Disney Star Wars just lost the top daily box office spot to a low-budget R-rated horror movie.
The Mandalorian and Grogu fell to #2 on Wednesday as Obsession reclaimed the #1 spot with $5,634,105. The Star Wars movie brought in $4,194,737 for the day.
Obsession also took #1 on Thursday with $4,833,565 to Mando’s $3,544,756.
Obsession reportedly cost only $750,000 to $1 million to make. The Mandalorian and Grogu reportedly cost around $166 million, with reports saying it needs to hit around $475 million to be considered a success.
So, yes, a tiny R-rated horror movie just beat Disneyâs big family-friendly Grogu movie at the box office.
The Mandalorian & Grogu is also collapsing in its second weekend.
Obsession Word Of Mouth Looks Strong
Obsession opened a week before The Mandalorian and Grogu, but the horror movie is showing strong word-of-mouth.
The film increased 39.3% in its second weekend, going from $17.19 million in its opening weekend to $23.96 million in weekend two. Over the four-day Memorial Day frame, Obsession brought in $31.98 million.
Now it has reclaimed the daily #1 spot.
Obsession currently sits at $73.52 million domestic, $22.28 million international, and $95.8 million worldwide.
For a movie with a reported budget under $1 million, thatâs a monster run.
It also makes The Mandalorian and Grogu look worse. Obsession is R-rated horror. Mando is a family-friendly Star Wars movie with Grogu. The fact that Obsession passed it on Wednesday says a lot.
Mando Is Tracking Under Solo
The Mandalorian and Grogu is now at $108.82 million domestic, $63 million international, and $171.82 million worldwide, after opening as the lowest-grossing Star Wars movie of all time.
The movie opened with $102 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend and $81.96 million over the three-day frame.
That already put it below Solo: A Star Wars Story, which opened to $84 million over three days and $103 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend back in 2018.
The weekday numbers are also close, but not in a good way for Mando.
Solo brought in $7,295,767 on its first Tuesday and $4,855,886 on its first Wednesday.
The Mandalorian and Grogu brought in $6,537,470 on Tuesday and $4,194,737 on Wednesday. Thursday’s number is also higher at $4,424,227.
Through five days domestically, Solo had $110,312,579.
The Mandalorian and Grogu has $108,823,848.
So Mando is still coming in under Solo, and thatâs without adjusting for inflation. Solo also finished under $400M, and if Mando is tracking less, that would mean Mando would be considered a bomb.
Second Weekend Drop Is The Big Test
This weekend is now huge for The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Solo collapsed in its second weekend, dropping 65.2% from its three-day opening and 71.46% from its four-day Memorial Day opening.
A front-loaded opening would suggest the movie played mostly to the remaining hardcore Star Wars audience and didnât bring in enough casual fans, families, or lapsed viewers.
A better hold would give Disney a way to spin the opening as a decent restart for Star Wars in theaters.
Right now, the numbers are not great, but the movie isnât dead yet.
Star Wars Needs Legs
The Mandalorian and Grogu does have a lower budget than Solo, which helps. Solo reportedly cost far more because of its reshoots, while Mando is said to be around $166 million.
That means The Mandalorian and Grogu has a better path to profitability.
Still, this is Star Wars.
A movie featuring Grogu, Din Djarin, and the return of the franchise to theaters shouldnât be fighting to stay ahead of Solo. It definitely shouldnât be losing the daily box office to a low-budget R-rated horror movie in its first week.
Maybe The Mandalorian and Grogu holds well. Maybe family audiences keep showing up. Maybe Grogu merchandise helps Disney soften the blow.
But if the second weekend drop is ugly (which it is), the warning signs around Star Wars are only going to get louder.
We’ve also put it forth that Disney needs to stop avoiding Luke Skywalker.
