First Star Wars Movie in Seven Years Recovers Budget on Opening Weekend

The Story

The first Star Wars film in nearly seven years, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” opened in theaters over Memorial Day weekend. The movie, a continuation of the Disney+ series, earned back its reported production budget through global ticket sales. Critics gave mixed reviews while audience scores were positive.

Key Facts

• “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is the first Star Wars movie released in theaters in nearly seven years.
• The film is a direct continuation of the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian.”
• The movie received mixed to polarizing reviews from critics, but audience scores were positive.
• Dave Filoni is the new president of Lucasfilm, succeeding Kathleen Kennedy who stepped down after 13 years.
• The film’s production budget was recovered through global ticket sales by the end of its opening weekend.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified across sources.

Still Unclear

• Exact box office figures: Source 1 (abcnews.com) reports the film grossed $82 million in the U.S. and Canada over three days, with projected four-day domestic total of $102 million and global total of $165 million. Source 2 (collider.com) does not provide specific numbers. (Single-source claim)
• Production budget: Source 1 states the budget was $165 million; Source 2 only refers to “its reported budget” without a figure. (Single-source claim)
• Audience and critic scores: Source 1 gives specific scores (63% on Rotten Tomatoes, A- CinemaScore); Source 2 describes reviews as “polarizing” but no numbers. (Single-source claim)
• Cast and director details (Jon Favreau directing, Pedro Pascal starring, Jeremy Allen White voicing Rotta) only provided by Source 1. (Single-source claim)
• Source 2 reports that “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” is among the top 10 most-watched movies on Disney Plus and that a new series “Maul – Shadow Lord” has been renewed for a second season. (Single-source claim)

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the sources.

Key Figures

Dave Filoni (new Lucasfilm president), Kathleen Kennedy (former Lucasfilm president, producer), Jon Favreau (director, Source 1), Pedro Pascal (actor, Source 1), Jeremy Allen White (voice actor, Source 1).

Sources: abcnews.com, collider.com