The Mandalorian – The first ‘Star Wars’ movie in theaters since December 2019 opened to about $100 million over four days, the weakest start for a Disney-era release. The franchise’s reliance on TV, stalled movie plans, and the challenge of selling a familiar universe to a chan
When the first “Star Wars” film landed in theaters after a long stretch. the expectation was simple: get the saga moving again. This holiday weekend brought “The Mandalorian and Grogu” to screens for the first time in months of anticipation—but the box-office number left a quieter impression than Disney must have hoped.
The new movie opened with about $100 million over four days. based on studio estimates. and it arrived as “The Rise of Skywalker” had ended the Skywalker Saga in December 2019 with what many fans saw as a disappointing finish. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” didn’t exactly recreate George Lucas’ box-office heyday.
In fact. the opening is the weakest start for a “Star Wars” movie released by Disney—just a hair lower than the Memorial Day opening weekend of 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” That matters because it places the franchise’s biggest on-screen return squarely under the microscope at the very moment it’s trying to prove it can still command the largest screen in Hollywood.
The problem isn’t that “Star Wars” is gone. It’s that it’s been scattered—less a unified movie franchise than an all-out TV engine. Since Disney+ began rolling out “The Mandalorian. ” the series introduced a child that looked a lot like a wise Jedi Master many viewers already knew and loved. even before his name was revealed as Grogu and “Baby Yoda” became the cultural shorthand.
Over time, the screen strategy widened. Six other TV shows debuted after “The Mandalorian. ” ranging from “Andor. ” described here as an acclaimed. clear-eyed look at a rebellion against fascism. to “Skeleton Crew. ” a kid-friendly adventure with pirates and plenty of young characters. At the same time. movies were announced with big momentum and then faded from view: a new trilogy was set in motion only to stall; Simon Kinberg was tapped for a three-part series; Patty Jenkins signed on for “Rogue Squadron. ” positioned as “Star Wars”’ version of “Top Gun.” Daisy Ridley was supposedly coming back for a Rey-centric adventure. and there were also films tied to Marvel leadership. including Kevin Feige. Taika Waititi. and James Mangold.
Even the eventual output has been thin for a franchise built on epic space dramas. So far. only two actual movies have materialized: “The Mandalorian and Grogu. ” and director Shawn Levy’s “Star Wars: Starfighter. ” scheduled for theaters on May 28. 2027. starring Ryan Gosling. That imbalance—TV output accelerating while major movie plans stall—hangs over the question of what “Star Wars” really is right now and what it must become next.
This holiday release is also being measured against a franchise identity that’s changed. In the past, missing a theater showing could feel like losing history in real time. The story of lines outside theaters dates back to 1983 for the first “Return of the Jedi” showing. and it loops forward to 1999. when fans missing “Star Wars” bought tickets to “Wing Commander” just to catch the first trailer for “The Phantom Menace.” That era looks different now—not just because online tickets and footage streams exist. but because the market itself has been altered by the internet and by COVID.
The “Star Wars” challenge now sits in a crowded entertainment landscape where other franchises don’t always scale like they used to. The piece points to kids being hungry for Super Mario. while adults chase their sci-fi fix through “Project Hail Mary.” With that backdrop. “Star Wars” is back. but it’s back in a market that doesn’t automatically hand it the biggest share of attention.
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” is described as a solid start that switches up the usual template. The film is essentially a compressed season of the Mando’s show. delivering a fun. creature-filled pulp adventure with a big heart. What it doesn’t fully deliver. at least in this framing. is the high-stakes spectacle and grandeur that audiences may associate with classic “Star Wars” scale—those moments where good guys blow up a Death Star.
There’s also a clear merchandising calculus in the background: Grogu is “good for pushing merch and Burger King meals.” But the franchise can’t rely on one character’s commercial pull forever. To move beyond the opening weekend number, “Star Wars” needs more than familiar comforts.
A key shift is underway behind the scenes. with Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni described as taking the helm as the latest Jedi master for this galaxy. Filoni is framed here as an apprentice under Lucas in the 2000s. and the moment is positioned as a “new day” for the franchise—even if it’s in a vastly different entertainment world than 1983 or 1999.
For “Star Wars” to keep an all-medium. all-the-time approach. the franchise would have to evolve rather than simply extend what already works. Sticking to fan service for those who grew up with the original trilogy or prequels may not be enough. especially because the piece suggests those audiences—at least critics and trolls online—aren’t as reliable as they once were. The goal. in this telling. is to find a new generation of fans and build the next layer of shared passion.
There’s another road proposed: pick a lane. TV can be more cinematic than it has ever been. with “Andor” offered as an example of how deep “Star Wars” can go. But if the franchise intends to center TV even more, it needs to evolve its rules and focus. If it tries to reemphasize movies, it needs creative focus that feels distinct from television packaging.
The most forceful idea laid out here is the kind of risk that doesn’t merely polish what came before. The piece calls for doing something “crazy and different,” leaving well-tread timelines and returning to a kind of bold reset. It points to the decade-spanning success of 1977 as proof that radical pivots can work.
For now, the numbers and the release rhythm don’t offer a clean victory lap. The franchise just made its return to theaters with a movie that’s being framed as promising—but not yet capable of turning the saga’s momentum back into the kind of grandeur audiences once treated as guaranteed.
Where “Star Wars” goes next may depend less on whether Baby Yoda can draw attention and more on whether the franchise can create a new kind of pull—one that doesn’t just land in theaters, but changes what audiences come to expect when the Force stirs.
Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu box office Disney Lucasfilm Dave Filoni Grogu Pedro Pascal streaming strategy Solo A Star Wars Story The Rise of Skywalker Starfighter Ryan Gosling