The Mandalorian And Grogu, the first Star Wars movie in seven years, heads to theatres this weekend as Walt Disney bets on the charm of Baby Yoda to re-energise the film franchise.
Disney put the Star Wars movies on hiatus following 2019's The Rise Of Skywalker after executives concluded they had released too many films in a short period. That same year, the Star Wars TV show The Mandalorian became a hit on the Disney+ streaming service.
The series introduced a small green creature with oversized eyes, initially dubbed Baby Yoda and later revealed to be named Grogu, that became a pop culture sensation.
Grogu's big-screen adventure, however, may open with the smallest domestic box office result for any Star Wars movie since Disney bought the franchise from creator George Lucas in 2012.
Analysts predict The Mandalorian And Grogu will take in roughly US$75mil to US$100mil over the Memorial Day weekend at US and Canadian theatres.
Disney's lowest-grossing Star Wars film, Solo: A Star Wars Story, brought in US$103mil over Memorial Day weekend in 2018 and was considered a flop.
"What Disney is trying to figure out is, theatrically speaking, is Star Wars still essential? Do people still feel like they need to go see it in the theatres?" said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co.
Bock said he expected Mandalorian And Grogu to bring in roughly US$85mil domestically through Monday. That would be a success, Bock said, given the film cost about US$165mil to make compared with US$300mil-plus production budgets for other Star Wars movies. It also would spark more sales of Baby Yoda toys and t-shirts, he said.
The movie stars Pedro Pascal as a helmeted Mandalorian bounty hunter who works with Grogu to free a prisoner in the galaxy far, far away.
At a fan event in London, Pascal pitched the movie as "a big-screen experience" like the ones he watched as a child. The franchise debuted in 1977 and has taken in more than US$10bil at theatres worldwide.
"People lost their minds over Star Wars, which is why it exists as it does today and why it needs to be on a big screen again," he said.
Critics so far are split on the movie, which as of Wednesday had a 60% positive rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.
Daily Beast entertainment critic Nick Schager called the film "a swashbuckling space Western that deftly marries combative spectacle and kid-friendly cuteness." Bilge Ebiri, Vulture and New York film critic, found the movie "drab and stone-faced to a fault."
Disney's next movie, Star Wars: Starfighter featuring Ryan Gosling, is scheduled to hit cinemas in May 2027. – Reuters
