“The Mandalorian and Grogu” slid hard in its second weekend, dropping out of the top spot and falling to third after a sharp 70% revenue collapse—turning a hopeful theatrical recovery into a likely major financial loss for Disney.
The second weekend didn’t just disappoint—it flipped the momentum.
After “The Mandalorian and Grogu” opened to ticket sales that landed at about $81 million on the low end of estimates. Disney had reason to hope a stronger follow-up could stabilize the numbers. The Memorial Day weekend gross ultimately fell far short of “Solo. ” the last non-trilogy Star Wars film. leaving the studio in a position where it could struggle to reach theatrical break-even.
But this past weekend’s box office results delivered the opposite of a recovery. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” dropped out of first place and fell all the way to third, with revenues collapsing by 70%.
Box Office Mojo figures show an opening weekend of $81.7 million. followed by a drop to just $25 million from Friday to Sunday in its second weekend. A decline like that isn’t unprecedented. but it is punishing—especially for a franchise film carrying expectations that still haven’t caught up with its current reception.
What made the swing feel even harsher was who beat it.
Two films—both low-budget and directed by essentially first-time filmmakers—outperformed it. “Backrooms. ” a $10 million horror movie from 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons. earned $81.4 million in its first weekend. just slightly less than a $175 million Star Wars movie despite not landing on a holiday weekend.
“Obsession” also took a higher spot. The movie brought in an estimated $26.4 million over the weekend. and it was directed by Curry Barker. a 26-year-old who found fame from YouTube and TikTok. With a production budget of around $750. 000—described as likely lower than what “The Mandalorian” spent on office supplies—“Obsession” still managed to outgross the Star Wars release.
The financial picture now looks bleak.
The results further cement that Disney is likely to lose a substantial amount of money on “The Mandalorian.” Reports have suggested production and marketing costs ran around $300 million. Even factoring in tax credits, a reasonable break-even point would be around $500 million worldwide. With $137 million in domestic grosses and a 70% second-weekend drop, the numbers are unlikely to come close.
If the film repeats another 70% decline for its third weekend. the grosses would fall to about $7.5 million—an outcome that would all but guarantee it ends well short of $200 million domestically. International grosses are described as better. but still underwhelming. leaving open the possibility that the film fails to reach even $375 million worldwide. That scenario could translate into a potential $100 million+ loss for Disney—an especially painful outcome for a Star Wars movie.
A longer shadow hangs over the box office.
The thread running through these declines is that brand strength is no longer acting like a shield. Disney’s Star Wars output. including years of degrading the legacy with “terrible. unwatchable streaming series” and what the source calls the disappointing end of the previous trilogy. has taken a toll. The source places blame with a sense of finality on the choices made under Disney and Kathleen Kennedy. arguing that the franchise hasn’t produced stories and characters that earn the same reverence among younger audiences.
The argument isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s about what the films deliver now.
Teenagers. the source says. don’t have the same reverence for Star Wars that prior generations did because the movies they’ve seen “have not been good enough to warrant it.” Instead of meeting “specific boxes and satisfying targets. ” the source calls for focus on quality stories and memorable characters.
It even frames the stakes in a blunt, character-centered way: does anyone care about Rey, or Poe, or Finn? The source answers no, while pointing out that Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca remain “beloved parts of film history.”
For Disney, the second weekend didn’t just change the ranking. It underscored the reality that when a Star Wars release can be outperformed by two low-budget horror movies from YouTubers—and does so after a dramatic revenue fall—the path to recovery grows thinner with every day.
The Mandalorian and Grogu Disney Lucasfilm Star Wars box office Box Office Mojo Memorial Day weekend Backrooms Obsession Kane Parsons Curry Barker Pedro Pascal Dave Filoni Kathleen Kennedy
70% drop?? That’s wild, I guess people just stopped caring.
I don’t even get it, wasn’t this supposed to be big Star Wars? Like if it opened at $81M, how did it fall to $25M that fast. Also why are random YouTubers making movies that beat Disney now lol
So wait, “Backrooms” made almost as much as a Star Wars movie and it’s only $10 million?? That seems fake. Like didn’t Disney pay for marketing or something? Either way, Memorial Day or not, 70% collapse sounds like a scam to me.
I think it’s because everybody already watched it at home or whatever, like streaming killed theaters again. Also people keep saying Grogu is cute but then it’s like, does Mandalorian even have a plot or is it just vibes. If it can’t hold on past the first weekend, maybe they should’ve released it with Solo the same month?? idk