Lucasfilm’s first Star Wars theatrical release in nearly seven years helped fuel a strong Memorial Day box office weekend
The Star Wars franchise made its long-awaited theatrical return with The Mandalorian and Grogu this weekend, opening to $82 million and earning an estimated $102 million through the Memorial Day holiday frame after nearly seven years away from the big screen.
The Mandalorian and Grogu marks the franchise’s first theatrical release in nearly seven years.
The story continues after the third season of Disney+’s The Mandalorian and follows Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin alongside Grogu as they travel through a galaxy recovering from the fall of the Empire.
The debut met expectations, though analysts remain divided over whether the numbers are truly impressive for one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises. While crossing $100 million is increasingly difficult in the post-pandemic box office era, the film also marks the weakest opening for a Disney-era Star Wars movie.
Previously, that title belonged to 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, which opened to $84 million over the weekend and $103 million during Memorial Day. However, Solo suffered from weak reviews and poor audience response, eventually becoming the first Star Wars movie to lose money theatrically.
The Mandalorian and Grogu appear to be in a stronger position. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film reportedly cost $165 million, far less than many recent franchise blockbusters. It has earned positive reactions from audiences, including an “A-” CinemaScore grade. By comparison, 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker received a “B+.”
Audience data suggests the movie strongly appealed to longtime fans. Opening weekend crowds were 63% male, while 75% of viewers were older than 25. Analysts say the film’s second weekend will reveal whether it can expand beyond dedicated Star Wars audiences and attract more families and casual moviegoers. Internationally, the film earned $64 million, bringing its global total to $165 million through the four-day holiday frame.
“For all of its originality and fame, ‘Star Wars’ has never been especially strong overseas,” said David A. Gross, publisher of the box office newsletter FranchiseRe.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is the franchise’s first theatrical release since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concluded the nine-film Skywalker saga in 2019. Since then, Lucasfilm has focused heavily on Disney+ series, including The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, Andor, and Skeleton Crew.
Lucasfilm is already preparing its next theatrical release, Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, which is scheduled to debut during Memorial Day weekend in 2027.
“For ‘Star Wars’ not to be hurt in any obvious way by its long detour onto streaming is good news for the franchise,” Gross added.
Elsewhere at the box office, Focus Features’ horror hit Obsession continued its surprising success. After opening to $16 million, the R-rated thriller earned another $22 million in its second weekend and an estimated $28.2 million through Monday, marking a rare increase from its debut weekend.
Directed by YouTube creator Curry Barker, the film has now earned $58.5 million domestically and $74 million worldwide.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic Michael continued its strong theatrical run. In its fifth weekend, the film added $25.7 million through Monday, pushing its global total to $788 million. The movie is expected to surpass Bohemian Rhapsody as the highest-grossing musical biopic ever.
Disney’s The Devil Wears Prada 2 also remained strong with $16.5 million through Monday, while Amazon MGM’s The Sheep Detectives held onto fifth place.
Overall, Memorial Day weekend generated roughly $221 million across all films, signaling healthy momentum heading into the summer movie season.
Tags: star wars, the mandalorian and grogu, box office, lucasfilm, memorial day weekend
