Indie Horror Movie Upsets Mandalorian and Grogu at Box Office With Record Breaking Opening

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After a nearly seven-year break from cinemas, Star Wars returned with The Mandalorian and Grogu over Memorial Day weekend. This film continues the story from the popular streaming series The Mandalorian, and Lucasfilm hoped the well-loved characters would attract audiences. The box office results have been somewhat uneven. While it had a quieter release than other Star Wars films, The Mandalorian and Grogu had the lowest opening weekend of any Star Wars movie made since Disney acquired the franchise. However, the film’s relatively low production cost made that result manageable. Unfortunately, it didn’t perform well in its second week, failing to maintain a solid audience.

The new horror film Backrooms topped the box office this weekend, earning an estimated $81.4 million domestically – a record for distributor A24. Another horror movie, Obsession, also performed well, taking second place with $26.4 million in its third week. It just beat out The Mandalorian and Grogu, which earned around $25 million domestically in its second weekend, a 69% decrease from its opening. The Mandalorian and Grogu has now made $137.3 million in the U.S. and $246.6 million worldwide.

What Happened to The Mandalorian and Grogu In Its Second Weekend?

While The Mandalorian and Grogu wasn’t expected to be a blockbuster like some other Star Wars films, early signs suggested it could have done well in theaters. Although critics had mixed opinions, fans seemed to really enjoy it, which usually leads to good word-of-mouth. Plus, it didn’t have much competition from other major action movies, as Masters of the Universe wasn’t released for another week. Going into the weekend, experts predicted a tight race between Backrooms and The Mandalorian, with both potentially earning around $40 million.

Despite a strong start, The Mandalorian and Grogu saw a big drop in ticket sales during its second weekend in theaters. Surprisingly, this seems to be because people who did see it enjoyed it – they found it a fun, lighthearted space adventure with adorable moments featuring Grogu – but it didn’t feel like a movie that needed to be seen on the big screen. The story and characters weren’t compelling enough for a wider audience. While Backrooms and Obsession appeal to different viewers, box office success requires films to attract people beyond their core fanbase. Both of those films have been critically acclaimed, with high scores on Rotten Tomatoes (89% and 96% respectively), and are being praised for their fresh, innovative filmmaking, which encourages more casual moviegoers to see them in theaters.

Over the past few years, Star Wars has largely existed as a streaming service franchise. With a pause in movie releases, Disney+ produced several live-action TV shows, like The Mandalorian, to keep fans engaged. Many viewers have gotten used to watching new Star Wars content at home. Some people who might be interested in seeing The Mandalorian and Grogu may choose to wait for it to become available on streaming. This situation is comparable to what Disney has experienced with Pixar since the pandemic; releasing Pixar films directly to Disney+ has affected the animation studio’s box office performance, which was previously very strong in the 2000s and 2010s.

Wow, I have to say, seeing Backrooms and Obsession beat a Star Wars movie at the box office is huge! For almost half a century, Star Wars has been Hollywood, so this feels like a real sign that things are changing. We’ve definitely seen people still heading to theaters this year, even with streaming being so popular, but they’re being much pickier about what deserves the full cinematic experience. The Mandalorian and Grogu isn’t a disaster by any means, but Lucasfilm was likely expecting a bigger splash. That puts a lot of weight on Star Wars: Starfighter next year to really deliver for the franchise’s 50th anniversary.

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2026-05-31 19:43