Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu opens with $12 million in Thursday previews

The Mandalorian & Grogu opens with $12 million in Thursday previews, marking Star Wars’ first major theatrical test since 2019. Early projections suggest an $80M-$100M Memorial Day weekend.

Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu box office collection: Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu has officially begun its box office journey, earning $12 million from Thursday night previews in North America. The film, which marks the first major Star Wars theatrical release since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, started screenings on Thursday afternoon across 4,300 theatres, including premium formats like IMAX, 4DX, and ScreenX.Star

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Thursday preview

According to Deadline, these early numbers place the movie in a similar range to recent Disney tentpoles. It is currently tracking close to Captain America: Brave New World, which also opened with $12 million in previews before hitting a $100 million four-day debut. However, it falls slightly behind Solo: A Star Wars Story, which had $14.1 million in previews. Industry projections suggest The Mandalorian & Grogu could collect between $80 million and $100 million over the Memorial Day weekend.

About Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

The film brings back Pedro Pascal as the stoic bounty hunter Din Djarin, along with his adorable green companion Grogu. The story picks up after the fall of the Empire, as the duo works with the New Republic to tackle remaining Imperial warlords. Recent trailers have teased large-scale action sequences, Grogu’s growing Force powers, and a major mission involving Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White).

Sigourney Weaver joins the cast as Colonel Ward, who recruits Din Djarin and Grogu for a dangerous rescue operation. The film also features a key storyline involving a deal between the New Republic and the Hutt family.

Disney has leaned heavily into Grogu’s massive popularity in its marketing while also appealing to longtime fans with visuals reminiscent of the original trilogy. The campaign included multiple teaser trailers, a big CinemaCon debut, and special merchandise like a LEGO N-1 Starfighter released for Star Wars Day.

Early audience reactions appear stronger than critic reviews so far. The film is currently enjoying solid audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes — notably higher than Solo — indicating that core Star Wars fans are responding well to Din Djarin and Grogu’s big-screen adventure. The coming days will show whether this goodwill can translate into strong legs during the crucial Memorial Day frame.