The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first Star Wars film to open in cinemas in seven years, is predicted to have the lowest opening weekend in franchise history, casting a shadow over Star Wars Day celebrations. Early tracking data suggests the film will open in the $80m (£59m) range over the Memorial Day Weekend in the US, which would be below the previous low set by 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story.
The film, a big-screen spin-off of the hit Disney+ series, follows Pedro Pascal's masked bounty hunter and Grogu (Baby Yoda) as they rescue Jabba the Hutt's estranged son Rotta, voiced by Jeremy Allen White. Directed by Jon Favreau, it carries a reported $165m (£121m) production budget, the lowest for a Star Wars movie, and has received mixed fan reactions, with some critics calling it aimed at younger audiences.
The franchise has faced challenges recently, including divisive TV series and the departure of Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy, who was succeeded by Dave Filoni. Disney is reportedly pinning hopes on 2027's Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, which Levy describes as an all-new, non-sequel adventure.
