The Mandalorian & Grogu is released this week and is set for the lowest opening weekend of any starring Wars films ever.
《曼达洛人与格罗古》本周上映，预计将创下《星球大战》电影史上最低的首映周末成绩。
With the TV shows also struggling, here's why interest is waning.
随着电视剧也陷入困境，以下是观众兴趣正在减退的原因。
It's been seven years since the Star Wars franchise visited a galaxy further, far away on the big screen.
《星球大战》系列已经有七年没有在大银幕上带观众前往那个遥远的银河系了。
In December 2019, The Rise of Skywalker, the third and final film in the franchise's sequel trilogy, was released, earning $1.077bn (£806m) worldwide.
2019年12月，该系列续集三部曲的第三部也是最终章《天行者崛起》上映，全球票房达到10.77亿美元（8.06亿英镑）。
It pulled in only around half what the first film in the trilogy, 2015's The Force Awakens had made.
它的票房收入只有这套三部曲首部作品、2015年《原力觉醒》的一半左右。
This disappointing amount reflected the increasingly poor audience and critical response to the three films.
这一令人失望的数字反映出观众和评论界对这三部电影的反响越来越差。
A year earlier, in 2018, the standalone film Solo: A Star Wars Story had also bombed hard, earning just $393m (£294m) globally.
再早一年，也就是2018年，独立电影《游侠索罗：星球大战外传》同样惨遭票房失利，全球票房仅为3.93亿美元（2.94亿英镑）。
Since then, the film series has been on a lengthy hiatus, while Lucasfilm, bought by Disney for $4.05bn (£3.03bn) in 2012, has been busy expanding the Star Wars universe on TV with a whole host of live-action shows, starting with hit The Mandalorian.
自那以后，这个电影系列便进入了漫长的停摆期，而2012年以40.5亿美元（30.3亿英镑）被迪士尼收购的卢卡斯影业，则一直忙于通过一系列真人剧集在电视领域拓展《星球大战》宇宙，首先推出的便是热门剧集《曼达洛人》。
However, interest in these has declined as they hasn't proliferated: the most recent new series, 2025's Skeleton Crew, recorded the lowest opening ratings for a Star Wars show yet, while 2024's The Acolyte was cancelled after one season.
然而，随着这类作品不断增多，观众兴趣已经下降：最近的新剧、2025年的《骨干小队》创下了《星球大战》剧集迄今最低的首播收视率，而2024年的《侍者》播出一季后就被取消。
Now, finally, a new Star Wars cinematic era is beginning with this week's The Mandalorian & Grogu, the 12th live-action film in the franchise and a spin-off from its smallest-screen counterpart.
如今，新的《星球大战》电影时代终于随着本周上映的《曼达洛人与古古》开启；这是该系列第12部真人电影，也是其小荧屏对应剧集的衍生作品。
Co-written by The Mandalorian series co-creators Jon Favreau and new Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni with Noah Kloor, and directed by Favreau, it follows the further adventures of Pedro Pascal's helmet-wearing bounty hunter Din Djarin and his sidekick-in-training, aka "Baby Yoda".
该片由《曼达洛人》剧集共同主创乔恩·费儒和卢卡斯影业新任总裁戴夫·菲洛尼与诺亚·克洛尔联合编剧，并由费儒执导，讲述佩德罗·帕斯卡饰演的戴头盔赏金猎人丁·贾林，以及他正在成长为搭档的伙伴，也就是“尤达宝宝”，继续展开冒险的故事。
But the signs here, too, are not better.
但这方面的迹象同样不妙。
Pre-release tracking suggests it will score just $80m domestically during its opening weekend – the lowest opening for a Star Wars film ever.
上映前的票房追踪显示，它在北美首周末可能只能拿下8000万美元，成为《星球大战》电影史上最低的开画成绩。
So what exactly has gone wrong with the Star Wars universe?
那么，《星球大战》宇宙到底出了什么问题？
When it comes to The Mandalorian & Grogu, Dr Rebecca Harrison, academic and author of BFI Film Classics' The Empire Strikes Back book, suggests that the subject matter might being too niche.
谈到《曼达洛人与格罗古》时，学者、BFI Film Classics《帝国反击战》一书作者丽贝卡·哈里森博士表示，这个题材可能过于小众。
The film is set immediately following the events of The Mandalorian season 3 – and several years after the fall of the dastardly, Darth Vader-led Galactic Empire at the hands of the Rebel Alliance, as seen in Return of the Jedi.
这部电影的故事设定紧接《曼达洛人》第三季的事件之后，也就是《绝地归来》中所展现的、由达斯·维达领导的邪恶银河帝国被义军同盟推翻数年之后。
It sees the titular pair embarking on a new mission to rescue iconic villain Jabba The Hut's son Rotta in exchange for information regarding a target of the newly established, far more democratic New Republic regime.
影片中，这对片名中的主角踏上新的任务，要营救标志性反派赫特人贾巴的儿子罗塔，以换取有关新近建立、更加民主的新共和国政权某个目标的信息。
Yet, as "it's a continuation of a story rather than a standalone movie," Harrison tells the BBC, "if you're not familiar with the TV shows, you've got such low investment in going to seeing it."
然而，哈里森告诉BBC，由于“它是一个故事的延续，而不是一部独立电影”，“如果你不熟悉那些电视剧，你去看它的投入感就会非常低”。
Indeed, this might be a problem with the whole Star Wars universe, as it's developed over the past decade – while the interconnected web of storylines might be a boon for committed Star Wars fans, it's a burden for the casual viewer.
事实上，这或许是整个《星球大战》宇宙在过去十年发展过程中出现的问题：相互交织的剧情网络对忠实的《星战》粉丝来说或许是一大好处，但对普通观众来说却是一种负担。
The post-Empire narrative begun by The Mandalorian, and set to be continued by The Mandalorian & Grogu, has run across not only other live-action series The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew, but also the acclaimed animated offerings Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, also created by Filoni: these shows have 11 seasons combined.
由《曼达洛人》开启、并将由《曼达洛人与古古》继续推进的帝国之后叙事，不仅贯穿了其他真人剧集《波巴·费特之书》《阿索卡》和《骷髅船员》，也延伸到同样由菲洛尼创作、广受好评的动画作品《星球大战：克隆人战争》和《星球大战：义军崛起》；这些剧集合计共有11季。
"It has felt like homework to try to keep up with everything, so I wonder if that might limit their audience," says Harrison, who is also the author of forthcoming book A Star Wars World.
哈里森说：“试图跟上所有内容感觉像是在做功课，所以我怀疑这可能会限制他们的观众群。”她也是即将出版的新书《一个星球大战世界》的作者。
Clarisse Loughrey, chief film critic for The Independent, agrees, pointing by contrast to Tony Gilroy's critically-acclaimed series Andor, which consistently grew its viewership through its two season run, as a standalone Star Wars show you could enjoy on its owned: "That could be your first piece of Star Wars that you've ever seen, and you're not going to feels like you've been thrown in the deep end."
《独立报》首席影评人克拉丽丝·洛克雷对此表示认同，并对比指出托尼·吉尔罗伊广受评论界赞誉的剧集《安多》在两季播出期间收视持续增长，作为一部独立的《星战》剧集，它本身就能让人欣赏：“它可以是你看过的第一部《星球大战》作品，而且你不会觉得自己像是被一下子扔进了深水区。”
Andor also stood out from the other series as a defiantly prescient critique of authoritarianism, offered "in terms you could legibly graft on to the world right outside your door", wrote Vulture's Nicholas Quah.
Vulture 的尼古拉斯·夸写道，《安多》也不同于其他剧集，它以一种大胆而有预见性的方式批判威权主义，并且这种批判“可以清楚地嫁接到你门外的现实世界之上”。
It was a Star Wars saga that didn't require a single lightsaber, Jedi-Sith battle, or an abundance of fan service to entice viewers but instead wielded characters that "felt like flesh-and-blood beings whose lives extended beyond their service to the story", as he put it.
正如他所说，这是一部不需要一把光剑、一场绝地与西斯之战，或大量粉丝服务来吸引观众的《星球大战》传奇；相反，它塑造的人物“感觉像有血有肉的人，他们的生活并不只是为剧情服务”。
Yet where Andor succeeded, others have failed to capture its rejuvenating appeal.
然而，《安多》取得成功的地方，其他作品却未能抓住那种令人耳目一新的吸引力。
The Book of Boba Fett was criticised for being too much of a Mandalorian-linked mini-series, and reducing the beloved eponymous bounty hunter, who appeared in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, from a mysterious antagonist to what critics have described as a "superfluous bystander" in his own story.
《波巴·费特之书》受到批评，被认为太像一部与《曼达洛人》关联过深的迷你剧，并把这位曾出现在《帝国反击战》和《绝地归来》中、深受喜爱的同名赏金猎人，从一个神秘反派削弱成了评论人士所说的自己故事里的“多余旁观者”。
Meanwhile, critics suggested that Ahsoka, while visually appealing, relied too much on backstory from the two animated series Clone Wars and Rebels, in which its ex-Jedi lead character was a firm fixture.
与此同时，评论家指出，《阿索卡》虽然视觉上很吸引人，却过度依赖两部动画剧集《克隆人战争》和《义军崛起》中的背景故事，而这位前绝地主角正是那两部作品中的固定核心角色。
The female-centric Acolyte series, set approximately 100 years before The Phantom Menace and costing $187m (£140m) to making, earned generally favourable reviews from critics, comparing it to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and calling it "bold," "fun", and a "breath of fresh air".
以女性为中心的剧集《侍者》故事设定在《幽灵的威胁》大约100年前，制作成本为1.87亿美元（1.4亿英镑），总体上获得了评论界的好评，有人将其与《卧虎藏龙》相比，并称它“大胆”、“有趣”，是“一股新鲜空气”。
However, it was cancelled due to low viewership, according to Lucasfilm, while actress Amandla Stenberg publicly called out the "intolerable racism" she said she'd been subject to in the wake of starring in the show.
然而，据卢卡斯影业称，该剧因收视率低而被取消；与此同时，主演阿曼德拉·斯坦伯格公开谴责她所说的自己在出演该剧后遭遇的“令人无法容忍的种族主义”。
"Had it been given more time and resource, maybe it would have been more successful," says Harrison.
哈里森说：“如果给它更多时间和资源，也许它会更成功。”
"If it wasn't part of this huge glut of other shows that you're somehow meant to keep up with."
“如果它不是夹在这一大堆你不知为何被要求跟上的其他剧集之中就好了。”
Then there was Obi-Wan Kenobi's solo series which was an enjoyable enough return for Ewan McGregor's Jedi Knight.
此外还有欧比旺·克诺比的个人剧集，伊万·麦格雷戈饰演的这位绝地武士回归得还算令人愉快。
But also one that was indicative of post-George Lucas Star Wars, wrote The Guardian's Stuart Heritage, which "exists almost exclusively to bulk out thin gruel, joining various dots that didn’t need to be joined, for the delight of a quickly ageing fanbase."
但《卫报》的斯图尔特·赫里蒂奇写道，这也体现了乔治·卢卡斯之后的《星球大战》：它“几乎完全是为了把稀薄的内容硬撑起来，把各种本不需要连接的点连在一起，以取悦一群迅速老去的粉丝”。
As if pre-empting concerns about its comprehensibility beyond the hardcore following, however, Favreau has promised that The Mandalorian & Grogu does not "diminish the experience of watching it as a standalone" for filmgoers who aren't as familiar with the backstory.
不过，仿佛是在预先回应核心粉丝之外的观众对影片是否容易看懂的担忧，法夫罗承诺，对于不太熟悉背景故事的影迷来说，《曼达洛人与格罗古》并不会“削弱把它作为独立作品观看的体验”。
He told SFX magazine that while he had completed the scripts for a fourth season of The Mandalorian in February 2023, they had to "start from scratch" to pen the 132-minute movie: "You can't just taken those scripts and turn them into a movie.
他告诉《SFX》杂志，虽然他在2023年2月已经完成了《曼达洛人》第四季的剧本，但他们不得不“从头开始”来撰写这部132分钟电影的剧本：“你不能只是把那些剧本拿来改成一部电影。
There were a lot of characters; it assumed you'd watched the whole show.
里面有很多角色；它默认你已经看完整部剧。
This is a completely different medium… but there's still a lot of Star Wars in there."
这是一种完全不同的媒介……但其中仍然有大量《星球大战》的元素。
In its favour, too, the film cost approximately $165m (£123m) to make – the smallest amount spent on any big-screen Star Wars instalment, which certainly puts its box-office prediction in a healthier light.
对它有利的是，这部电影制作成本约为1.65亿美元（1.23亿英镑），是所有院线《星球大战》作品中花费最低的一部，这当然让它的票房预测显得更乐观。
Lucasfilm managed to keep costs low by shooting entirely in California rather than the far-flung locations used on previous, very expensive Star Wars films.
卢卡斯影业通过全程在加利福尼亚拍摄，而不是前往以往那些成本高昂的《星球大战》电影所使用的偏远取景地，成功控制了成本。
It did this by deploying The Volume, a technology developed and owned by the Disney company, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), and first used on The Mandalorian season 1 before being used across multiple Star Wars TV shows.
它通过采用 The Volume 实现了这一点；这项技术由迪士尼旗下公司工业光魔（ILM）开发并拥有，最早用于《曼达洛人》第一季，之后又被用于多部《星球大战》电视剧。
It utilises a 270-degree wall of LED screens projecting photorealistic backdrops for actors to perform in front of.
它利用一面270度环绕的LED屏幕墙，投射出照片级逼真的背景，供演员在其前方表演。
However, while more cost-effective, Harrison says the digital method might hinder the film's appeal.
不过，哈里森说，尽管这种数字方法更节省成本，却可能削弱影片的吸引力。
"People have tended not to get so on board with that virtual production approach," she says, pointing to the backlash against the "cartoonish" CGI of the prequel trilogy.
她说：“人们往往不太接受那种虚拟制作方式。”她还提到，前传三部曲中“卡通化”的电脑特效曾遭到强烈反弹。
"With the legacy sequels, they went back to narratives of authenticity, practically making things and going to locations, so this shift back into the digital space suggests there's very little at stake for Disney here."
“在后传三部曲中，他们重新回到了强调真实感的叙事，实际制作道具并前往实地取景，所以这次转回数字空间，说明迪士尼在这里押上的筹码很少。”
Fans have increasingly shared their concerns about the technology, arguing that the shows that have used The Volume appear stifled by it – Andor, notably, is the only one that didn't.
粉丝们越来越多地表达对这项技术的担忧，认为使用“Volume”虚拟摄影棚的剧集似乎都受到了它的束缚；值得注意的是，《安多》是唯一没有使用它的剧集。
"It just feels very bland and empty," said one fan, while another complained.
一位粉丝说：“它只是感觉非常平淡、空洞，”另一位则抱怨道。
"It often makes the sets looking minuscule, prevents movement."
“它常常让布景显得很小，也限制了动作调度。”
As Star Wars tries now to reclaim its cinematic standing, it's clear The Mandalorian & Grogu may not have been the best title to come out of the blocks with.
如今《星球大战》试图重新夺回其电影地位，但很明显，《曼达洛人与古古》或许并不是最适合作为起步之作的片名。
The first trailer was released last September, with further footage shown to fans and influencers after May 4th, the unofficial "Star Wars day", which has generally inspired positive reactions.
首支预告片于去年九月发布，在非官方的“星球大战日”5月4日之后，又有更多片段展示给粉丝和网红观看，总体上引发了积极反响。
But Lucasfilm hasn't quite convinced early viewers that, as a spin-off from a TV show, the film qualifies as the kind of "event cinema" that is expected from summer blockbusters.
但卢卡斯影业尚未完全说服早期观众相信，这部由电视剧衍生而来的电影够得上暑期大片应有的那种“事件级电影”。
"The 25 minutes felt like a first episode of a new season," wrote one fan, while another commented: "I wouldn’t say I didn’t like it, but something felt off when the opening credits rolled, it didn’t quite feel like a Star Wars movie.
一位粉丝写道：“这25分钟感觉像是新一季的第一集，”另一位评论说：“我不会说我不喜欢它，但片头字幕一出现时就觉得有些不对劲，它不太像一部《星球大战》电影。
It came across more like a streaming TV film than a big-screen experience."
它给人的感觉更像是一部流媒体电视电影，而不是大银幕体验。”
In today's increasingly challenged cinema landscape, Loughrey believes you need a "hook" more than ever to make a film seems essential for people to leave the house to see it.
洛赫里认为，在当今日益艰难的电影市场环境中，一部电影比以往任何时候都更需要一个“卖点”，才能让人觉得有必要出门去看。
Yet with The Mandalorian & Grogu, she says, "there doesn't appear to be an epic battle happening or tons of characters teaming up, so it seems like a very low-stakes adventure."
然而她说，对于《曼达洛人与格罗古》，“看起来不会有史诗大战，也不会有大批角色联手，所以它似乎是一场风险很低的冒险”。
Loughrey instead points to the next planned Star Wars film, Starfighter, due for release in May 2027 and starring Ryan Gosling, as the great new hope for the franchise.
洛赫里反而把目光投向下一部计划中的《星球大战》电影《星际战机》，该片定于2027年5月上映，由瑞恩·高斯林主演；她认为这才是这个系列的重大新希望。
Its director, Shawn Levy, has confirmed that it will explore an untouched "period of time in the galaxy" where they are "inventing everything in the movie" and not relying on legacy characters to tap into fan nostalgia.
该片导演肖恩·利维已经确认，影片将探索银河系中一段尚未被触及的“时间时期”，他们将在片中“创造一切”，而不是依靠老角色来唤起粉丝怀旧。
"Starfighter is coming out of the gate with an original story and a major A-lister attached to it," Loughrey says.
洛赫里说：“《星际战机》一出场就带着原创故事，还有一位一线大牌明星加盟。”
"It feels like the first chapter [of something new]; I don't know what they'll do with it afterwards, but that feels like a confident first step."
“它感觉像是某种新事物的第一章；我不知道他们之后会怎么发展，但这感觉像是自信迈出的第一步。”
Certainly, despite the knocks the Star Wars Universe has taken, Lucasfilm isn't showing any signs of slowing down its growth.
当然，尽管《星球大战》宇宙遭受了不少打击，卢卡斯影业并没有表现出任何放缓扩张的迹象。
Among other things, Filoni will be directing his first live-action film, which will conclude the interconnected storylines of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and The Book of Boba Fett.
其中一项安排是，菲洛尼将执导他的第一部真人电影，这部片将为《曼达洛人》《阿索卡》和《波巴·费特之书》之间相互关联的故事线画上句号。
Screenwriter and filmmaker Simon Kinberg is developing a new trilogy, and Daisy Ridley will return as Rey in a post-Rise of Skywalker outing directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy – the first woman and person of colour to direct a Star Wars film.
编剧兼电影人西蒙·金伯格正在开发一套新的三部曲，而黛西·雷德利将在一部设定于《天行者崛起》之后的作品中回归饰演蕾伊；该片由沙尔明·奥贝德-奇诺伊执导，她将成为首位执导《星球大战》电影的女性和有色人种导演。
Interestingly, though, while Aksoka season two is currently in production, no other live-action series has been confirmed.
不过有意思的是，虽然《阿索卡》第二季目前正在制作中，但尚未确认还有其他真人剧集。
• The Bruce Willis flop that became a cult Classics'
• 那部由布鲁斯·威利斯出演、票房失利却成为邪典经典的影片
Under the creative leadership of Filoni, Lucasfilm will be looking to return Star Wars to its cinematic greatness, and The Mandalorian & Grogu will be its first test – but is this new trajectory going to instil new hope in its fans and moviegoers alike?
在费洛尼的创作领导下，卢卡斯影业将力图让《星球大战》重回电影领域的辉煌，而《曼达洛人与格罗古》将是它的第一场考验——但这条新路线能否给粉丝和电影观众同样注入新的希望？
"If it does better than expected, we might see more of the Mandalorian and Grogu," says Harrison.
哈里森说：“如果它的表现好于预期，我们可能会看到更多曼达洛人和古古的内容。”
"If not, it's not going to be franchise-ending for them.
“如果不是，对他们来说也不会终结这个系列。”
My feeling is that they're throwing stuff out and seeing what sticks.
我的感觉是，他们只是在不断抛出各种东西，看看哪些能奏效。
They have such enormous economic resources to draw from that they can afford some losses."
他们拥有如此庞大的经济资源可以调用，因此承受得起一些损失。”
Both Harrison and Loughrey agree that Lucasfilm might benefit from reducing speed and giving filmmakers more freedom to be "artistically daring" on a smaller budget.
哈里森和洛夫里都认为，卢卡斯影业或许可以通过放慢节奏，并在较小预算下给予电影创作者更多“艺术冒险”的自由而受益。
"There's been a lack of a distinct point of view, so let a Tony Gilroy type do what they want and have a strong artistic vision," Loughrey says.
洛赫里说：“一直以来缺少鲜明的视角，所以应该让托尼·吉尔罗伊这类人按自己的想法去做，并拿出强烈的艺术愿景。”
"Maybe it won't make a ton of money at the box office, but Star Wars would be cool again."
“也许它不会在票房上赚很多钱，但《星球大战》会重新变酷。”
Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu is released in US and UK cinemas on 22 May.
《星球大战：曼达洛人与古古》将于 5 月 22 日在美国和英国影院上映。
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