After nearly seven years away from the big screen, the new Star Wars film drew healthy but no record-breaking crowds to global theaters this weekend.
‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Box office performance
According to studio estimates on Sunday, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu had $82 million in ticket sales at 4,300 theaters in the United States.
And Canada. By the end of Memorial Day weekend on Monday, it is expected to have grossed US$102 million domestically and US$165 million globally.
“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” vs. “Solo: A Star Wars Story”
It beat opening-weekend expectations for the film, a continuation of the Disney+ spinoff series “The Mandalorian,” but it’s also at the low end for Star Wars releases in the Disney era, akin to “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which grossed $103 million during the four-day Memorial Day frame in 2018.
While “Solo” was considered a disaster, the metrics around “The Mandalorian and Grogu” are a little different.The production budget for “Solo” was in the $300 million range, while “The Mandalorian and Grogu” was produced at a much lower cost — a reported $165 million, not including marketing and promotional costs. It makes the journey to profitability more bearable, especially when taking into account the positive audience results.
Although critics were mixed to negative about the film (it currently holds a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes), ticket buyers generally gave it an A- CinemaScore.
About Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Pedro Pascal as a bounty hunter and sets him and his little green companion on a mission to rescue Jabba’s son Rutta the Hutt, voiced by Jeremy Allen White.“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” can also be labeled a bit of a curveball due to the streaming element, that it started as a series, and that it will eventually end up as a spin-off on Disney+, which was about a month old when the last Star Wars movie, “The Rise of Skywalker,” debuted in December 2019.
The movie “Star Wars: Starfighter” is gearing up for release
The question for the industry is whether audience interest in Star Wars on the big screen might cool off a bit, and whether next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, will provide a definitive answer. Until then, hopefully the strong audience and exit results will spur word-of-mouth enthusiasm in the coming weeks.
“Mania” sees good growth
Word of mouth certainly helped Carrie Parker’s relationship horror “Obsession” challenge its record box office trajectory and do better business in its second weekend.
Focus Features had a staggering 30% increase in ticket sales, grossing $22.4 million from 2,655 theaters.The studio, which acquired the film on a shoestring budget for $15 million, expects it to make $28.2 million by the end of Monday, bringing its total to $58.5 million.
“Obsession” beats “Michael” and “passenger ‘
While “Obsession” took second place, “Michael” came in third with $20 million over the three-day weekend.
The Michael Jackson biopic has so far grossed US$782.4 million.“Obsession” also performed better than new horror film “Passenger,” a Paramount Pictures production with Melissa Leo, which grossed $8.7 million from 2,534 locations. It is expected to earn US$10.5 million within the first four days. The film received poor reviews from both critics (44% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (B- Cinema Score).Boots Riley’s colorful heist meets surreal social satire “I Love Boosters,” which also opened this weekend with $3.7 million.
The neon launch stars Keke Palmer and Demi Moore.
Memorial Day Weekend Box office record
This year’s film mix didn’t hold a candle to last year’s record-breaking Memorial Day weekend, which was led by Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” The total four-day frame this year will net about $211 million, down about 36% from last year’s $330 million. It’s also a long way from 2024’s disastrous Memorial Day weekend box office, a 30-year low, when Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga opened.
Top 10 films at the domestic box office
With final domestic numbers released Tuesday, this list takes into account estimated Friday-Sunday ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:1. “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” – $82 million.2. “Obsession” – 22.4 million US dollars.3. “Michael” – $20 million.4. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” – US$12.6 million.5. “Sheep Informants” – $9 million.6. “The Passenger” – $8.7 million.7. “Mortal Kombat 2” – $6.2 million.8. “I Like Boosts” – $3.7 million.9. “Super Mario Galaxy” – $3.2 million.10. “Hail Mary Project” – 2.7 million US dollars.
