The Mandalorian and Grogu has lowest box office opening for a Star Wars film in Disney era | Star Wars
The Mandalorian and Grogu may have taken first place at the box office, but its launch was far from impressive, and it had the lowest opening weekend for a Star Wars movie since Disney took over the franchise.
The film, which stars Pedro Pascal as the helmeted warrior who travels the galaxy with a little friend better known as “Baby Yoda,” earned $102 million at the domestic box office (North America and Canada) over the four-day U.S. Memorial Day weekend, contributing to a global box office total of $165 million.
But despite being the next installment of Disney’s hit streaming series The Mandalorian, The Mandalorian and Grogu couldn’t match the opening weekend of even Disney’s lowest-grossing Star Wars film, 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Solo also opened on Memorial Day weekend in 2018 and took in a disappointing $103 million at the domestic box office; this was equivalent to $136.6 million in 2026 when adjusted for inflation. Solo earned $171 million worldwide in its opening weekend; That’s higher than The Mandalorian and Grogu’s global earnings of $165 million, even before adjusting for inflation ($226.8 million).
Solo earned $392.9 million at the global box office but was considered the first Star Wars flop due to its massive $275 million budget. By comparison, The Mandalorian and Grogu could still succeed with its much more modest budget of $165 million; but its opening weekend pales in comparison to Disney’s other Star Wars films, including the 2016 spinoff Rogue One.
Industry analyst David Gross told Agence France-Presse that box office returns for The Mandalorian and Grogu “are not at the level of the primary Star Wars films.”
“But these are big numbers, and that’s how the spin-offs are performing,” he added. “The movie is part of the story and earns part of the business.”
This is a possible sign of ongoing Star Wars fatigue. The Mandalorian and Grogu are the first Star Wars movies to hit theaters since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, when Disney executives delayed releasing new Star Wars movies after deciding they were releasing too many movies too quickly.
Hollywood insiders report that Disney believes the film will do well at the box office next weekend, despite positive audience ratings and muted response from critics. The Hollywood Reporter said Disney hoped the film would attract audiences to other Disney products such as merchandise, theme parks, and Disney+; While The Mandalorian is the most watched original series on Disney +, more than 13 million Grogu toys have been sold since the series was first broadcast in 2019.
Star Wars was released in 1977 and is one of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time, with worldwide ticket sales exceeding $10 billion.
Disney purchased the franchise from creator George Lucas in 2012. He has focused on launching Star Wars shows on Disney+, where The Mandalorian and Andor have both earned acclaim and high viewership. However, series like The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and The Acolyte failed to make much of an impact.
The next Star Wars movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, will be released in theaters in May 2027.
