Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars: Starfighter had already recorded $226.5 million in production spending by January 31, 2026. That puts it above what The Force Awakens had spent at a similar point after filming wrapped. With its May 2027 release still ahead, Disney is giving this new standalone adventure a budget on the scale of the sequel trilogy.
How Starfighter Compares With The Sequels
According to Forbes’s October report, Starfighter had recorded approximately £164.9 million in spending by January 31, 2026, a little over a month after filming wrapped. The figures come from Blue Mist Productions (UK) Limited, the Disney subsidiary identified as the company behind the film.
Here is how that compares with the sequel trilogy at nearby stages of production:
| Film | Recorded Spending | Cutoff After Filming Wrapped |
|---|---|---|
| Star Wars: Starfighter | £164.9 million | A little over one month |
| The Force Awakens | £147.6 million | 12 days |
| The Last Jedi | £162.3 million | Three weeks |
| The Rise of Skywalker | £281.6 million | About one month |
Figures compiled by Forbes. These are spending snapshots, not final budgets, and are not adjusted for inflation.
The closest match is The Last Jedi. Starfighter is slightly above it, while The Rise of Skywalker remains comfortably ahead of both.
The timing matters because productions do not pay every bill on the same schedule. These figures show that Starfighter is operating on a scale comparable to the numbered sequels; they cannot tell us which film got more value from its money.
The Tax Credit Brings The Reported Cost Down
The same report puts the U.K. production credit at approximately $51.5 million, bringing spending after that offset to roughly $175 million.
That gives a more useful picture than the headline number alone, but it is still an early snapshot. The accounts cover the period ending January 31, 2026, even though they were published in October. Later work and additional credits can change the total.
A large production bill also does not establish that a film has gone over budget. To judge that, we would need to know what Disney approved in the first place.
Disney Is Giving A New Adventure A Big Budget
What makes the spending interesting is the kind of movie receiving it. Lucasfilm describes Starfighter as an original standalone adventure directed by Shawn Levy and written by Jonathan Tropper. Gosling leads a cast that includes Flynn Gray, Amy Adams, Matt Smith, Mia Goth and Aaron Pierre.
The story takes place approximately five years after The Rise of Skywalker, opening up a period beyond the sequel trilogy with new characters at its center.
For viewers hoping Star Wars will explore fresh stories, that is the more interesting part of these numbers: Disney is putting substantial resources behind one. A standalone film can introduce new people and places, but it still has to make audiences care enough to show up.
Star Wars: Starfighter is scheduled to reach theaters on May 28, 2027. The spending shows how much Disney is committing to the adventure. Whether that investment pays off will depend on the movie.