Star Wars Return: Strong Debut and Box Office Figures

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After almost seven years absent from the cinema, the new Star Wars movie has attracted significant, yet not record-setting audiences in global theaters over the weekend. Studio estimates on Sunday revealed that Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu achieved $82 million in ticket sales from 4,300 locations across the U.S. and Canada. By the end of Memorial Day holiday on Monday, it is expected to reach $102 million domestically and $165 million worldwide.

This aligns with opening weekend expectations for the movie, an extension of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. However, it’s towards the lower end of Disney’s Star Wars films, reminiscent of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which garnered $103 million over the four-day Memorial Day period in 2018. While Solo was seen as unsuccessful, the circumstances surrounding The Mandalorian and Grogu differ. Solo had a production budget nearing $300 million, whereas The Mandalorian and Grogu was significantly cheaper at approximately $165 million, excluding marketing and promotional costs, increasing its chances of profitability.

Despite mixed to negative critic reviews (currently at 63% on Rotten Tomatoes), general audiences awarded the film an A- CinemaScore. Young boys, particularly those under 13, rated it an A CinemaScore with perfect PostTrak scores. Parents also provided perfect ratings. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film features Pedro Pascal as the leading bounty hunter alongside his small green companion on a mission to save Jabba’s offspring, Rotta the Hutt, voiced by Jeremy Allen White.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu benefits from the streaming component, originating as a series, and eventually bolstering Disney+, which was nascent when the last Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker, premiered in December 2019. The Star Wars franchise is in a transitional phase under new leadership by Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan. Earlier this year, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, producer of this film, announced her departure after 13 years.

The industry is pondering if the allure of Star Wars on the big screen has diminished slightly, awaiting confirmation with next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling. Until then, the aim is for positive audience reception and word-of-mouth to sustain interest.

“The moviegoers rule,” remarked Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore, noting the positive audience reactions and scores from parents and kids likely signal extended success.

Word-of-mouth notably benefited Curry Barker’s horror film Obsession, which unexpectedly increased box office numbers during its second weekend. The Focus Features release had a remarkable 30% rise in sales, accumulating $22.4 million from 2,655 theaters. The studio, having acquired the low-budget film for about $15 million, projects reaching $28.2 million by the end of Memorial Day, pushing its total to $58.5 million.

Obsession secured second place, while the biopic Michael garnered $20 million over the three-day span, accumulating $782.4 million to date. Obsession also outperformed the horror film Passenger, produced by Paramount Pictures with Melissa Leo, generating an estimated $8.7 million from 2,534 locations, anticipated to reach $10.5 million over four days. The film received poor reviews, with 44% on Rotten Tomatoes and a B- CinemaScore.

Boots Riley’s surreal satirical film I Love Boosters also launched this weekend, amassing $3.7 million. The Neon movie stars Keke Palmer and Demi Moore. This year’s blend of films doesn’t compare to last year’s standout Memorial Day weekend, led by Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. The overall four-day figure this year is anticipated around $211 million, a decrease of approximately 36% from last year’s $330 million total.

The following is a list of the top 10 movies by domestic box office revenue from Friday to Sunday across U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: