Star Wars: Starfighter has already cost $226.5 million to produce, according to UK tax filings reported by Forbes and covered by Dark Horizons and ScreenRant on October 22, 2026. The figure covers spending through January 31, 2026, and does not include months of visual effects, post-production and distribution costs still to come.
The Star Wars Starfighter budget is already higher at the same stage of production than The Force Awakens, on par with The Last Jedi and below The Rise of Skywalker, according to the Forbes analysis of the filings.
How The Figure Breaks Down
After a $51.5 million UK tax credit, the net cost so far is about $175 million, Forbes reported. The production, shot primarily at Pinewood Studios in the UK with location work in Sardinia, employed an average crew of 239 people a month, with $17.6 million spent on staff costs.
Directed by Shawn Levy, Starfighter stars Ryan Gosling as pilot Kade Auberon, alongside Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Amy Adams, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings and Eva Mendes. Oscar-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda shot the film, which is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker.
The film wrapped shooting in December 2025, well ahead of its planned theatrical release on May 28, 2027. That long post-production window means the final budget will almost certainly rise significantly before release.
Why The Stakes Are So High
Starfighter arrives after The Mandalorian and Grogu underperformed earlier in 2026, according to ScreenRant, putting pressure on Lucasfilm to deliver a major theatrical hit. Using a standard industry rule of thumb, early estimates cited by Koimoi put the break-even target at around $437.5 million worldwide based on the current net cost — and that figure will rise as post-production spending grows.
For Disney, the budget is both a bet and a burden. A film that costs this much needs to be a global event, not just a solid performer. For Star Wars fans, the numbers underline how much is riding on Gosling’s first journey to a galaxy far, far away.
The filings themselves are public because Disney shot in the UK, where studios must set up a separate production company and file accounts. That transparency has given audiences an unusually clear early look at what a modern Star Wars blockbuster really costs.
