According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film earned an estimated $12 million from Thursday previews across North America, the lowest preview haul for a “Star Wars” title released under Disney’s ownership of Lucasfilm.
‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Opens Below Previous Franchise Lows
Directed by Jon Favreau, the film expands the story first introduced in the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian” and marks the first theatrical “Star Wars” release since 2019. Pedro Pascal reprises his role as Din Djarin alongside Grogu, the breakout character widely known to audiences as Baby Yoda. The cast also includes Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, and Martin Scorsese.
Despite the modest preview turnout, audience reception appears considerably stronger than some earlier franchise spinoffs. The picture quickly reached an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes shortly after previews began. Early tracking estimates project a domestic four day opening in the range of $82 million to $90 million, though some exhibitors believe the film could still climb closer to $100 million over the holiday frame.
The comparisons to “Solo: A Star Wars Story” have already become unavoidable. Ron Howard’s 2018 anthology title previously held the weakest Disney era “Star Wars” preview figure with $14.1 million before ultimately debuting to $103 million across the four day Memorial Day weekend. That film later became the franchise’s first major theatrical disappointment after finishing with roughly $393 million worldwide against an enormous production budget.
Industry observers note that “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is tracking differently from past “Star Wars” releases. Pre release data suggests the movie is performing especially well with younger audiences and older moviegoers rather than relying primarily on hardcore franchise fans. Lucasfilm is also benefiting from the popularity of the original streaming series, which became one of Disney+’s defining launches during the pandemic era.
The picture continues the story of Din Djarin and Grogu as they work with the New Republic to pursue Imperial remnants while becoming entangled in a conflict involving Rotta the Hutt, criminal factions, and bounty hunters. Favreau co wrote the screenplay with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor after Lucasfilm shifted plans away from a fourth season of the television show in favor of a theatrical feature.
Mixed critical reviews have praised Pascal’s performance and the musical score by Ludwig Göransson, while reactions to the story and action sequences have been more divided.
