Photo Credit: Disney
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu just made a record no one at Disney wanted to break. The latest Star Wars film opened below every other Disney-era entry in the franchise, despite strong audience reception and massive theater counts.
The Mandalorian and Grogu box office starts strong despite mixed reviews
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu opened to an estimated $82 million over its three-day domestic weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. The Jon Favreau-directed film earned an A- CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences. Disney projects a four-day Memorial Day total between $97 million and $98 million.
The opening marks Disney’s lowest debut for a Star Wars film under its ownership. Solo: A Star Wars Story previously held that position with an $84.4 million three-day opening in 2018. Mandalorian and Grogu currently stands at approximately $165 million worldwide after its first four days.
Critics gave the film a 62% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences scored it higher at 89%. The movie played across 4,300 theaters with IMAX and premium formats accounting for 48% of ticket sales. Disney+ subscribers made up 68% of the film’s ticket buyers over opening weekend.
The PG-13 film carries a reported production budget of $165 million before marketing costs. Rival studios projected the film could reach $100 million over four days, but Disney maintained conservative estimates. Star Wars remains one of the top five annual toy sellers with over $1 billion in retail sales.
Previous Disney-era Star Wars domestic openings for comparison:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015): $247.9 million opening, $936.6 million domestic total, $2.07 billion worldwide
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016): $155.1 million opening, $533.5 million domestic total, $1.06 billion worldwide
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017): $220 million opening, $620.2 million domestic total, $1.33 billion worldwide
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018): $84.4 million opening, $213.8 million domestic total, $392.9 million worldwide
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019): $177.4 million opening, $515.2 million domestic total, $1.08 billion worldwide
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is now playing in theaters.
