Reuters
source: reuters
“The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the first “Star Wars” movie in seven years, heads to theaters this weekend as Walt Disney (DIS.N), opens new tab bets on the charm of Baby Yoda to re-energize the film franchise.
Disney put the “Star Wars” movies on hiatus following 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” after executives concluded they had released too many films in a short period. That same year, the “Star Wars” TV show “The Mandalorian” became a hit on the Disney+ streaming service.
The series introduced a small green creature with oversized eyes, initially dubbed Baby Yoda and later revealed to be named Grogu, that became a pop culture sensation.
Grogu’s big-screen adventure, however, may open with the smallest domestic box office result for any “Star Wars” movie since Disney bought the franchise from creator George Lucas in 2012. Analysts predict “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will take in roughly $75 million to $100 million over the Memorial Day weekend at U.S. and Canadian theaters.
Disney’s lowest-grossing “Star Wars” film, “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” brought in $103 million over Memorial Day weekend in 2018 and was considered a flop.
“What Disney is trying to figure out is, theatrically speaking, is Star Wars still essential? Do people still feel like they need to go see it in the theaters?” said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co.
Bock said he expected “Mandalorian and Grogu” to bring in roughly $85 million domestically through Monday. That would be a success, Bock said, given the film cost about $165 million to make compared with $300 million-plus production budgets for other “Star Wars” movies. It also would spark more sales of Baby Yoda toys and t-shirts, he said.
