The Mandalorian and Grogu may have blasted into first place at the box office – but its launch was far, far away from impressive, having the lowest opening weekend for a Star Wars film since Disney took over the franchise.
The film, which stars Pedro Pascal as the titular helmeted warrior who travels the galaxy with a tiny companion better known as “Baby Yoda”, made $102m at the domestic box office (US and Canada) over the US’s four-day Memorial day weekend, contributing to a total $165m global box office.
But despite serving as the next instalment in Disney’s popular streaming series The Mandalorian, The Mandalorian and Grogu failed to match the opening weekend of even Disney’s lowest-grossing Star Wars film, 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Solo also opened on the Memorial day weekend back in 2018 and took a disappointing $103m at the domestic box office – the equivalent of $136.6m in 2026 when adjusted for inflation. Solo made $171m globally in its opening weekend – higher than The Mandalorian and Grogu’s $165m global takings, even before adjusting for inflation ($226.8m).
Solo ended up making $392.9m at the global box office, but it was considered the first Star Wars flop due to its enormous $275m budget. The Mandalorian and Grogu, by comparison, may still be a success with its far more modest budget of $165m – but its opening weekend pales next to those of Disney’s other Star Wars films, including the 2016 spin-off Rogue One.
The Mandalorian and Grogu’s box office takings are “not on the level of the primary Star Wars films,” industry analyst David Gross told Agence France-Presse.
“But these are big numbers and this is how spin-offs perform,” he added. “The movie is a piece of the story, and it’s earning a piece of the business.”
It is a possible sign of continuing Star Wars fatigue. The Mandalorian and Grogu is the first Star Wars film to be released in cinemas since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, when Disney executives put a hold on releasing new Star Wars movies after concluding they had released too many too quickly.
Hollywood trades reported that Disney believes the film will hold up at the box office over coming weekends due to positive audience scores, and despite a muted critic response. The Hollywood Reporter said Disney was hoping the film would drive viewers to other Disney products such as merchandise, its theme parks and Disney+; The Mandalorian is the most-watched original series on Disney+, while more than 13m Grogu toys have been sold since the show debuted in 2019.
Star Wars debuted in 1977 and is one of the highest-grossing movie franchises of all time with more than $10bn in global ticket sales.
Disney bought the franchise from creator George Lucas in 2012. It has focused on launching Star Wars shows on Disney+, where The Mandalorian and Andor have won both acclaim and high audiences. However shows such as The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Acolyte have failed to make much of a dent.
The next Star Wars film, Star Wars: Starfighter, which will star Ryan Gosling, is set to hit cinemas in May 2027.
