One of the earliest Star Wars movies released by Disney recently saw a resurgence in popularity. When Disney+ launched back in 2019, it became a one-stop shop for fans to stream their favorite titles from the galaxy far, far away. Not only did the service have all of the previously released Star Wars movies and shows, it became a platform for Lucasfilm to expand the franchise and tell more stories that captivated audiences. One of the streamer’s biggest hits to date has been Andor, the critically acclaimed drama that wrapped up its two-season run back in May. With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise people that a specific Star Wars movie was added to many watchlists.
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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, released back in 2016, ranked ninth on Nielsen’s list of the top 10 streaming movies for the week of May 12th-18th. According to the data, the film was watched for 179 million minutes on Disney+. Not so coincidentally, May 13th was when the Andor finale debuted, and the show topped the overall Nielsen charts with 931 million minutes watched.
Andor, of course, functions as a prequel to Rogue One, chronicling Cassian Andor’s journey as he becomes a key member of the burgeoning Rebel Alliance. The final few episodes of Andor Season 2 lead directly into the events of Rogue One, as the Rebels learn of the existence of the Death Star. The series adds a considerable amount of depth and context to the spin-off film, forever altering the way fans watch Rogue One.
Since its debut nearly a decade ago, Rogue One has always been held in high regard. Many believe it is the best Star Wars film of the Disney era due to its emotional narrative of sacrifice and heroism that harkens back to classic war movies. Despite a rocky production process that saw extensive reshoots, Rogue One earned positive reviews and grossed over $1 billion worldwide. Globally, it was the second highest-grossing film of 2016, behind only Captain America: Civil War.
Given Andor‘s strong ties to Rogue One, it’s no shock many Star Wars fans were quick to cue up the spin-off movie after finishing the show. There was a lot of interest in seeing how the series recontextualized the film, which in retrospect operates essentially as Andor Season 3. Rogue One picks up many of the threads from the last Andor Season 2 arc, depicting Cassian’s investigation into the Death Star intel and Director Krennic’s attempts to contain the leaks. Especially considering how Andor makes Cassian’s Rogue One fate even more tragic, the film is required viewing once you’ve seen all of Andor.
Andor creator Tony Gilroy is done with Star Wars now that the show is complete, but Lucasfilm could find itself back at the top of the streaming charts in the near future. Next summer sees the release of the film The Mandalorian & Grogu, and it seems likely fans will want to rewatch the Disney+ series The Mandalorian to refresh their memories ahead of seeing the movie. There’s also Ahsoka Season 2 in the works, which could lead to a bump in popularity for that show’s first season.
