{"id":395,"date":"2026-05-24T18:09:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T18:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=395"},"modified":"2026-05-24T18:09:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T18:09:06","slug":"box-office-mandalorian-and-grogu-tops-charts-and-obsession-grows-in-second-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=395","title":{"rendered":"Box Office: \u2018Mandalorian and Grogu\u2019 tops charts and \u2018Obsession\u2019 grows in second weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By LINDSEY BAHR<\/p>\n

After nearly seven years away from the big screen, a new Star Wars movie drew healthy but not record-breaking crowds to global theaters this weekend. According to studio estimates on Sunday, \u201cStar Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu\u201d made $82 million in ticket sales from 4,300 theaters in the U.S. and Canada. By the end of Monday\u2019s Memorial Day holiday, it\u2019s expected to have earned $102 million domestically and $165 million globally.<\/p>\n

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It exceeded opening weekend expectations for the movie, a continuation of Disney+ spinoff series \u201cThe Mandalorian,\u201d but it\u2019s also on the low end of Disney-era Star Wars releases, closer to \u201cSolo: A Star Wars Story,\u201d which made $103 million over the four-day Memorial Day frame in 2018. While \u201cSolo\u201d was considered a disaster, the metrics around \u201cThe Mandalorian and Grogu\u201d are a little different. <\/p>\n

The production budget for \u201cSolo\u201d was in the $300 million range, while \u201cThe Mandalorian and Grogu\u201d was made for significantly less \u2014 a reported $165 million, not accounting for marketing and promotion costs. It makes the journey to profitability more likely, especially when factoring in positive audience scores. Although critics were mixed to negative on the movie (it currently carries a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes), ticket buyers overall gave it an A- CinemaScore. Boys under the age of 13 are especially high on the movie: They gave it an A CinemaScore and a perfect five on PostTrak. Parents also gave it a five out of five.<\/p>\n

The Jon Favreau-directed movie stars Pedro Pascal as the titular bounty hunter and puts him and his tiny green companion on a mission to save Jabba\u2019s son Rotta the Hutt, who is voiced by Jeremy Allen White. <\/p>\n

\u201cStar Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu\u201d could also be graded on a bit of a curve because of the streaming component, both that it started as a series, and that it will eventually end up as a value add on Disney+, which was only about a month old when the last Star Wars movie, \u201cThe Rise of Skywalker,\u201d debuted in December 2019.<\/p>\n

Star Wars as a brand is in a time of transition under its new leadership team of Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan; Earlier this year it was announced that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who produced \u201cStar Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,\u201d was stepping down after 13 years. The question for the industry is whether audience interest in Star Wars on the big screen might have cooled slightly, and if next year\u2019s \u201cStar Wars: Starfighter,\u201d starring Ryan Gosling, will provide a definitive answer. Until then, the hope is that strong audience and exit scores will propel word-of-mouth generated enthusiasm in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moviegoers rule,\u201d said Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Comscore. \u201cI think given the audience reaction and the scores that are coming from parents and kids, this is going to be in it for the long haul.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Word-of-mouth certainly helped Curry Barker\u2019s relationship horror movie \u201cObsession\u201d defy the standard box office trajectory and do better business in its second weekend. The Focus Features had an astonishing 30% uptick in ticket sales, earning $22.4 million from 2,655 theaters. <\/p>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s really unheard of,\u201d Dergarabedian said. \u201cAnd it is a testament to how this social media buzz from younger viewers is fueling the FOMO factor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The studio, which acquired the microbudget movie for some $15 million, is projecting that it will have made $28.2 million by the end of Monday, bringing its running total to $58.5 million. It snagged the second-place spot, while \u201cMichael\u201d landed in third place with $20 million for the three-day weekend. The Michael Jackson biopic has now earned $782.4 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cObsession\u201d also did better than the new horror movie \u201cPassenger,\u201d a Paramount Pictures release with Melissa Leo, which grossed an estimated $8.7 million from 2,534 locations. It\u2019s expected to earn $10.5 million over its first four days. The movie received poor reviews from both critics (44% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (B- Cinema Score).<\/p>\n

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Boots Riley\u2019s colorful shoplifting caper meets surreal social satire \u201cI Love Boosters\u201d also opened this weekend to $3.7 million. The Neon release stars Keke Palmer and Demi Moore. <\/p>\n

The mix of movies this year didn\u2019t hold a candle to last year\u2019s record Memorial Day weekend, which was led by Disney\u2019s live-action \u201cLilo & Stitch\u201d and \u201cMission: Impossible \u2014 The Final Reckoning.\u201d The overall four-day frame this year will net out around $211 million, down about 36% from last year\u2019s $330 million. It\u2019s also far from the disastrous 2024 Memorial Day weekend box office, a 30-year low, when \u201cFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga\u201d opened.<\/p>\n

Top 10 movies by domestic box office<\/h4>\n

With final domestic figures being released Tuesday, this list factors in estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:<\/p>\n

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1. \u201cStar Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,\u201d $82 million.<\/p>\n

2. \u201cObsession,\u201d $22.4 million.<\/p>\n

3. \u201cMichael,\u201d $20 million.<\/p>\n

4. \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada 2,\u201d $12.6 million.<\/p>\n

5. \u201cThe Sheep Detectives,\u201d $9 million.<\/p>\n

6. \u201cPassenger,\u201d $8.7 million.<\/p>\n

7. \u201cMortal Kombat II,\u201d $6.2 million.<\/p>\n

8. \u201cI Love Boosters,\u201d $3.7 million.<\/p>\n

9. \u201cThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie,\u201d $3.2 million.<\/p>\n

10. \u201cProject Hail Mary,\u201d $2.7 million.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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