Can Baby Yoda become a cultural touchstone once again?
That’s the major question as Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu opens on the big screen over Memorial Day weekend. The film continues the story of The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau‘s series that helped launch Disney+ and introduced the world to Baby Yoda (Grogu) just before the depths of the pandemic
The scrutiny couldn’t be more intense. A standalone movie or not, it’s the first Star Wars film to play in theaters in seven years due to a host of reasons, beginning with the pandemic and followed by the labor strikes.
Tracking services show The Mandalorian and Grogu opening to roughly $82 million at the domestic box office for the four days, while some exhibitors see it coming in as high as $95 million to $100 million. That would be on the lower end of any Star Wars title released by Disney since paying $4.05 billion to buy Lucasfilm in 2012, and it could potentially end up the lowest domestically, not adjusted for inflation. Globally, Disney insiders expect Mandalorian and Grogu to earn at least $160 million. It’s rolling out in virtually every corner of the globe, save for South Korea.
Others who pay close attention to social metrics are more bullish. A major advantage: it is arguably the most family friendly title of any Star Wars film.
