Disney's Star Wars The Mandalorian & Grogu Box Office Misses Expectations

The theatrical release of "The Mandalorian & Grogu" on May 22, 2026 marked Lucasfilm's first major Star Wars film in theaters since 2019. Opening weekend generated about $165 million worldwide, roughly equal to the film’s production budget, but the second weekend saw a sharp 70 percent decline, indicating that most viewers were loyal fans rather than new audiences.

In the same period, the low‑budget indie thriller Obsession outperformed the franchise film domestically, earning $5.6 million on a single day compared with the Mandalorian’s $4.1 million. The underperformance prompted Disney/Lucasfilm to add a director‑commentary version to theaters and highlighted the risk of moving a serialized streaming property to a standalone theatrical format. The results are prompting Disney to reconsider its Star Wars strategy, with upcoming Disney+ series such as Ahsoka Season 2 already scheduled, while the setback underscores the limits of brand recognition without broad audience appeal.