The Mandalorian and Grogu has set an unwanted record to become the Star Wars film with the lowest opening weekend box office in the sci-fi franchise’s history.
The film, from Iron Man director Jon Favreau, did actually top the box office charts.
However, as Variety reports, the film made just $82 million in the U.S., a touch below the $84 million banked by 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is predicted to make $102 million through the end of the holiday weekend on Monday. Solo, which also opened on a Memorial Day weekend, made $103 million in the equivalent timeframe.
Solo was the first Star Wars movie ever to lose money during its theatrical run, having cost around $300 million to make. By contrast, The Mandalorian and Grogu’s $165 million budget makes it the cheapest Star Wars film ever produced and means it is likely to break even and may turn a profit.
Internationally, The Mandalorian and Grogu grossed $64 million, giving it a total box office of $145 million over three days and putting it on course for $165 million over the four-day holiday window.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is a big-screen spin-off of the hit Mandalorian series, with Pedro Pascal’s masked bounty hunter teaming up with Grogu – aka Baby Yoda – to rescue Jabba the Hutt’s estranged son Rotta the Hutt, voiced by The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White.
It marks the first Star Wars feature to be directed by Favreau. He previously directed, wrote and produced episodes of The Mandalorian, as well as the limited series The Book of Boba Fett and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.
The Mandalorian and Grogu was handed a two-star review by The Independent critic Clarisse Loughrey, who wrote: “The Mandalorian and Grogu merely stitches together what is clearly three episodes of the previously planned fourth season of The Mandalorian and calls it a day. There’s not a whiff of effort here.”
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
The most impressive box office performance of the weekend belonged to horror movie Obsession, which pulled off the incredibly rare feat of posting box office results for its second weekend that were around 30% higher than its opening weekend.
YouTuber Curry Barker’s new film made $17.2 million when it debuted and $22 million this weekend.
The Independent’s Loughrey praised Obsession, awarding the film four stars and writing: “Obsession ultimately triumphs in how willing it is to make two monsters out of its cautionary tale.”
