‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ Blasts Off With Huge Box Office Opening as ‘Obsession’ Scores Surprise Box Office Jump

Disney has returned the “Star Wars” franchise to theaters with a strong opening from The Mandalorian and Grogu. The film leads the domestic box office going into the Memorial Day weekend.

On Friday alone, the movie made about 33 million dollars in North America. It played in around 4,300 theaters. Early estimates suggest it could finish the four-day holiday weekend with a total between 80 million and 100 million dollars. That would put it in a similar range to Solo: A Star Wars Story, which also opened over Memorial Day back in 2018.

The new film is directed by Jon Favreau. It continues the story from the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and follows the bounty hunter and his young companion as they try to rescue Rotta the Hutt. The cast includes Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Sigourney Weaver, and Jonny Coyne.

Even though the opening is strong, it is being viewed in a careful way by the industry. Some analysts say the numbers are solid but not a clear breakout hit. There is also discussion about how “Star Wars” has changed over time, especially because of its shift to streaming series like Andor, Ahsoka, and The Mandalorian. This mix of film and TV storytelling is sometimes called “small-screen influence” on big movies.

Behind it at the box office is the horror film Obsession from Focus Features and director Curry Barker. It is doing better than expected in its second weekend. After opening with 17.2 million dollars, it is now projected to grow about 16 percent. That is unusual for most movies, which normally drop after opening weekend. It is expected to earn about 19.9 million dollars this weekend and reach around 55.1 million dollars in total domestic earnings.

In third place is the musical biopic Michael from Lionsgate. It made 5.1 million dollars on Friday and is expected to reach about 18.5 million dollars for the three-day weekend. Its global total is already close to 788.8 million dollars. At this pace, it could pass Bohemian Rhapsody in worldwide earnings and become the top musical biopic of all time.

At number four is The Devil Wears Prada 2. It made 3.2 million dollars on Friday and is projected to reach about 14 million dollars over the long weekend. Its total domestic earnings are now close to 200 million dollars after four weeks in theaters.

Two other new films also entered the box office chart. I Love Boosters, a comedy from Boots Riley, made about 1.5 million dollars on Friday and is expected to reach 4 to 5 million dollars over the holiday weekend. It stars Keke Palmer, Taylour Paige, Naomi Ackie, Demi Moore, and LaKeith Stanfield.

The horror film Passenger from Paramount also opened this weekend. It made about 3.5 million dollars on its first day and is expected to land between 9 and 10 million dollars over the full holiday frame. It is directed by André Øvredal and follows a couple who get caught in a frightening situation after witnessing a highway crash.

Overall, the Memorial Day box office is led by a mix of big franchise returns, strong horror performances, and steady holdovers that continue to earn solid numbers into their second and third weekends.

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