The Mandalorian and Grogu may have just posted the lowest opening weekend for a modern Star Wars film, but Disney doesn’t appear remotely concerned.
After a huge Memorial Day rollout, the long awaited big screen expansion of The Mandalorian finished with a $98 million USD (approx 136,984,400.00 AUD) four day opening across North America, alongside an estimated $167 million USD (approx $2,334,167,210 AUD) global total through May 25th.
On paper, those numbers look surprisingly soft for one of the biggest franchises on Earth, in fact, the film has now technically fallen below 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, which previously held the unwanted title of Disney era Star Wars’ weakest theatrical debut (per Hollywood Reporter).
Context matters
Context matters a lot more in 2026 than it did eight years ago, post pandemic box office numbers have completely reshaped Hollywood expectations, and a near $100 million opening (USD) is now considered a serious win for most studios.
Only one film this year (The Super Mario Galaxy Movie) has managed to crack the $100 million (with $131.7 million) domestic opening barrier, while several movies with smaller debuts have gone on to become massive long term hits through strong audience support, and that’s exactly where Disney appears confident.
Strong audience reaction
The Jon Favreau directed film has pulled strong audience reactions, including an impressive 89 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, reportedly the highest audience rating for a Disney era Star Wars movie so far.
Unlike previous theatrical Star Wars releases, The Mandalorian and Grogu also arrives with something Disney didn’t have during earlier franchise launches: a fully established streaming empire already obsessed with these characters.
Disney says Grogu and the The Mandalorian are now deeply integrated across Disney+, theme parks, merchandise, gaming and attractions, turning the movie into far more than just a box office play.
The original Mandalorian series has reportedly generated more than 1.3 billion streaming hours globally, while new attractions tied to the film have already launched inside Disney parks alongside Fortnite collaborations and expanded merchandise campaigns.
Now the real test begins, Hollywood will be watching closely to see whether the film collapses in its second weekend like Solo did, or whether younger audiences and families turn it into another slow burning global phenomenon.
Either way, Disney’s galaxy far, far away isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Follow me on Facebook:
MORE IN Film
