When the original Star Wars film, A New Hope, was released in May of 1977, few knew it was destined to kickstart one of the most beloved franchises in history. Now, nearly 50 years later, there are almost a dozen films and at least as many TV series set in that galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars fans are some of the most devoted in the media world, so much so they have turned May 4th into a holiday to celebrate their beloved universe.
“May the Fourth be with you,” a play on one of the most iconic phrases from the franchise, reverberates across the media world each and every spring. And the modern era of television means viewers can get their Star Wars fix any time they want.
Epic stories and epic viewing
In 2025, U.S. viewers spent over 33 billion minutes watching Star Wars content across linear TV and streaming, with the streamed viewing accounting for the bulk of that total. Disney+ serves as a content hub for all things Star Wars, which includes exclusive series only available on the platform—one that gives fans access to their favorite titles at any time. Let’s see how that viewing broke down last year across the different formats:
The Star Wars films commanded the biggest share of viewing time in 2025, with the original A New Hope scoring the largest minute total of the group. It was followed by the first episode in the chronological story, The Phantom Menace, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story rounded out the top three. Rogue One likely got a boost from the second and final season of Andor, the events of which lead directly to the film.
Speaking of Andor, it led Star Wars live action series viewing, which was the second biggest chunk of watch time. The final season helped propel the show into Nielsen’s Original Top 10 for six weeks running last spring, and the show garnered 7.4 billion minutes of viewing in 2025. Skeleton Crew, which wrapped its season early in the year, and The Mandalorian rounded out the top three most viewed individual programs.
May 4th, 2025: What were people streaming?
Nearly 637 million minutes of Star Wars content were streamed last May 4th, and in the spirit of our weekly Top 10, here are the titles that garnered the most viewing:
Not surprisingly, Andor led the pack as it was still in the midst of its final season. Animated series Tales of the Underworld, which launched on May 4th, also made the top 10, but most slots went to the films that comprise the franchise’s core canon. In addition to being the biggest day for fans, May the Fourth 2026 viewing is bound to be fueled by anticipation for the latest cinematic entry in the franchise, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, scheduled to hit theaters on May 22.
A storyline for every generation
Star Wars’ long history as a beloved franchise means that when it comes to watching on demand, there is something for everyone. In celebration of May 4th this year, here are the top Star Wars titles by minutes streamed across generations, for the first quarter of 2026:
Want to plan ahead for May 4th, 2027? Streaming Content Ratings can help.
