There’s potentially very good news coming regarding the box office prospects for The Mandalorian and Grogu, as a very healthy $12m in previews seems to indicate that the film could open to north of $80m in North America this week ($160m+ globally), matching the higher end of expectations, with some exhibitors thinking it might come in significantly higher. Not only that, but the all-important Rotten Tomatoes scores are in, and while critics currently have it at a cool 61%, the audience score is an amazing 88%. To put that in some perspective, that’s higher than all other Disney era films and the prequels, with only the original trilogy higher.
The Empire Strikes Back – 97% audience score, 93% critic score
A New Hope – 96% audience score, 94% critic score
Return of the Jedi – 94% audience score, 83% critic score
The Mandalorian and Grogu – 88% audience score, 61% critic score
Rogue One (Disney) – 87% audience score, 84% critic score
Rise of Skywalker (Disney) – 86% audience score, 51% critic score
The Force Awakens (Disney) – 84% audience score, 93% critic score
Solo (Disney) – 63% audience score, 69% critic score
Revenge of the Sith – 66% audience score, 79% critic score
The Phantom Menace – 59% audience score, 54% critic score
Attack of the Clones – 56% audience score, 62% critic score
The Last Jedi (Disney) – 41% audience score, 91% critic score
Remember, review bombing is a thing, and it could easily fall victim to that, but despite being battered by fans and critics alike remember The Last Jedi still took $1.3bn, The Rise of Skywalker over $1bn, as did The Phantom Menace. Speaking of the numbers, prospects are looking good for a very solid weekend at the global box office.
As expected, Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian & Grogu earned $12 million in previews when landing in select theaters across America at 2 p.m. local time on Thursday.
Pre-release tracking services show The Mandalorian and Grogu opening to roughly $82 million at the domestic box office for the four days, while some exhibitors see it coming in as high as $95 million to $100 million.
Mandalorian‘s preview gross was on par with recent 2026 box office hits Michael ($12.6 million), Avatar: Fire and Ash ($12 million) and Project Hail Mail ($12 million).
Globally, Disney insiders expect Mandalorian and Grogu to earn at least $160 million.
