The Force was not entirely with Lucasfilm this weekend. “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the franchise’s first theatrical release in seven years, opened to $81.9 million domestically and $145 million worldwide — figures that, while placing it firmly atop this week’s box office chart, represent the lowest domestic opening in the entire Star Wars franchise history, including the widely considered disappointment of “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
The film, directed by Jon Favreau and serving as a continuation of the beloved Disney+ series, had been among the most anticipated theatrical events of the summer season. Its arrival was treated as a cultural landmark — the franchise’s long-awaited return to multiplexes after a near-decade absence — but the opening numbers suggest that audience enthusiasm for the beloved space-opera universe may be more muted than Disney executives had projected.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film sits at a 62 percent approval rating from critics, a score that falls well short of the franchise’s most celebrated entries and places it in uncomfortable territory alongside “The Rise of Skywalker.” The mixed response appears to have dampened the kind of repeat-viewing and word-of-mouth momentum that typically buoys franchise blockbusters through their crucial second and third weekends.
The opening’s implications for the Star Wars brand are significant. Disney has spent the better part of three years engineering a theatrical comeback for the IP after a series of critically divisive releases under Kathleen Kennedy’s stewardship. The pivot to series-connected theatrical events was intended to leverage the enormous goodwill accumulated by the Disney+ show, but translating small-screen affection into large-scale cinema attendance has proven more difficult than anticipated.
Meanwhile, horror phenomenon “Obsession” claimed second place with an additional $22.4 million — a remarkable 30 percent hold that pushed its global cumulative total to $74 million against a reported production budget of under one million dollars. Directed by debut filmmaker Curry Barker, the film has become one of the defining cinematic events of 2026, positioning Barker as a major new voice in the horror genre.
The Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” slid to third place with $20 million in its fourth weekend, while “The Devil Wears Prada 2” continues its strong run in fourth position with $12.5 million. Looking ahead, the Mandalorian’s hold in the coming weeks will be critical. Industry analysts warn that if the film follows a steep drop pattern, it could wind up as a bigger commercial underperformance than “Solo” — a result that would almost certainly force a strategic reassessment of Disney’s theatrical plans for the Galaxy Far, Far Away.
