After an absence of nearly seven years from theaters, a new Star Wars movie, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, attracted substantial but not record-setting audiences globally this weekend. Studio estimates reported on Sunday reveal that the film generated $82 million from 4,300 theaters across the U.S. and Canada. By the conclusion of Memorial Day, its domestic earnings are expected to reach $102 million, with global earnings hitting $165 million.
The film’s opening weekend surpassed expectations for this continuation of the Disney+ spinoff series, The Mandalorian. Despite these figures, it remains among the lower-performing Star Wars releases under Disney, similar to Solo: A Star Wars Story, which earned $103 million over the four-day Memorial Day period in 2018. While Solo faced significant criticism, the financial outlook for The Mandalorian and Grogu differs mainly due to its production budget. Unlike Solo, which cost around $300 million, this film was created for approximately $165 million, excluding marketing and promotional expenditures. This budget level increases its chances of turning a profit, particularly given the positive audience feedback.
Critical reception varied, with the movie holding a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this, general ticket buyers awarded it an A- CinemaScore, and particular enthusiasm was seen among boys under 13, who gave it an A CinemaScore and a perfect score on PostTrak. Parents also rated it highly, awarding it a five out of five.
Directed by Jon Favreau, the movie stars Pedro Pascal as the titular bounty hunter, joined by his small green companion, as they embark on a mission to rescue Rotta the Hutt, Jabba’s son, voiced by Jeremy Allen White.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu faces unique evaluation criteria due to its origins as a series and its eventual transition to Disney+. When the last Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker, was released in December 2019, Disney+ was new to the market.
The Star Wars franchise is experiencing a shift under new leadership, including Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan. Earlier this year, it was announced that Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, would resign after 13 years. This raises questions about audience interest possibly waning for Star Wars on the big screen. Whether Star Wars: Starfighter, featuring Ryan Gosling, will reignite interest remains to be seen. Until then, studios hope strong audience reactions and exit scores will lead to increased interest through word-of-mouth.
“The moviegoers rule,” stated Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore. “Considering the audience reaction and scores from both parents and kids, the film is in for a lengthy run.”
Positive word-of-mouth also benefited Curry Barker’s Obsession, a relationship horror film, which managed to increase its earnings by 30% in its second weekend. This film, distributed by Focus Features, earned $22.4 million from 2,655 theaters and is expected to rake in $28.2 million by Monday’s end, achieving a total of $58.5 million. It secured the second spot in the box office, while Michael took third place with $20 million.
Obsession outperformed Paramount Pictures’ horror release, Passenger, featuring Melissa Leo, which grossed an estimated $8.7 million from 2,534 locations. It’s projected to earn $10.5 million over the extended weekend. Critically, Passenger received poor reviews with a 44% Rotten Tomatoes score and a B- CinemaScore.
Another release, Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters, a surreal social satire with Keke Palmer and Demi Moore, debuted to $3.7 million.
The movie selection this Memorial Day weekend didn’t match the previous year’s strong lineup, led by Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. This year’s four-day box office is anticipated to total around $211 million, indicating a 36% drop from last year’s $330 million. However, it remains a considerable improvement from the 2024 Memorial Day weekend, marking a 30-year low with the opening of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office
Based on final domestic figures expected Tuesday, the following list shows estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, $82 million.
- Obsession, $22.4 million.
- Michael, $20 million.
- The Devil Wears Prada 2, $12.6 million.
- The Sheep Detectives, $9 million.
- Passenger, $8.7 million.
- Mortal Kombat II, $6.2 million.
- I Love Boosters, $3.7 million.
- The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, $3.2 million.
- Project Hail Mary, $2.7 million.