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Star Wars’ latest film has managed to set a new record with the lowest opening weekend box office in the franchise’s history.
The Mandalorian and Grogu hit cinemas this weekend, following the success of the TV series, which aired its last season three years ago.
However, the opening weekend only pulled in $82million (£61million) in the US, according to Variety, against a $165million (£122million) budget.
Yes, it’s even lower than 2018’s Han Solo spin-off, which reached $84million after a budget double that of Mando and Grogu’s.
Both films were released over America’s Memorial Day weekend, which could suggest even Star Wars can’t break free of a bank holiday slump.
Despite the low turnout, The Mandalorian and Grogu did actually top the charts over the weekend and is predicted to break even thanks to its lean budget.
Internationally, the film earned $64 million, totalling a $145 million run over the three days, so it is predicted to equal its budget over the four days.
To break even, a blockbuster usually needs to earn double to three times the budget.
The Mandalorian and Grogu, directed by Iron Man’s Jon Favreau, sits at 62% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while eager audiences have given it an 89%.
Pedro Pascal stars as the Mandalorian, Din Djarin, alongside his little green sidekick, who was affectionately nicknamed ‘baby Yoda’ by fans.
As Djarin rarely takes off his helmet, fans noticed the Mandalorian suit performer, Brendan Wayne, and stunt performer Lateef Crowder were credited just after Pedro.
In 2023, the Last of Us star confirmed he largely just voices Mando now rather than doing the physical performance.
‘For a lot of it, yeah,’ he told fellow actor Macaulay Culkin during a roundtable for Hollywood Reporter, with the duo joking the suit actor was ‘much better’ than Pedro.
He added: ‘I’ve had the interesting experience and the fortune, really, to be a part of jobs that have these franchise-size successes, and you’re very taken care of in terms of their level of exposure and, if you can, being a part of elevating that or nurturing that in any way with your acting.
‘That’s been very lucky for me, but they’ve all felt like these kinds of big machines. And so it would be really interesting to see what happens if I can step into something that is more of a risk as far as how big the project is, where it would be more story. Not to say that it’s not because of the stories that these things that are grander in scale work.’
The Mandalorian and Grogu marks the first Star Wars film to hit cinemas since the sequel trilogy ended in 2019 with The Rise of Skywalker, which grossed over $1billion globally.
Instead, Disney has focused on live-action series, such as Andor, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and the Acolyte, and while many proved popular, they haven’t managed to break through to the mainstream success of Mando and his tiny sidekick.
The rest of the weekend’s box office top five was made up with previous releases like Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Sheep Detectives.
Michael sits at three in the charts, kept off the number two by Obsession – a Focus Features horror that’s proving to be an underdog success.
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