After a gap of almost seven years we finally have a new Star Wars adventure in town, and the great news today is not only has The Mandalorian and Grogu been a smash hit with audiences (“A-” grade on CinemaScore, 88% on Rotten Tomatoes) but it also appears to have been a hit at the box office. With many estimates having the film bring in around $80m for the weekend, The Mandalorian and Grogu landed an estimated $102 million for the 4-day weekend through Monday, and that’s just for North America, which means we could be looking at a global weekend haul north of $160m – not bad for a film that (before marketing) cost an estimated $165m.
The second weekend is usually the biggest indicator of whether the film will have the legs to go on and post a genuinely big box office total, but with the break-even point for the film sitting somewhere between $450 – $500m and fans of the saga going back to see the film multiple times already, the signs look good for the film to more than cover its costs, and then some – and that’s before factoring in the profity from merchandise and its eventual arrival on Disney Plus, before the next chapter in the Mandoverse ‘Ahsoka‘ season 2 arrives next year.
And plenty of ’em showed up for “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which collected $82 million in its opening weekend and an estimated $102 million through Monday. Those ticket sales are aligned with expectations, though box office analysts are mixed on the results. On one hand, it’s significant for any film to debut above $100 million in post-pandemic times. On the other, “Star Wars” is one of Hollywood’s preeminent film properties, so there’s an expectation of a certain level of box office. And this start is the worst for “Star Wars” since Disney bought the franchise in 2012.
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” carries a leaner $165 million price tag and, perhaps more importantly, has the benefit of positive audience scores. A truer test of commercial viability will be the film’s second weekend in theaters. That’ll indicate whether “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is just appealing to fans of the franchise, or if the movie can become a breakout among family crowds. Opening weekend ticket buyers were 63% male while 75% were above the age of 25. Jon Favreau directed the film, which earned an “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls. For comparison, 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” earned a “B+” grade. The story takes place after the third season of the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian” and revolves around Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin and his adorable green sidekick as they navigate a galaxy that’s recovering from the fall of the evil Empire.
Check out the Marks non-spoiler and spoiler reviews on Making Tracks Reaction Chat, stay tuned for tonights episode of Good Morning Tatooine, where Brian and Paul shall discuss the film in detail and at length (beware potential spoilers!), get ready for our group review on Friday where many members of the Fantha team give their thoughts, and as always check out Fantha Tracks Radio as all of our shows shall be giving their thoughts and opinions on the film over the coming weeks.
