The Mandalorian and Grogu

The Mandalorian and Grogu Helping Disney Pass $3B Makes the Box Office Story Messier

The Mandalorian and Grogu in front of a glowing $3 billion sign in a cinematic box office-themed header image.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is not the box office story some people wanted it to be. It is not a billion-dollar monster. It is not The Force Awakens. It is not Star Wars marching back into theaters, kicking down the door, and demanding every other franchise kneel before the mouse-shaped empire. But it is also not nothing. According to Deadline, Disney has become the first studio in 2026 to cross $3 billion at the worldwide box office. The Mandalorian and Grogu has contributed more than $323 million to that total so far. That number makes the conversation around the film a lot messier. Because if you only wanted a clean “Star Wars is back” narrative, this is not it. If you only wanted a clean “Star Wars is doomed” narrative, this is not that either. The Mandalorian and Grogu Was Never Going to Be a Normal Star Wars Release Part…

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Disney’s Star Wars Food-Truck Droids Are Exactly the Kind of Park Chaos Galaxy’s Edge Needs

Hovering Star Wars food cart droid in a Galaxy’s Edge-style marketplace with title text about Disney’s food-truck droids.

Galaxy’s Edge was supposed to feel alive. Not just “nice rockwork and a long line for blue milk” alive. Actually alive. Droids moving around. Ships rumbling overhead. Strange creatures making bad decisions in corners. A spaceport where the background noise feels like it has its own side quest. So when a new report says Disney is exploring Star Wars-themed food carts with hovering droid-like robots, the only correct reaction is: yes. Obviously. More of that, please. According to Bloomberg’s report on Disney’s next wave of park technology, Walt Disney Imagineering is working on several new robotic concepts for the parks, including aquatic performers and Star Wars-themed droid-like food carts. WDW News Today notes that the hovering food cart droid concept is inspired by a food truck from The Mandalorian and Grogu and could eventually appear in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. That is such a small idea. It is also exactly…

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The Mandalorian and Grogu Is Quietly Holding Better Than the Box Office Doom Suggested

The Mandalorian and Grogu header image with Din Djarin and Grogu, highlighting the film’s stronger box office hold and path toward $325 million worldwide.

The Mandalorian and Grogu may not have opened like a galactic superweapon. But five weekends in, the story is getting more interesting. The film dropped just 13% at the US box office in its fifth weekend, adding $4,174,039 domestically. That brings its US total to $172,039,029, with its global total now sitting at $322,039,029. No, that is not The Force Awakens money. No, nobody is confusing this with a billion-dollar Star Wars event. But after weeks of very loud “is theatrical Star Wars in trouble?” chatter, this hold is worth noticing. Because the movie did not collapse. It is still hanging around. And that matters. The Opening Was Soft. The Legs Are the Story Now. When The Mandalorian and Grogu opened, a lot of the conversation focused on what it was not. It was not a massive Disney-era Star Wars opening. It was not a cultural earthquake. It was not…

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The Mandalorian and Grogu Just Crossed $315 Million, and Star Wars Finally Escaped Solo’s Shadow

The Mandalorian and Grogu in a cinematic Star Wars header image for an article about the film crossing $315 million at the global box office.

For years, theatrical Star Wars has been haunted by one name. Not Palpatine. Not Snoke. Not “somehow.” Solo. Ever since Solo: A Star Wars Story underperformed in 2018, every conversation about Star Wars returning to theaters has carried the same nervous question: can this franchise still work on the big screen without being a billion-dollar Skywalker Saga event? The Mandalorian and Grogu may have finally given Lucasfilm the answer. No, it is not the biggest Star Wars movie ever. No, it is not pulling The Force Awakens numbers. But according to Box Office Mojo, the film has crossed $315 million worldwide and currently sits as the 7th highest-grossing movie of 2026. That matters. This Is Not a Flop Story Anymore The online box office debate around The Mandalorian and Grogu has been weird from the start. Some wanted it to be a disaster. Some wanted it to be a triumphant…

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The Mandalorian & Grogu’s Box Office Problem Is Bigger Than One Weekend

The Mandalorian and Grogu in a cinematic header image about the Star Wars box office problem Disney now faces.

For years, Star Wars fans asked the same question: when is Star Wars finally coming back to theaters? Now that The Mandalorian & Grogu is here, the more awkward question is starting to creep in: Did everyone actually rush to see it? This is not a clean “Star Wars is dead” story, no matter how much the internet enjoys putting a tiny helmet on bad news. The movie opened well. Grogu is still adorable. Din Djarin is still cool. The Star Wars name still matters. But momentum matters too. And right now, The Mandalorian & Grogu feels less like a victory lap and more like Lucasfilm getting a polite tap on the shoulder. The Mandalorian & Grogu Is Not a Flop, But It Is Fading Fast According to The Numbers, The Mandalorian & Grogu opened domestically with $81.6 million. For most movies, that is great. For Star Wars, it comes…

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The Mandalorian and Grogu Is Expected to Hit Disney+ This Year

The Mandalorian and Grogu artwork featuring Din Djarin and Grogu, used for an article about the movie expected to arrive on Disney+ later this year.

Din Djarin and Grogu may be heading back to where their modern Star Wars story began: Disney+. After its theatrical run, The Mandalorian and Grogu is now expected to arrive on Disney+ later this year, according to comments from Disney+ EMEA chief Karl Holmes reported by The Hollywood Reporter. There is no exact streaming date yet. No official “mark your calendar” announcement. No cute Grogu countdown button. But the message is clear enough: the movie is part of Disney+’s 2026 film pipeline. From Streaming Hit to Big-Screen Star Wars That is a neat little full-circle moment. The Mandalorian helped define Disney+ when the service launched in 2019. Grogu became a global pop culture gremlin almost overnight, Din Djarin became one of modern Star Wars’ most recognizable leads, and the series proved that Star Wars could work as premium streaming television. Then Lucasfilm did something bigger. Instead of simply making a…

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SWTOR Update 7.9 Adds Mandalorian and Grogu-Inspired Cartel Market Items

This armor set comes with two chestpieces, one with the backpack and the other without

SWTOR is leaning straight into the Mandalorian and Grogu hype with Game Update 7.9, Legacy Reborn. Broadsword has revealed the next batch of Cartel Market additions, and the headline is clear: new items inspired by Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu are coming to Star Wars: The Old Republic. The official Cartel Market Additions: Game Update 7.9 post confirms several new cosmetic items tied to the film, alongside weapons connected to the new Legacy Reborn story. In other words, SWTOR is doing what SWTOR does best: taking the wider Star Wars moment and turning it into fashion, weapons, and very serious outfit planning. The Tundra Enforcer Armor Set Leads the Drop The main film-inspired armor addition is the Tundra Enforcer Armor Set. The set comes with two chestpieces, one with a backpack and one without, which is exactly the kind of small customization detail SWTOR players notice immediately. Half the…

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Grogu Was Number Two on the Mandalorian Movie Call Sheet

Grogu sits with a bowl of snacks in a still from The Mandalorian, tied to news that he was listed as number two on the call sheet for The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Grogu may be small enough to fit in a floating pram, but on the set of The Mandalorian and Grogu, he was apparently treated like a proper movie star. According to Variety’s feature on how Grogu was brought to life, the character was listed as number two on the film’s call sheet. Yes, right behind the title character territory. Yes, for the tiny green chaos child. And honestly? Fair. At this point, Grogu is not just a cute sidekick. He is one of the central reasons The Mandalorian became a cultural phenomenon in the first place. Grogu Is Not Just a Prop The funny thing about Grogu is that he could easily have been treated like an effect. A puppet. A digital creature. A merchandising miracle with ears. Instead, Lucasfilm has spent years treating him like an actual character, and the call sheet detail says a lot about that approach….

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Dave Filoni Says Star Wars Crossovers Need a Reason

Ahsoka Tano stands beside Din Djarin in a still image tied to Dave Filoni’s comments about Star Wars crossovers.

Star Wars has become very good at making audiences look over every shoulder for the next familiar face. Ahsoka might appear. Thrawn might be lurking. Zeb could walk in. Someone from animation might suddenly become very expensive in live action. The galaxy is connected, and viewers know it. But Dave Filoni is making one thing clear: Star Wars should not become a cameo delivery system. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly about The Mandalorian and Grogu, Filoni said writing Star Wars projects “is not always about character crossovers.” Instead, he said, “It’s about the characters and what they’re experiencing.” That may sound simple, but for modern Star Wars, it is a pretty important line in the sand. Not Every Story Needs Ahsoka and Thrawn The comment comes as Jon Favreau and Filoni discuss why Ahsoka Tano and Grand Admiral Thrawn do not appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu. On paper, fans could…

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Mando’s Helmet Was Hiding More Emotion Than We Thought

Din Djarin in Mandalorian armor with headline about hidden emotion behind Mando’s helmet performance

Spoilers for The Mandalorian and Grogu below. Din Djarin’s helmet has always been the point. It hides the face, flattens the expression, and forces The Mandalorian to do something Star Wars has always loved: make emotion visible through posture, silence, timing, and one extremely expensive suit of armor. But apparently, the helmet was hiding more than we realized. In a new Entertainment Weekly interview, Brendan Wayne, who physically portrays Mando in the armor, said he had “tears coming out of the helmet” while filming one of The Mandalorian and Grogu’s biggest emotional moments. That is not just a nice behind-the-scenes anecdote. It is a reminder that Din Djarin is not only a voice, a suit, or a helmet. He is a performance built from all three. The Body Behind the Beskar Pedro Pascal is the name on the poster, and rightly so. His voice gives Din Djarin that tired, controlled,…

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StarWars.com’s Yoda or Grogu Quiz Hits Differently After Tom Kane

Grogu seen in silhouette inside a tunnel with headline text about StarWars.com’s Yoda or Grogu quiz and Tom Kane.

Normally, a StarWars.com quiz asking whether a line or clue belongs to Yoda or Grogu would just be cute franchise fluff. This week, it lands a little differently. The official site has released a new “Quiz: Is it Yoda or Grogu?”, challenging fans to tell the difference between the two small green Force legends. The setup is light, simple, and very on-brand: Yoda and Grogu may look similar and share certain traits, but each has a personality of his own. That is true. It is also hard not to think about Tom Kane while reading it. Yoda’s Voice Still Echoes Kane, who sadly passed away at 64, gave animated Yoda one of his most familiar modern voices. For many Star Wars fans, especially those raised on The Clone Wars, his performance became part of how Yoda sounded outside the films. That matters because Yoda is not just a character design….

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The Mandalorian and Grogu Reviews Are Already Split

The Mandalorian and Grogu review-score header image showing a 60% critic score and headline text about the movie’s reviews being split.

The Mandalorian and Grogu was supposed to be Star Wars’ cleanest route back to theaters. Early reviews suggest the landing may be bumpier than Lucasfilm hoped. As reviews began rolling in, the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score hovered around the danger zone — initially circulating around 58%, then moving into the low 60s as more critics were added. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the movie was sitting around 64% positive, just above the “Fresh” cutoff, while Radio Times reported 63% based on 68 reviews at the time of writing. So no, this is not a critical disaster. But it is definitely not the triumphant, everyone-agrees Star Wars comeback either. A Movie Sitting on the Fence The interesting part is not the exact percentage. Rotten Tomatoes scores move, especially on review day. The story is the split. Some critics seem to appreciate The Mandalorian and Grogu as a fun, straightforward Star Wars…

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The Mandalorian and Grogu Team Is Already Hoping for a Sequel

The Mandalorian beside woman with tablet and headline

The first Mandalorian and Grogu movie is not even safely through the airlock yet, and Sigourney Weaver is already talking like someone who would happily book another trip to the Outer Rim. In a new Total Film interview, reported by GamesRadar, Weaver says she would love to do more work with Pedro Pascal and Grogu after The Mandalorian and Grogu. She also suggests the team is “secretly” hoping the movie could lead to another adventure, potentially pushing the story deeper into the Outer Rim. That is not an official sequel announcement. But it is absolutely the kind of comment Lucasfilm watchers will put under glass and examine with tiny tweezers. The Outer Rim Is the Right Playground The Outer Rim has always been where The Mandalorian feels most comfortable. Dusty settlements, broken Imperial leftovers, desperate locals, criminals pretending they have a code, and one armored dad trying to solve problems…

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Jon Favreau Has Big Plans for Grogu After The Mandalorian and Grogu

Grogu holding Mandalorian armor with headline text about Jon Favreau having big plans for Grogu after The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Grogu is not just getting a movie. He may be getting a future. Jon Favreau has revealed that he has “a lot of plans” for Grogu creatively after The Mandalorian and Grogu, and the reason is very simple: this little green chaos child is not built for a one-movie arc. His species lives for centuries. His training is weird. His identity is split between two of Star Wars’ most myth-heavy traditions. In a new GamesRadar / Total Film interview, Favreau said Grogu is “on a path to be both a Jedi and a Mandalorian,” while also making choices and growing under a strong teacher. That is a very small sentence carrying a very large amount of future merchandise. And story. Mostly story. Grogu Is Built for the Long Game The most interesting part of Favreau’s comments is not just that he wants more Grogu stories. Of course he does. Lucasfilm…

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Dave Filoni Says Star Wars Has a Plan — Just Not a Spreadsheet

Man at Mandalorian and Grogu premiere backdrop

Dave Filoni is not promising a Star Wars assembly line. Good. We have enough factories in this galaxy already. In a new Collider interview, Filoni was asked about the future of Star Wars under his creative leadership, and his answer was less “here are 14 release dates and a logo wall” and more “there is an architecture, but the stories come first.” That may sound vague if you are looking for a Marvel-style phase chart. But for Star Wars, it is probably the healthier answer. The Future Is Being Architected Filoni said he is currently “looking at the stories and the potential” while planning what he would like to do. He also said he believes in having “an overarching idea” before figuring out how many projects fit into that shape. The key part is not just that Star Wars has a broader plan. It is that Filoni is trying to…

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Fortnite Is About to Become a Mando and Grogu Screening Room

Fortnite Star Wars promotional-style header showing a colorful Star Wars battle scene with text about The Mandalorian and Grogu Watch Party Island opening May 19.

Star Wars marketing has officially entered its “meet me in Fortnite for the movie preview” era. On May 19 at 10 a.m. ET, Fortnite players will be able to enter The Mandalorian and Grogu Watch Party Island, a Nevarro-inspired experience created by Fairview Portals and Beyond Creative. According to StarWars.com, the island will feature a special message from director Jon Favreau and an exclusive look at a 10-minute sneak peek of The Mandalorian and Grogu ahead of the film’s theatrical release on May 22, 2026. That is not just another skin drop. That is Star Wars using Fortnite as a digital lobby before the cinema doors open. Nevarro, Grogu, and a Very Modern Movie Preview The Watch Party Island is set on Nevarro, which makes sense. If The Mandalorian has a home base beyond “somewhere dangerous,” Nevarro is probably it. Players will be able to explore the location, step into…

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Pedro Pascal Just Joined a Very Small Star Wars Movie Club

Star Wars-style title card graphic showing Pedro Pascal alongside Mark Hamill, Ewan McGregor, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, and Alden Ehrenreich.

Pedro Pascal has worn the helmet, carried the show, protected the galaxy’s most powerful toddler, and somehow made “this is the Way” sound both cool and emotionally exhausted. Now he appears to have joined a much smaller Star Wars club: actors who receive top billing in a theatrical Star Wars movie. With The Mandalorian and Grogu heading to theaters, current promotional and cast listings place Pascal front and center as Din Djarin, alongside Grogu, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, and the rest of the film’s new big-screen lineup. That may sound like a tiny credit-order detail, but in Star Wars history, top billing is not exactly handed out like blue milk at a cantina. A Short List With Big Names The list of actors most commonly associated with top billing in theatrical Star Wars films is small and very heavy: Mark Hamill, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Harrison Ford, Felicity Jones,…

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Jon Favreau Almost Gave The Mandalorian Its Own Holiday Special

The Mandalorian, Grogu, Peli Motto, and R2-D2 in a festive Life Day-themed scene with headline text about Jon Favreau almost making a Mandalorian holiday special.

Somewhere in a better, weirder timeline, The Mandalorian got its own holiday special and Peli Motto was apparently essential to the operation. In a new ComicBook interview promoting The Mandalorian and Grogu, Jon Favreau revealed that he once kicked around the idea of doing a new Star Wars Holiday Special built around Din Djarin’s corner of the galaxy. And yes, he even dropped one beautifully specific detail: “I don’t know how you would do it without Peli Moto,” referring to Amy Sedaris’ gloriously chaotic Tatooine mechanic. Honestly? He may be right. This Was Apparently a Real Early Idea Favreau said the idea came up back in the first season, before The Mandalorian had even aired. He was also careful to cool expectations immediately, saying there are no plans for a live-action holiday special and that it was something they “jokingly talked about.” But this does not sound like a random…

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The Mandalorian and Grogu Premiere Makes Star Wars Feel Like a Movie Again

The Mandalorian and Grogu IMAX special look event poster for May the 4th

For the last several years, live-action Star Wars has mostly felt like something you watched at home while wondering if you still had time to squeeze in one more episode before bed. Now the red carpet is back. The Mandalorian and Grogu has held its Los Angeles premiere, with Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Ming-Na Wen, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and more turning up for the kind of glossy Hollywood rollout Star Wars has not had in a very long time. Page Six and Just Jared both covered the L.A. event, which turned the film’s final marketing stretch into something that looked less like another Disney+ chapter and more like a proper theatrical moment. And honestly, that matters. Star Wars Has Been Living on the Couch Since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, live-action Star Wars has mostly belonged to Disney+. That era gave us plenty: The Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan…

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Grogu’s Jedi Path Is Getting Weirder, and That’s Good

Small green alien on mossy forest log

Grogu is not becoming a normal Jedi. Thank the Force for that. The little green chaos goblin at the heart of The Mandalorian and Grogu may still meditate, use the Force, and make everyone in a ten-mile radius emotionally vulnerable. But Jon Favreau is making it increasingly clear that Grogu’s future is not simply “tiny Luke Skywalker, but with better ears.” In a new Total Film interview, reported by GamesRadar, Favreau says Grogu is “not on the typical Jedi path of a youngling,” even though he has trained with some remarkable teachers. That includes Luke Skywalker, his time at the Jedi Temple, and possibly Yoda before everything in the galaxy became Order 66-shaped misery. That matters because The Mandalorian and Grogu is not just about a kid with powers anymore. It is about what happens when a Force-sensitive child is raised outside the usual Jedi system — by a Mandalorian…

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The Mandalorian and Grogu Is Trying Not to Be Homework

Grogu riding with small Anzellan characters in a desert vehicle scene, used as the header image for an article about The Mandalorian and Grogu as a more standalone movie.

Star Wars is heading back to theaters, and Jon Favreau seems very aware of one dangerous trap: making the audience feel like they need to revise for an exam first. The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in cinemas on May 22, 2026, marking the franchise’s first big-screen release since The Rise of Skywalker. But while the movie grew out of plans for The Mandalorian Season 4, Favreau is now framing it as something more self-contained — a film that still fits the wider Mando-era story, but does not require every viewer to arrive carrying a Disney+ viewing spreadsheet. In a new Total Film interview, reported by GamesRadar, Favreau says Dave Filoni remains “closely in step” with the movie, even though the shift from streaming season to theatrical release changed the shape of the story. That distinction matters. A Movie Cannot Feel Like Episode 25 Television can be dense. It can reward…

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The Mandalorian & Grogu Had to Stop Being Season 4

The Mandalorian and Grogu article header image with title text about the Star Wars movie becoming more standalone than Season 4.

Jon Favreau may have just explained the most important creative choice behind The Mandalorian and Grogu. The upcoming Star Wars movie did not simply become “Season 4, but longer.” According to Favreau, the story originally tied more directly into what had come before — and what was still coming next — but the film had to become more self-contained so new viewers could actually walk into a theater without needing a Disney+ homework binder. Speaking with GamesRadar, Favreau said the movie still connects to the larger Mando-era story, but in a way that is more approachable for audiences who may not have followed every thread from The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka. That is not just smart. It is probably necessary. Star Wars Cannot Return to Theaters With Homework The Mandalorian and Grogu is not a normal Star Wars release. It is the franchise’s big theatrical return…

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The Mandalorian and Grogu Is Already Climbing Disney+ Before Theaters

Mandalorian and Grogu riding through snowy forest

The Mandalorian and Grogu is still weeks away from theaters, but Disney is already using its most powerful Star Wars machine to warm up the crowd: Disney+. A new streaming push around Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu — A Special Look is already showing traction on the platform. According to FlixPatrol’s Disney+ chart for May 8, the special ranked among the top TV titles globally, sitting behind only The Testaments and Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord that day. Both ScreenRant and Collider have also noted the special’s early Disney+ momentum ahead of the movie’s theatrical release. That is exactly what Disney wants. Disney+ Is the Hype Engine Now If you are not sleeping under a rock, you already know that The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters on May 22, 2026. That is what makes Disney+ pushing the Special Look so interesting: the platform that turned Din Djarin and…

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The Mandalorian and Grogu Is Getting a Prequel Comic — After the Movie

Mandalorian and Grogu in dark cave adventure poster

Din Djarin and Grogu are heading to comics, because apparently one tiny green merchandising empire was not enough. Mad Cave Studios and Papercutz, in collaboration with Lucasfilm Publishing, have announced Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu — Danger in the Dark, a new all-ages comic one-shot set just before the events of The Mandalorian and Grogu. The twist? The comic arrives on July 22, 2026 — roughly two months after the movie hits theaters. So yes, it is technically a prequel. It is also arriving after the thing it leads into. Star Wars timelines remain undefeated. Din, Grogu, and the Anzellans Go Underground According to Mad Cave’s official announcement, Danger in the Dark sends Din Djarin and Grogu beneath the surface of Nevarro, where a crashed pirate ship is causing trouble in the lava tubes under the city. They are joined by a group of Anzellan allies, which means the…

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