalorian. A well deserved success for all the people involved!
This is probably it then for Andor. And this will also be the last Nielsen / Luminate article for a long time probably, the next show should be Ahsoka in 2026 (probably).
And even though unrelated to Star Wars it may still interest a few people: brand new Marvel / MCU series “Ironheart” was released on Disney+ this week. This show had been in the can for three years and it was delayed all this time… they probably should have given it the Batgirl treatment (i.e. use it as a tax write off and put in the vault where no one will ever see it). They dropped three episodes at once on Tuesday, and the episodes are about as long as Andor’s episodes, total runtime of the three episodes is 142 minutes.
And it still did not make the Luminate streaming charts. But the #10 entry only has 260.8 million minutes. Which means fewer than 1.8 million people watched this. Ironheart seems to be a bomb on another level. Of course people said this is a lousy idea basically from the moment this show was announced. You have to remember though that this was greenlit half a decade ago when times were very different, still fresh on the heels of Black Panther that probably made someone think black girl copycat Ironman (who is a literal thief in this, if you can believe it) as the star of a show is a bright idea.
The Nielsen Streaming Charts
The Luminate Streaming Charts
All’s well that ends well
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I will make it quick. It took quite a few days longer than usual for Nielsen to finally release new charts. This time it’s for week 1 after the Andor finale. On the Luminate charts Andor remained in the top 10 for another three weeks after the finale dropped. So it was always interesting to see if Andor can repeat the same feat on the Nielsen charts.
A quick reminder: it’s virtually unheard of that any Disney+ original series can remain in the top 10 one week after the finale. The Mandalorian managed that. And now Andor season 2 managed it as well (season 1 did not). Andor had a very respectable 527 million minutes watchtime, which is good enough for #4 on the original shows charts, beating various Netflix shows. And remember, this is for a week in which no new episodes dropped.
This confirms that Andor has a long tail end and that viewer retention is higher than for other Star Wars series that are not The Mandalorian. It may also mean that more people waited to binge this time. And with that season 2 is getting closer to season 1 total watchtime. Watchtimes will eventually probably be equal, meaning the show did not lose any viewers really between season 1 and 2, of course Andor is still one of the lesser watched shows overall, but it will beat The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew. It will be really interesting to see if Andor can still remain in the top 10 next week. Which always depends on the competition of course. The #10 show this week has 361 million minutes.
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New reports (by scooper DanielRPK and several entertainment outlets also have stories about this) have surfaced that claim the Rey movie is on hold. Some outlets even use the word “shelved”. And that even James Mangold’s “Dawn of the Jedi” movie will move forward first, this in addition to Shawn Levy’s Ryan Gosling “Starfighter” movie which is said to begin filming later this year.
This is no real surprise of course, the Rey movie has had a few people desperately trying to come up with a script, with nothing to show for even after more than two years. Even Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has been awfully silent about the movie ever since her bizarre appearance on CNN 18 months ago. All clear indicators that this movie is in typical development hell, and it can be very difficult to ever escape from that.
And with Kennedy allegedly resigning in August (no confirmation yet) it could very well mean Obaid-Chinoy will soon join Rian Johnson in his clubhouse. His trilogy was never officially cancelled either.
In my opinion Disney and a post Kennedy Lucasfilm would be well advised never to make that Rey movie. If they want the Star Wars franchise to have a future in theaters, that is. I only feel sorry for Daisy Ridley, who would have received the single biggest paycheck of her entire career (she received a pittance for the sequels, relatively speaking)… I suppose it’s more direct to streaming movies for her then.
Leave your humorous comments below!
Mandatory photo of Rey crying
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