> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theomnicosm.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ fails to beat ‘Solo’ 3-day opening weekend - URL: https://www.theomnicosm.com/popculturology-box-office-report-mandalorian-grogu/ - Published: 2026-05-25T11:00:24.000Z - Updated: 2026-05-25T11:00:24.000Z - Description: The first ‘Star Wars’ film since 2019 is on track for the worst debut of the Disney era. - Author: Bill Kuchman - Tags: Popculturology • The Box Office Report, Popculturology, Star Wars, The Mandalorian and Grogu, Obsession, Curry Barker, Michael, The Devil Wears Prada Hello! Welcome to **The** **Box Office Report** for the weekend of May 22-24, 2026. ## 1\. The Mandalorian and Grogu *Weekend gross: *$82M** *Total domestic gross: *$82M** *Last weekend: *New release** *Percent drop: *NA** There are a few tells when it comes to how a film’s box office performance is being positioned to make up for the film’s lackluster numbers. Maybe it’s the global debut for an MCU movie being highlighted instead of the film’s domestic total. Or, for *The Mandalorian and Grogu*, a four-day holiday weekend opening being pitched instead of the traditional three-day weekend. [The first *Star Wars* movie to hit theaters since 2019](https://www.theomnicosm.com/popculturology-newsletter-colbert-late-show/) scored an estimated three-day debut of $82 million. But with Monday being a holiday, you’re probably going to see articles that are speculating on whether *The Mandalorian and Grogu* will hit $100 million — a number that might be possible if you include that fourth day. Comparing the traditional three-day weekends for *Star Wars* movies, it looks like *The Mandalorian and Grogu* will have opened with the lowest first weekend of the Disney era. The film’s $82 million weekend would trail *Solo*’s $84.4 million. It also dramatically pales in comparison to *The Force Awakens* ($248 million), *The Last Jedi* ($220 million), *The Rise of Skywalker* ($177.4 million) and *Rogue One* ($155.1 million). The “let’s turn a TV show into a movie” trick also failed to be as effective for Disney as when the studio turned an in-progress Moana series for Disney+ into Moana 2, [which grossed](https://www.theomnicosm.com/moana-2-knows-the-way-to-a-massive-thanksgiving-weekend/) $139.8 million over its traditional three-day weekend and $225.4 million over the long Thanksgiving weekend. - *📖* [***The Mandalorian & Grogu* Won’t Lose Money. It May Not Rescue *Star Wars* Either**](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-mandalorian-grogu-star-wars-box-office-1236604300/?ref=theomnicosm.com) *(Pamela McClintock and James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter)*: “The film wasn’t expensive by *Star Wars* standards — it has the lowest production budget of any previous title made since Disney acquired Lucasfilm. But nor was it cheap: $165 million before a global ad campaign of at least $100 million, likely more. Those close to Disney’s decision-making confirmthe Jon Favreau film needs to make $500 to $600 million globally to land in the black.” ![Popculturology](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2026/02/popculturology-wordmark.png) Welcome to Popculturology! This publication is a free newsletter, but it’s fueled by readers like you. Support independent news, reviews and more for **just $5 a month**. [Upgrade to Paid](https://www.theomnicosm.com/about/#/portal/account/plans) Includes full access to **Snackology** and **The Cold Open**. ## 2\. Obsession *Weekend gross: *$22.4M** *Total domestic gross: *$52.8M** *Last weekend: *3rd** *Percent increase: *30** Despite adding a meager 40 theaters from last weekend, *Obsession* saw a 30 percent spike in its box office haul, jumping from a $17.2 million third-place debut to a $22.4 million weekend that put **Curry Barker**’s film in second place. While I still don’t plan on seeing *Obsession*, I have watched a bunch of YouTube videos from That’s a Bad Idea, Barker’s comedy duo. He’s a weirdo, and I enjoy those sketches. - [**Obsession Filmmaker Curry Barker Just Released His First Hit Movie. He’s Ready to Get Back to His Bedroom and Edit the Next One**](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/obsession-curry-barker-talks-horror-1236597764/?utm%5Fsource=zeta&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=Weekender+2&bt%5Fee=6k8sml6kCQ6gt%2FfpKSUy9Dg1n70L5vqva2E7d7x%2Ff3pl3pdhM8mTjPuFomR1KbDY&bt%5Fts=1779550262666) *(Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter)*: “And as *Obsession* hit theaters last week, Barker closed his deal to write, direct and produce his take on *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre* for A24, a movie he landed without having to jump through hoops, thanks to the TIFF halo around *Obsession*. His deal grants him an extraordinary amount of creative control, especially for a young director on a big IP project.” ALSO FROM THE OMNICOSM Love what you’re reading? You might also enjoy **Snackology**, a deep-dive into the world of snacks, fast food and limited-edition treats. [Read the latest from Snackology →](https://www.theomnicosm.com/tag/snackology/) Already a subscriber? [Update your settings](https://www.theomnicosm.com/#/portal/account/plans) to add **Snackology** to your inbox. ## 3\. Michael *Weekend gross: *$20M** *Total domestic gross: *$314.2M** *Last weekend: *1st** *Percent drop: *23** *Michael* continues its surprising box office performance. The **Michael Jackson** biopic added another $20 million to its domestic total, falling just 23 percent between its fourth and fifth weekends in theaters. On the 2026 domestic chart, *Michael* currently sits at No. 3, with its $314.2 million trailing *Project Hail Mary*’s $339.6 million. With *Michael*’s current trajectory, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the biopic moonwalk past **Ryan Gosling**. ## 4\. The Devil Wears Prada 2 *Weekend gross: *$12.6M** *Total domestic gross: *$196.1M** *Last weekend: *2nd** *Percent drop: *29** By the end of Memorial Day, *The Devil Wears Prada 2* will become the fourth movie released in 2026 to cross the $200 million mark, joining *The Super Mario Galaxy Movie* ($423.6 million), *Project Hail Mary* ($339.6 million) and *Michael* ($314.2 million). Get daily pop culture updates and news from **Bill Kuchman** on social media. [ ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2026/02/bluesky-green.svg) Bluesky ](https://bsky.app/profile/billkuchman.bsky.social?ref=theomnicosm.com) [ ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2026/02/instagram-green.svg) Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/theomnicosm/?ref=theomnicosm.com) ## 5\. The Sheep Detectives *Weekend gross: *$9M** *Total domestic gross: *$43.5M** *Last weekend: *5th** *Percent drop: *6** Wow, *The Sheep Detectives* fell a minuscule six percent between its second and third weekends. People love those mystery-solving, talking sheep. *Box office numbers via The Numbers and Box Office Mojo based on Sunday estimates.* ![Popculturology](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2026/02/popculturology-wordmark.png) Popculturology is a publication of **The Omnicosm**. Issue No. 454 --- **Popculturology** is written and produced by **Bill Kuchman**. Copyediting by **Tim Kuchman**. Love what **Popculturology** is doing? You can help keep the newsletter going by [becoming a paid supporter](https://www.theomnicosm.com/about/#/portal/account/plans). If this edition of **Popculturology** brought you joy, [consider sending a tip](https://www.theomnicosm.com/#/portal/support). Get the full **The Omnicosm** experience. 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