Star Wars: Mandalorian & Grogu $98M Domestic Opening
SkimNews Take
Despite a strong domestic opening, the film's higher international gross for the holiday weekend suggests a growing reliance on global markets to offset potential softening in North American box office performance for established franchises.
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- Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu posted a $98 million domestic four‑day gross (Friday $33 M, Saturday $25.5 M, Sunday $22.5 M, Monday $19 M), ranking 12th all‑time Memorial Day opening and fourth post‑Covid after Lilo & Stitch, Top Gun: Maverick, and The Little Mermaid.
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu earned an estimated $69 million overseas, pushing its worldwide total to roughly $167 million, just above Disney’s $165 million production budget.
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu captured 16 % of its weekend sales in IMAX, while IMAX and premium large‑format venues together accounted for 48 % of ticket sales; the film received an A‑CinemaScore and a 71 % PostTrak recommendation.
- Obsession (Focus Features) opened in 2,655 theaters (+40% from the prior week), grossing $30.3 million over four days and $23.9 million over three days—a 39 % increase—and its cumulative total now sits around $55.1 million.
- Michael (Lionsgate) played in 3,306 theaters (‑254 from the previous week), earning $26.9 million over four days and $20.7 million over three days, a 29 % decline from its debut, contributing to a $317.8 million domestic holiday total.
- Memorial Day weekend box office totaled $221.9 million, 33 % lower than last year’s $330.1 million record, but remains the third‑best weekend since COVID‑19, trailing the 2022 and 2023 totals led by Top Gun: Maverick.
- Audience demographics for The Mandalorian and Grogu were 52 % Caucasian, 24 % Latino/Hispanic, 10 % Black, 8 % Asian American, and 6 % Native American/other; 68 % of attendees were Disney+ subscribers, the highest streaming‑subscriber share among the films.
Why it matters: Disney and its partners reap a solid $167 million worldwide haul, validating the Star Wars franchise’s box‑office draw despite a 33 % dip in overall holiday receipts, while smaller genre titles like Obsession prove that targeted releases can still capture sizable market share in a softened market.
