The Mandalorian and Grogu, the latest installment in the Star Wars franchise, debuted in theaters on Friday, and its opening weekend box office figures have set a new low. The Pedro Pascal-led feature earned $82 million in its first three days, marking the worst Star Wars opening since Disney acquired the franchise in 2012, according to Variety.
However, the film is projected to gross approximately $102 million through the Memorial Day holiday, and The Wrap reports it will generate an estimated $165 million worldwide.
The Mandalorian and Grogu follows 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story, which opened to $84 million over its first weekend—or $112 million after adjusting for inflation, per Fox News. By that measure, The Mandalorian came in $30 million below its predecessor in its opening weekend. Solo's Memorial Day gross was $103 million, or $139 million adjusted for inflation, placing The Mandalorian $37 million behind.
The latest Star Wars production cost about $165 million and currently holds a 62% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 89% audience score.
The Jon Favreau-directed film stars Pascal, 51, as the enigmatic Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian. It sees Djarin reunite with his loyal ward Grogu, an infant member of the same alien race as Yoda.
Ahead of its theatrical release, the movie received scathing reviews. The Times gave it one star, dismissing Favreau's offering as the final nail in the Star Wars coffin. 'You wouldn’t leave a dying dog like this,' wrote Kevin Maher. 'But that’s what Star Wars has become. Putting it down would be a mercy killing.' The Telegraph awarded two stars, with Robbie Collin stating, 'Disney has been trying to turn Star Wars into another Marvel-like franchise for some time. And in that respect The Mandalorian and Grogu is a roaring success, insofar as it feels like a skippable new episode in a soap opera you lost interest in years ago.'
In another two-star review, The Independent criticized Favreau for an over-reliance on CGI effects: 'As much as little Grogu, with his fuzzy, twitchy ears and chubby-cheeked smile, remains a slam dunk on the cuteness scale, Favreau has reduced him here more to strategy than character – something to cut to when the characters have run out of things to say. What ingenuity there is in the practical puppet work is undercut by how often, and jarringly so, they force him to interact with fully CGI characters. With The Mandalorian and Grogu, Star Wars has lost all sense of wonder.'
The Hollywood Reporter offered a more enthusiastic response, describing the film as an 'exciting and entertaining fast-paced space adventure' that 'looks and feels like a Star Wars movie.' However, it criticized the shaky plot, adding, 'It still feels stubbornly small in its relatively inconsequential storyline and themes. It’s hard to imagine anyone experiencing this as their first Star Wars film and getting hooked for life as those who saw the original trilogy in theaters did.'
