Disney’s return to the Star Wars film universe with The Mandalorian and Grogu has produced the weakest box office debut for any Disney-era Star Wars release.
Even when inflation is taken into account, it marks the franchise’s lowest opening weekend since 1999, as reported [1] by Breitbart.
Over the traditional Friday-through-Sunday period, The Mandalorian and Grogu earned just $81 million. Thanks to the extended Memorial Day weekend, totals are projected to close around $97 million after the four-day holiday stretch.
‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Take Off To Fantastic 81 Million For Opening Weekend (@themandalorian [2]) #Mayboxoffice [3] #Boxoffice [4] #Weekendboxoffice [5] https://t.co/ZFYFi60OlF [6] pic.twitter.com/8w81enmTpc [7]
— mxdwn Movies (@mxdwnmovies) May 25, 2026 [8]
The film’s performance breaks the previous low set by Solo: A Star Wars Story, which pulled in $84 million over its three-day debut and $103 million over the same four-day Memorial Day weekend period.
When comparing inflation-adjusted numbers, the contrast becomes even sharper. In current dollars, Solo’s opening weekend would equate to $137 million over four days, far ahead of The Mandalorian and Grogu’s current haul.
Solo ultimately reached $214 million domestically and $392 million globally, though it carried a massive production cost of $275 million before marketing.
The Mandalorian and Grogu, while reported to have a smaller $160 million budget, still faces a steep break-even point estimated between $450 million and $500 million.
Despite the headline-making underperformance, Disney insiders are reportedly relieved that the film at least landed within expectations. A deeper decline would have been seen as an outright disaster.
The coming weekend is expected to clarify the movie’s longer-term trajectory, particularly with a two-week window before any major studio competition arrives in the form of Masters of the Universe and Scary Movie.
Still, even with moderate optimism inside the studio, the debut confirms what critics have argued for years: Star Wars has lost its long-held status as an automatic box office event.
Measured by inflation, The Mandalorian and Grogu posted the weakest Star Wars opening in 27 years. The last time the series performed this poorly relative to the marketplace was before the modern era of blockbuster franchises began.
The comparison becomes more striking with context. The Devil Wears Prada 2, a non-action sequel targeting a very different audience, launched at $77 million across three days, just $4 million less than Disney’s once-indomitable space saga.
For longtime fans, the shift represents a dramatic fall from grace. Star Wars, once a near-guaranteed phenomenon capable of dominating every release window, now faces skepticism over whether it can still command cultural excitement.
While The Mandalorian and Grogu may ultimately avoid being labeled a total flop, the result underscores a steep decline in audience enthusiasm and franchise vitality.
Even a modest success cannot obscure that the Star Wars brand, for decades synonymous with cinematic magic, has been measurably diminished.