After a sharp weekend revenue drop, The Mandalorian and Grogu began losing some IMAX exclusivity. Masters of the Universe announced it will move into IMAX on June 5—unexpected competition in the premium-format theater where studios try to hold the biggest scre
On a crowded Memorial Day weekend, The Mandalorian and Grogu opened with real momentum—then the math changed fast.
The film released on May 22 and earned over $81 million across the three-day Memorial Day weekend. But by its second weekend, sales appeared to peter out at $25 million, a drop of about 70%. Two horror titles—Obsession and Backrooms—took the spotlight, pulling attention away from Lucasfilm’s high-profile release.
That shift is now spilling into IMAX.
Following the 70% drop in revenue for its second weekend. The Mandalorian and Grogu is beginning to lose some of its current exclusivity over IMAX theaters. The upcoming Masters of the Universe movie announced on May 29 that the He-Man adventure will be coming to the larger-format theater from June 5. meaning The Mandalorian and Grogu is about to face unexpected competition in the high-end screen space.
Until now, Masters of the Universe was not previously scheduled to be coming to the premium format until later—so the June 5 date changes the runway for anyone who expected the IMAX spotlight to stay locked on The Mandalorian and Grogu a little longer.
The timing lines up with a visible push from the format itself. The official X account for IMAX released a new poster highlighting He-Man’s move to the bigger format. The post reads: “The chase for Power begins. Tickets are on sale now for Masters of the Universe. in IMAX June 5.” It originally appeared to signal that The Mandalorian and Grogu had several weeks of clearer IMAX scheduling before the next major IMAX release. which was previously expected to be Steven Spielberg’s upcoming alien flick. Disclosure Day.
If you haven’t seen The Mandalorian and Grogu in IMAX theaters—or you want another run—now would be a good time. IMAX chains across the U.S. are still screening the film for now, even as the premium-format calendar begins to tighten.
The reason studios fight for this space is straightforward: IMAX has become coveted in recent years. offering bigger-picture formatting and. increasingly. a chance to pull in more dollars. That’s why high-end exclusivity has become a battleground—one example coming in December. when Marvel and Warner Brothers’ duel featuring Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three is set to vie for IMAX exclusivity.
For fans keeping up with the conversation around The Mandalorian and Grogu, Star Wars News Net also points to its roundtable discussion on favorite moments from the film, and to SWNN Live—its weekly podcast where a full spoiler review is delivered.
The Mandalorian and Grogu IMAX Masters of the Universe He-Man Grogu Din Djarin Pedro Pascal Memorial Day weekend Obsession Backrooms Disclosure Day Steven Spielberg Avengers: Doomsday Dune Part Three
So IMAX is basically just whoever pays more now?
I swear every weekend they say “exclusivity” and then it changes anyway. If Mandalorian dropped that much, that kinda sucks but horror movies always win on holiday weekends.
Wait, Masters of the Universe is IMAX June 5?? I thought it was already out like last year lol. Also how is it “unexpected competition” when they had like 2 months to schedule this? The article makes it sound like IMAX just announced it because The Mandalorian did bad.
This is why I don’t trust movie theaters to keep anything “exclusive.” They’ll sell you the dream for Memorial Day then suddenly He-Man takes the big screens. And that revenue drop math seems wild, like 81 million to 25 million??? Could be the horror titles or could be people just not caring anymore, hard to say.