Mandalorian and Grogu Opens to Solid but Mixed Box Office Results

The Story

The new Star Wars movie “The Mandalorian and Grogu” debuted over the Memorial Day weekend, marking the franchise’s return to theaters after nearly seven years. The film, based on the Disney+ series, earned an estimated $82 million to $98 million in domestic ticket sales over the extended holiday frame, according to two outlets. Its reported production budget is $165 million, significantly lower than the 2018 film “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Critics gave the movie mixed reviews, with Rotten Tomatoes scores in the low 60s. Both sources describe the opening as solid but not record-breaking. The film is expected to exceed $100 million domestically by the end of the holiday weekend.

Key Facts

• “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is the first Star Wars theatrical release in nearly seven years.
• The film is a continuation of the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian.”
• Its reported production budget is $165 million.
• This budget is lower than that of “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
• The movie received mixed reviews from critics, with Rotten Tomatoes scores in the low 60s (63% per abcnews.com, 62% per collider.com).
• The opening weekend was solid but not record-breaking.

Conflicting Reports

• Opening weekend revenue: abcnews.com reported $82 million for the three-day weekend and $102 million for the four-day Memorial Day frame. collider.com reported $98 million over the extended Memorial Day weekend.
• Critics score: abcnews.com reported 63% on Rotten Tomatoes; collider.com reported 62%.

Still Unclear

• Audience reception details (A- CinemaScore, boys under 13 giving an A, parents rating 5/5) are single-source claims from abcnews.com.
• Plot details (mission to save Jabba’s son Rotta voiced by Jeremy Allen White) are single-source from abcnews.com.
• Second weekend performance (70% drop, falling to number three) is a single-source claim from collider.com.
• Comparison to “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” and its $144 million domestic gross is single-source from collider.com.
• The film’s director (Jon Favreau) is mentioned only by abcnews.com.
• Kathleen Kennedy’s departure as Lucasfilm president is single-source from abcnews.com.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the sources.

Key Figures

Pedro Pascal (actor, the Mandalorian), Jeremy Allen White (voice of Rotta the Hutt), Jon Favreau (director), Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan (new Star Wars leadership), Kathleen Kennedy (former Lucasfilm president), Paul Dergarabedian (Comscore analyst)

Sources: abcnews.com, collider.com