The Mandalorian and Grogu is now playing in theatres, and Thursday preview numbers are in.
Deadline reports that TMAG took in around $12 million at the domestic box office last night. Not a bad start in a vacuum, but for the first big-screen Star Wars adventure in 7 years? For context, this is slightly less than the Thursday takings of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which made $14.1 million back in 2018.
As things stand, the movie looks set for an $80M-$100M 4-day Memorial Weekend haul, with worldwide estimates at around $160 million.
On the plus side, The Mandalorian and Grogu is holding steady at 61% (88% Audience Score) on Rotten Tomatoes after initially generating a "Rotten" 59% score.
Reviews don't tend to influence ticket sales too much - especially for a major tentpole like this - but RT is a very popular site, and that green splat can make a difference in the minds of prospective moviegoers.
Do you plan on seeing The Mandalorian and Grogu on the big screen this weekend? Let us know in the comments.
Jon Favreau directs and produces the feature spin-off, with Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni also serving as producers.
"I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created," Favreau said of directing his first Star Wars movie in a previous statement. "The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting."
Kennedy added, "Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have ushered into Star Wars two new and beloved characters, and this new story is a perfect fit for the big screen."
Alien icon Sigourney Weaver is also on board as Ward, a colonel and leader of the New Republic's Adelphi Rangers who previously served as a pilot for the Rebel Alliance. The Clone Wars bounty hunter, Embo, is believed to be the main villain.
Favreau was asked why these characters were chosen to be the focus of the next Star Wars movie during an interview with Total Film.
"I'm not sure what, exactly, why we were asked to do this. I suspect it was because these are characters that people, even who hadn't seen Star Wars, may be aware of, especially Grogu. Baby Yoda was everywhere. And these are two characters that were used to launch Disney Plus, and we made no assumptions when the Mandalorian TV show came on that anybody had seen any Star Wars before. But we also wanted to make it feel authentic to Star Wars, and so the world that we created as the backdrop and the way the characters present themselves were embraced by Star Wars fans, which I really appreciate.
But it also was an inroad for people who may not have ever watched Star Wars on television, and here we are now, seven years after the last film. I think there's an opportunity to present Star Wars to a new audience using these characters as well."