So, what happened here?
On Sunday, Pedro Pascal “randomly” showed up at Disneyland in full Mandalorian gear, climbed onto the Millennium Falcon ride, pulled off the helmet, and “surprised” a crowd while cameras conveniently captured the whole thing.
Then people started noticing something. Social media sleuths started pointing out that a bunch of the “shocked guests” looked suspiciously like influencers and Star Wars content creators, instead of the random park visitors Disney wanted us to believe. This was staged. The whole thing had a polished energy. Carefully planned social media marketing rather than an actual spontaneous moment.
Disney clearly wanted the clip to spread online ahead of “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” And spread it did — although a lot of the reaction eventually turned into backlash after word got out that there was a lot of careful planning involved to make it happen.
What I’m getting out of this debacle? Disney really seems to need “The Mandalorian and Grogu” to become a hit. The hype for this movie just isn’t there, and Star Wars is just not as untouchable as it used to be. Turning the series into a movie, and pushing Pedro Pascal front and center in public stunts like this, feels like a desperate Disney stunt.
Of course, Disney isn’t the only studio carefully manufacturing excitement for a film — look at all the influencers who now get invited to premieres and post glowing reactions the minute they leave the theater. That said, there is clear franchise panic at Lucasfilm. Pre-sales have only been decent, and actual critics who’ve seen the film have been unimpressed.
The actual review embargo for “The Mandalorian and Grogu” lifts today, and it might be the make-or-break moment for the film’s box office potential.
After this weekend, when “Artificial” and “Behemoth!” screen at NYFF, there won’t be many Oscar contenders left unseen. In fact, by my count, there are just two: ‘Cliff Booth,’ and “Dune: Part Three.”