After a nearly seven-year hiatus from the big screen, a new Star Wars movie, titled “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” succeeded in attracting a robust audience to theaters globally over the Memorial Day weekend. Studio estimates released on Sunday indicated that the film earned $82 million in ticket sales from 4,300 theaters across the U.S. and Canada. By the conclusion of the Memorial Day holiday, projections suggest a domestic total of $102 million and a global haul of approximately $165 million.
The box office performance surpassed initial expectations for the film, which serves as a continuation of the Disney+ spinoff series “The Mandalorian.” However, its earnings fall on the lower end of recent Disney-era Star Wars releases, finding itself more akin to “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which grossed $103 million during its four-day Memorial Day opening in 2018. Despite “Solo” being deemed a disappointment, the parameters for evaluating “The Mandalorian and Grogu” are seen as different.
While “Solo” was produced with a budget in the $300 million range, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” had a significantly lower production budget reported to be about $165 million, not including marketing and promotional expenses. This difference may enhance its path towards profitability, particularly when coupled with positive audience ratings. The film, which currently holds a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes among critics, received an A- CinemaScore from ticket-goers. Notably, young boys under 13 reacted particularly well, granting it an A CinemaScore and a perfect five rating on PostTrak, alongside parents who rated it five out of five as well.
Directed by Jon Favreau, “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” features Pedro Pascal as the titular bounty hunter, embarking on a mission to rescue Jabba the Hutt's son, Rotta, voiced by Jeremy Allen White. The movie's reception might also benefit from the streaming dynamics, attributed to its origins as a series, which will eventually enhance its value on Disney+, especially compared to the franchise's last theatrical release, “The Rise of Skywalker,” which premiered in December 2019.
The Star Wars franchise is currently experiencing a transformative phase under the new leadership of Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan. Earlier this year, it was announced that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, the producer of “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” would step down after 13 years in her role. The prevailing question within the industry is whether audience interest in Star Wars films on the big screen may have waned, and whether the approaching “Star Wars: Starfighter,” featuring Ryan Gosling, will clarify future trends. Until that time, strong audience feedback and exit scores are anticipated to generate positive word-of-mouth excitement in the following weeks.
Paul Dergarabedian, who heads marketplace trends for Comscore, remarked, “The moviegoers rule. I think given the audience reaction and the scores that are coming from parents and kids, this is going to be in it for the long haul.”
Word-of-mouth also contributed to the success of Curry Barker’s horror film “Obsession,” which defied standard box office trends, realizing a remarkable 30% increase in ticket sales and earning $22.4 million from 2,655 theaters in its second weekend. The studio, having acquired the micro-budget film for around $15 million, anticipates its total earnings will reach $28.2 million by the end of the holiday, bringing its cumulative total to $58.5 million, allowing it to secure the second position in the box office rankings.
Meanwhile, “Michael,” a biopic about Michael Jackson, landed in third place with $20 million, achieving a total of $782.4 million worldwide. “Obsession” outperformed the newly released horror film “Passenger,” a release from Paramount Pictures featuring Melissa Leo, which grossed an estimated $8.7 million from 2,534 locations and is projected to earn $10.5 million over the extended weekend. “Passenger” received poor reviews, with a 44% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a B- CinemaScore from audiences.
In addition, Boots Riley’s shoplifting caper and surreal social satire, “I Love Boosters,” debuted to $3.7 million this weekend. The Neon release features Keke Palmer and Demi Moore.
This year’s film lineup did not reach the unprecedented heights of last year’s record Memorial Day weekend, when Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” led the box office. The collective four-day total this year is expected to be around $211 million, marking a decrease of approximately 36% from the previous year's $330 million figures. Nevertheless, it is a significant improvement over the disappointing 2024 Memorial Day weekend box office, which marked a 30-year low, highlighted by the lackluster performance of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”
Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office (Estimated Ticket Sales Friday through Sunday):
- “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” $82 million.
- “Obsession,” $22.4 million.
- “Michael,” $20 million.
- “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” $12.6 million.
- “The Sheep Detectives,” $9 million.
- “Passenger,” $8.7 million.
- “Mortal Kombat II,” $6.2 million.
- “I Love Boosters,” $3.7 million.
- “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” $3.2 million.
- “Project Hail Mary,” $2.7 million.
