"Star Wars Showdown: Did The Mandalorian and Grogu Just Flop Under the Holiday Spotlight?"
Added on May 24, 2026 inFree Entertainment News, Free Movie News
Numerology Meets Netflix: Get Your Daily Dose of Cosmic Cinema Suggestions Powered By Our AI Astrologer. Find The Show Or Movie You Were Meant To See!
Then Join Our FREE Newsletter To Watch Your Choice Of Movies And Shows For FREE Plus Get The Latest Entertainment News And Updates!
As the stars align and the box office numbers roll in, we find ourselves on a cinematic rollercoaster. Just as we foresaw, the latest venture into the galaxy—The Mandalorian and Grogu—is debuting with an opening that’s decidedly less than stellar. Grossing an estimated $81.9 million this weekend and projected to hit just shy of $100 million by the end of the holiday, the question remains: Is this an omen for Disney’s intergalactic escapade? In a cosmos filled with blockbuster potentials, this entry’s performance raises eyebrows and triggers thoughts of past launches like Solo: A Star Wars Story, which brought in slightly more despite a hefty price tag. With The Mandalorian and Grogu budgeted at about $165 million, crossing the $400 million mark will tip the scales toward profit but hardly matches the lofty expectations that often accompany a franchise of this magnitude. Meanwhile, a more eerie tale unfolds with the breakout success of Obsession, marking a stellar rise in ticket sales and solidifying its spot as a sleeper hit. With these contrasting fates playing out, one has to wonder: is this a weekend of cosmic misalignment or merely the ebb and flow of Hollywood’s ever-changing tides? Let’s dive into the details of this weekend box office saga! LEARN MORE
Just as we predicted earlier this week, the early numbers for The Mandalorian and Grogu (read our review here) are in, and they are underwhelming. It made an estimated $81.9 million this weekend and is likely to hit just under $100 million for the four-day holiday. Overseas, it made an additional $63 million. Yet no one seems too sure whether this one is a hit. By comparison, Solo: A Star Wars Story made a shade more at $84.4 million back in 2018, although it cost a huge $300 million. By contrast, The Mandalorian and Grogu was made for a lot less, with estimates pegging it somewhere in the $165 million range. Solo topped out at under $400 million worldwide. If Mandalorian reaches that number, it will likely break even, but it’s not the hit Disney likely hoped for, making it an inauspicious relaunch for the franchise on the big screen.
But, in a lot of ways, the big story this weekend has nothing to do with a galaxy far, far away. Rather, it has to do with last weekend’s horror sleeper, Obsession. After a solid opening in the high teens, Obsession (read our review here)—which scored an A-minus CinemaScore (rare for horror)—actually spiked 30% for a $22.4 million weekend and a $52.7 million domestic haul, with it well on its way to $100 million. Expect Curry Barker to join Zach Cregger on the new horror A-list, with Obsession likely becoming one of the most profitable cost-to-gross movies ever, seeing as it had a $750k budget (although Focus paid $15 million to acquire it—which now seems like a smart deal).
Another movie that’s showing incredible legs is Lionsgate’s Michael, which fell only 23% this weekend to $20 million, with a massive $314.2 million domestic gross as it closes in on $800 million worldwide. A billion-dollar gross isn’t out of the question for this one, with this Michael Jackson biopic sure to end its run as the highest-grossing music biopic of all time.
Disney/20th Century Studios’ The Devil Wears Prada 2 also keeps plugging away, making $12.5 million for a $196.1 million domestic gross. Worldwide, it stands at a pretty damn huge $600 million. This one is printing money at the box office, and as such, I’d be stunned if we didn’t get another sequel before long—there’s no way it takes another twenty years (although perhaps scarcity played a part in its sustained success).
Amazon/ MGM’s The Sheep Detectives also had a good weekend. Despite losing over 300 screens, it fell only 6% to make $8.9 million, for a $43 million domestic total. Family audiences are turning this one into a solid sleeper.
However, while the box office was strong this Memorial Day weekend, Paramount had a dud with Passenger, which only mustered $8.7 million. In all fairness, Passenger was ill-timed, as it had to compete with Obsession, which is going to suck up all the air as far as horror movies go over the next few weeks. It’s dominating the cultural conversation, so Passenger, with its middling B-minus CinemaScore rating, never had a chance.
WB/New Line’s Mortal Kombat 2 has also fallen off faster than expected, grossing $6.1 million for a $72 million domestic total. While not exactly a summer blockbuster, it still will turn a nice profit, paving the way for a third film.
One movie that whiffed this weekend is Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters, which only grossed $3.7 million. To be a hit, a movie like this really needs to become part of the cultural conversation, but it seemed to have little impact at the box office, despite its high-profile SXSW debut.
Finally, The Super Mario Bros. Galaxy Movie and Project Hail Mary started to wrap up their theatrical runs, adding $3.1 million and $2.7 million to their $423 million and $329 million totals.
Next weekend sees the release of A24’s Backrooms, which many think will be a sizable hit, but will Obsession leave any room for it to make an impact? Let us know in the comments
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
![Pin It](javascript:imwb_teepress_window_open('https://pinterest.com/pin/create/bookmarklet/?media=https://iconoclasmic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/star-wars-showdown-did-the-mandalorian-and-grogu-just-flop-under-the-holiday-spotlight-500x500.webp&url={URL}&description="Star Wars Showdown: Did The Mandalorian and Grogu Just Flop Under the Holiday Spotlight?"', 'https%3A%2F%2Ficonoclasmic.com%2Fstar-wars-showdown-did-the-mandalorian-and-grogu-just-flop-under-the-holiday-spotlight%2F')){kind=link}