Disney’s Star Wars movies may have grossed billions at the global box office, but new filings show just how much they actually earned once costs were factored in, and the figures may surprise you.
The galaxy far, far away is officially back in business. The Mandalorian & Grogu is dropping in 2026, marking the franchise’s first theatrical release since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, followed by Shawn Levy’s Starfighter in 2027.
On the small screen, Visions Season 3 debuts later this month, Ahsoka Season 2 is in development, and Maul – Shadow Lord lands on Disney+ in 2026. But while fans might be looking to the future, fresh insights have revealed how lucrative the past five films really were.
In the US, the budgets of movies are kept quiet as studios combine the costs in their overall expenses, but in the UK – where the Star Wars films were shot – these figures must be provided if a company wants to earn a reimbursement.
Disney reveals Star Wars movie profits and losses
Forbes has run the numbers, revealing how much each of the films made. Surprisingly, the most expensive entry – The Force Awakens – was also the most profitable, gaining more than $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 cost an eye-watering $638.9 million, making it the most expensive movie ever made. However, it managed to earn the biggest profit, as well as a 93.4% return on investment (ROI).
Its success was no doubt fueled by massive anticipation: it was the first Star Wars film in a decade, reuniting original trilogy stars with a new generation of heroes.
This makes it more successful than 2016’s Rogue One, despite the fact that the prequel has the highest ROI at 95.4%. But as highlighted by Forbes, ROI is different to profit.
It’s calculated by comparing the net profit with the cost of the investment. Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm cost $4 billion and Rogue One was the cheapest to make, hence it has the highest ROI.
In terms of profit, the figures are based on box office returns, assuming studios take about 50% of theater earnings, with marketing costs and merchandise not factored in.
That means the actual picture is more complex given Disney’s blockbuster marketing budgets, but these figures at least give a clearer picture into the House of Mouse’s Star Wars machine.
After Solo’s losses and The Rise of Skywalker’s muted returns, the studio is being more careful with its output, much like Disney’s MCU. Next year, all eyes will be on The Mandalorian & Grogu and whether it can capture some of that Force Awakens success.
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