Mandalorian and Grogu’s Thursday Box Office Lower Than Star Wars’ Biggest Bomb

by

Star Wars has always been incredibly successful at the box office, with its first twelve films earning over $10 billion worldwide. Because of this, new Star Wars movies are usually expected to be major hits. However, expectations for The Mandalorian and Grogu are more moderate. While the film marks Star Wars’ return to theaters after seven years, it hasn’t generated a lot of buzz, as evidenced by its initial Thursday box office results.

As a movie critic, I’m looking at the early numbers for The Mandalorian and Grogu, and it seems like the film brought in $12 million domestically from previews on Thursday, May 21st. While not a bad start, Variety reports that’s a bit lower than what Solo: A Star Wars Story earned back in 2018 ($14.1 million). Heading into the weekend, projections had this one making between $80 and $100 million domestically over the Memorial Day holiday, with a global debut expected around $160 million. We’ll see if it hits those marks!

The Mandalorian and Grogu Won’t Be a Box Office Bomb Like Solo

It seems concerning that The Mandalorian and Grogu is projected to earn less than Solo, the only Star Wars movie to lose money. However, a crucial difference exists between the two. Solo had a much higher production cost – around $300 million – largely due to extensive reshoots after a change in directors. The Mandalorian and Grogu, on the other hand, was made for approximately $165 million, making it the least expensive Star Wars film produced under Disney.

The new Mandalorian and Grogu movie is expected to quickly make back its money. If it performs as predicted during its opening weekend, it will recover almost all of its $165 million production cost in just those few days, and begin to turn a profit. It’s worth noting that $165 million doesn’t include the costs of marketing and distributing the film, meaning it likely needs to earn around $330 million worldwide to break even – a common benchmark is for movies to earn twice their production budget. For comparison, Solo earned $392.9 million worldwide.

With few competing releases, The Mandalorian and Grogu is starting its run at a good time. It’s the biggest new film out during the holiday weekend, and won’t face major competition until Masters of the Universe comes out in June. This gives The Mandalorian and Grogu a couple of weeks to attract its audience and earn strong box office numbers before the summer’s big movies arrive.

Another positive sign for The Mandalorian and Grogu is that audiences seem to be enjoying the film. Although critics haven’t given it great reviews – it has one of the lowest scores for a Star Wars movie – viewers are much more positive, indicating a clear difference in opinion. If people start recommending it to friends and family, the film could stay successful in theaters for a long time, which would help it make a good profit before it’s available to rent or buy at home.

Read More

2026-05-22 21:16