‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Opens Below ‘Solo’ in Previews, Raising Questions About Star Wars’ Big-Screen Return

Star Wars making its long-awaited return to the big screen is the kind of cinematic event that only comes along once in a generation. With ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu‘ now officially in theaters, director Jon Favreau is steering the beloved franchise back to the multiplex for the first time in seven years, carrying the hopes of Lucasfilm, Disney, and a deeply passionate fanbase along with him.

The film reunites audiences with Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin and his tiny, Force-sensitive companion, picking up their story in a post-Empire galaxy. The mission this time involves Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward of the New Republic tasking the Mandalorian with rescuing Rotta the Hutt, voiced by Jeremy Allen White, while Martin Scorsese lends his voice to a memorable four-armed food stand chef. It is a star-studded premise built on one of the most beloved pairings in modern genre television.

The film launched preview screenings Thursday night across 4,300 North American theaters and brought in $12 million, marking Lucasfilm’s first major theatrical test since 2019’s ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ That number places the film squarely in the conversation alongside recent Disney tentpoles, but the comparison that has drawn the most industry attention is a less flattering one. In 2018, ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ earned $14.1 million in previews on its way to a four-day opening of $103 million, making ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ the lowest preview earner of any Star Wars film released under Disney’s ownership of Lucasfilm.

That matters because ‘Solo’ holds a particular place in Star Wars history. Variety reported the film would lose Disney tens of millions of dollars off a projected global total of $400 to $450 million, while The Hollywood Reporter placed those losses somewhere between $50 and $80 million, making it the only entry in the franchise to actually cost the studio money. Opening below it in previews is not a crisis, but it is a data point that signals measured rather than explosive audience enthusiasm heading into the weekend.

Tracking services had already placed the film’s four-day domestic opening somewhere between $82 million and $100 million, with some exhibitors leaning toward the higher end of that range. For context, an opening in the $90 million range is strong by current Hollywood standards, even if it reads as relatively modest by the franchise’s own historical benchmarks. The film will also act as a stress test for future Star Wars theatrical releases, with Disney’s ‘Starfighter,’ starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy, already slated for cinemas in 2027.

On the critical side, the film entered the weekend sitting at 61 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, actually landing below ‘Solo’s’ 69 percent score at the same stage. Audience reception, however, has been warmer, and family demographics are expected to be a meaningful driver across the Memorial Day stretch. Through its first two seasons, ‘The Mandalorian’ was very well received on Disney+, and Star Wars fans, particularly younger ones, have shown deep affection for Grogu.

Whether those fans show up in the numbers Lucasfilm needs will define what this weekend means for the franchise’s future on the big screen. If you have seen ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ this weekend, share whether you think Mando and Grogu’s chemistry translated to the theatrical experience in the comments.