“The Mandalorian and Grogu” key art.
LUCASFILM LTD./DISNEY
Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu, starring Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver and the voice of Jeremy Allen White, will try to find a new audience on Disney+ this week after the film struggled at the box office.
Directed by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian and Grogu opened in theaters on May 22 before pivoted to digital streaming via premium video on demand on July 21. The Mandalorian & Grogu, of course, is based on the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian, which ran for three seasons from 2019 to 2023.
In the new big-screen chapter of The Mandalorian spinoff, Din Djarin/Mando (Pascal) and his Baby Yoda-like counterpart Grogu are recruited by Colonel Ward (Weaver) and the Rebel Alliance to locate Rotta the Hutt (White), the long-lost son of the nefarious gangster Jabba the Hutt and return him to his father’s twin siblings. The Hutt Twins, however, don’t exactly have a joyful family reunion in mind for Rotta.
Rated PG-13, The Mandalorian & Grogu also stars Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder as the suit actors for Din Djarin, Jonny Coyne as the crime lord Janu Coin, Steve Blum as the voice of New Republic pilot Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios and Martin Scorese as the voice of Hugo Durant, an alien merchant.
While The Mandalorian & Grogu was the first Star Wars movie to play in theaters since 2019’s Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, fans didn’t exactly embrace the film with open arms, as it earned $98 million domestically from 4,300 North American theaters in its four-day Memorial Day weekend debut— setting a record for the lowest opening for a Disney Star Wars film. Before that, Solo: A Star Wars Story had the lowest opening for a film in the franchise when it earned $103 million domestically over Memorial Day weekend in 2018.
After the film suffered a disastrous 70% domestic box office take in its second weekend frame, it went on to earn $177.7 million in North American Theaters and $168.1 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $345.8 million against a $165 million production budget before marketing costs.
While Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro admitted The Mandalorian & Grogu (as well as the live-action version of Moana) didn’t meet “box office expectations” in the company’s earnings call in early August (via Variety), the release of the film benefited the company in other ways.
“The Mandalorian and Grogu drove healthy growth in retail sales for the Star Wars franchise and drew guests to the updated Millennium Falcon attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and led to significant engagement in gaming as well,” D’Amaro said.
‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Arrives On Disney+ On Wednesday
About three and a half months after Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu opened in theaters, the latest chapter of the saga returns home to where the series began on Disney+ to find out if it can benefit the streaming platform like other areas of the company.
Disney announced recently that The Mandalorian and Grogu will be available on streaming video on demand starting on Tuesday, Sept. 2.
For viewers who don’t have a Disney+ subscription, Disney+ has two subscription options. Disney+ with ads costs $11.99 per month, while the ad-free Disney+ premium costs $18.99 per month or $189.99 per year. Bundling options with Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max are also available.
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