The Mandalorian & Grogu screened its first 25 minutes for fans on Monday, Star Wars Day, May 4, and the early reactions are strong.
Attendees praised the IMAX presentation, action, humor, Grogu moments, Din Djarin’s return, and Ludwig Göransson’s score, with several saying the footage feels like The Mandalorian Season 1 scaled up for theaters.
Worth a mention to keep in mind is that this was a free fan screening and those that attended are likely the more hardcore type of Star Wars fans.
Fans Praise The Mandalorian & Grogu Footage
The early reactions via X lean positive, with fans saying the footage plays well on the big screen and brings back the tone that made The Mandalorian a hit on Disney+.
Star Wars Holocron said they watched the first 25 minutes in IMAX and were “blown away,” calling it “cinematic” with “epic scale” and praising Göransson’s music for giving them goosebumps.
Another fan, @djarinshan, said the footage was “amazing,” praising the soundtrack and action while saying Jon Favreau and Star Wars “have done it again.”
@SasakiTime also reacted positively, saying it was great to see Star Wars on the big screen again and pointing to the action and humor as reasons to look forward to the full movie.
@beskarpascal said the footage featured “a lot of Grogu being cute” and “Mando being a badass,” while @MitchandBailey said they were already “obsessed” after only the opening 25 minutes.
What The Reactions Say
The big takeaway is that The Mandalorian & Grogu appears to be leaning into what fans want from the duo: action, humor, Grogu being Grogu, and Din Djarin getting strong hero moments.
The footage also sounds like it makes a clear effort to justify the theatrical move.
Multiple reactions mention the IMAX scale, the music, and the fact that Star Wars feels good back on the big screen.
The footage reminded some fans of The Mandalorian Season 1 while also noting that the opening includes Din Djarin and Grogu on a New Republic mission involving the Hutts and Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward.
Some Reactions Were More Mixed
The response was not all perfect.
A few reactions were more measured, with @tylerdisney12 saying the opening scene was “genuinely cool” and praising the momentum, but also noting that some CGI could still use polish.
That same reaction said the footage did not fully feel like a traditional Star Wars movie at first and came off more like a big-budget streaming episode. Even so, the reaction was still positive overall, with the user saying they plan to see the movie opening weekend.
The Buzz Is Strong Ahead Of Release
For Disney and Lucasfilm, this is the kind of early buzz they likely wanted.
The Mandalorian & Grogu has to make the jump from streaming to theaters, and the first reactions suggest the footage plays better than expected in IMAX.
The movie also arrives at a key time for Star Wars. It is the first theatrical Star Wars release in years and follows a long stretch where the franchise lived on Disney+.
The early fan response suggests The Mandalorian & Grogu could help bring some energy back to Star Wars at the box office.
It will be interesting to see what the reactions are once the movie opens wide.
The Mandalorian & Grogu opens in theaters and IMAX on May 22, 2026.
