Recently, Disney revealed the costs behind several Star Wars shows, including The Acolyte and Andor. Via Comic Basics, we now know exactly how much it cost to make both seasons of the prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the numbers are eye-popping.
Andor costs a mind-boggling $645 million to produce, and these numbers could increase depending on the final data, which could vary due to production delays. Andor went into production in November 2022, but had to stop because of the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Production resumed in January 2023 and wrapped up soon after. Regarding how much Season 2 costs out of the total $645 million, Disney revealed that number is in the ballpark of 290.9 million dollars.
In other words, production on Andor Season 2 costs nearly 300 million dollars. This is an unheard-of amount for any Star Wars production, and it's near the top of the list in terms of the budgets of television series. As reported by Comic Basics, "This makes it the most expensive Star Wars production in a single year, surpassing the $280.7 million spent on ‘The Last Jedi’ in 2019 and the $243.8 million for ‘The Force Awakens’ in 2016.
This number also surpasses the cost to make The Acolyte (180 million dollars) and The Mandalorian Seasons 1-3 (120 million dollars each). To be more specific, Andor has 12 episodes, the most per season for any Star Wars series per season. Naturally, more episodes mean a higher cost. Still, this is an unheard-of number, and for fans of the recently canceled The Acolyte, this probably seems unfair.
While Andor has received positive reviews from fans and critics, the viewership is average compared to The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, and The Book of Boba Fett. If Disney has so much money to spend, why couldn't they invest in another season of The Acolyte to ensure that the story is given the proper conclusion? Instead, it was unceremoniously canceled, and Disney blamed the low viewership numbers on their decision.
Similarly, if positive critical reception is the criteria for the high budget allotted to Andor, why didn't the budget for The Mandalorian increase after the show's blockbuster success? Why was The Mandalorian Season 4 hurriedly turned into a theatrical venture? The Mandalorian Season 4 should've gone ahead with a higher budget, and the movie should've been greenlighted and gone into production soon after work on Season 4 had wrapped up. Instead, fans are left questioning the future of Mando on Disney+ as Disney turns its focus to movies.
We're all Andor fans but the support it's received from Disney and Lucasfilm is a far cry from the treatment given to other Star Wars series. The Star Wars official accounts continue to acknowledge posts about Andor Season 2 but avoid fans who post their feelings regarding The Acolyte and The Mandalorian. Rogue One's 8th anniversary received a nod from Star Wars' official account, but The Mandalorian's 5th anniversary was overlooked. The apparent snub raises questions – what's the reason behind this disparity?
Why did Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett, two shows about immensely popular original trilogy characters, receive only a fraction of the budget Andor did? Even after years of anticipation for the return of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to Star Wars, many fans complained that Kenobi looked cheaper compared to Andor and The Mandalorian.
Andor deserves all the love, and we hope Season 2 will be a colossal success. However, Disney should strive for budgetary equality among its Star Wars shows ensuring every show maintains the same production quality across the board.
Andor Season 2 premieres April 22, 2025 on Disney+.