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Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Opens in Theaters After Mixed Early Reviews

Disney is treating the Memorial Day weekend release as a test of whether a streaming-origin Star Wars movie can drive ticket sales, park visits and toy revenue with a forecasted $80 million US opening.

Overview

  • The film, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Pedro Pascal and Grogu, is scheduled to open in IMAX and wide release on May 22.
  • Advance reviews are mixed, with critics calling the movie episodic and low-stakes while praising Grogu, the production design and Ludwig Göransson’s score.
  • Industry trackers and studio estimates project roughly an $80 million U.S./Canada opening for the four‑day Memorial Day weekend, a figure seen as modest for the franchise.
  • Lucasfilm reworked planned streaming material into a standalone film to make it accessible to newcomers; the reported production budget is about $166 million, lower than recent Star Wars tentpoles.
  • Disney will weigh box office alongside theme-park tie‑ins and Grogu-driven merchandise sales as measures of success, and the weekend’s results will shape whether more Disney+ properties return to theaters.