The Mandalorian and Grogu is now in theaters and earning generally positive reviews from audiences. In fact, according to Rotten Tomatoes, the film is the most popular one with audiences since Disney purchased the franchise. It is also more popular than the prequels, only being beaten out by the original three movies.
Opening Weekend by the Numbers
During the course of its opening weekend, it earned $82 million through Sunday. When Monday’s figures are added in, it is expected that the film will earn $102 million. This puts it slightly behind Solo: A Star Wars Story, which earned $84 million during the same weekend and then $104 million throughout the entire Memorial Day weekend. There are significant differences between these two movies, however. First off, The Mandalorian and Grogu is being received more favorably than Solo was. Second, Mandalorian had a budget of approximately $165 million versus Solo’s $300 million (not including marketing for either film). Ultimately, Solo went on to earn $392 million globally. It is currently estimated that The Mandalorian and Grogu will earn $165 million globally, including the $82 million it earned domestically.
First Chapter
A Challenging First Chapter
This opening weekend for The Mandalorian and Grogu is not a home run for the franchise. However, this is just the first chapter. The post-pandemic box office this film opened in is a much different beast than what was faced by previous Star Wars movies that were released. It is an environment where many fans are just as happy to wait for movies to come out on streaming platforms, in this case, Disney+. The movie-going experience is also not always a great experience, either, with more ads than ever, more trailers, and less proper theater etiquette. Because of these and other variables, movies simply don’t get the same draw that they got before the pandemic. On top of this, gas prices continue to soar and could be keeping people home.
What Could Be Next
These aren’t the only factors, though. There have been multiple films that have started with less-than-stellar opening weekends and then continued to perform solidly over the course of their run. Pixar’s Elemental is a prime example of this. It is very possible, with the positive reviews and word of mouth given by audiences for this film, that it could see its theatrical run being stronger than its opening weekend would seemingly indicate. With the positive response (if it continues) from audiences and the lower budget, the goal post for success for this film could be attainable. It is also being supported by the new updates to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge that include both Mando and Grogu. This version of the attraction has also been met with positive reviews from riders and could add to interest in the movie.
Future of Star Wars?
With this weekend’s box office results for The Mandalorian and Grogu, some people are wondering if this doesn’t bode well for the future of Star Wars. This might be a bit premature to start questioning too much. There is a much bigger picture on this chessboard that is the strategy for Star Wars. The leadership at Lucasfilm and Disney is undoubtedly taking into account the film’s numbers at the box office. There are also other factors to be accounted for when planning for the future of Star Wars. This includes how this film fits into the bigger picture of the stories being told, how it does on streaming services, and other factors that are a part of the return on investment analysis.
For whatever reason, for a franchise that is generally about bringing good to the galaxy, many people want to see it fail. That doesn’t mean that the criticisms determine reality. The reality at this point is that the film won its opening weekend at the box office. It is on its way to recouping its budget (and then presumably will need more for marketing). The future of how successful this film will be is determined in the coming weeks and months by the actions of viewers both in the theaters and then streaming. All of this will then be analyzed and determined if it is successful by the talented teams at The Walt Disney Company.
As far as Daps Magic is concerned, this film has already been successful (see why in our review on Daps Magic – Disney and Positive Stuff). Did you see The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters this weekend? What did you think? If not, are you going to? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
