"The Mandalorian & Grogu" Started Worse Than "Solo" at the Box Office, But It's Not a Disaster Yet

The initial box office results for "The Mandalorian & Grogu" are unlikely to please Disney and Lucasfilm executives. According to Deadline, the new "Star Wars" film earned approximately $12 million from preview screenings in the US. This is lower than the 2018 "Solo" film, which opened with $14.1 million and is still considered the biggest box office flop in the modern history of the franchise.

Analysts are currently predicting the film will take in $80 million to $100 million over the extended four-day weekend in the US. This almost mirrors the trajectory of "Solo," which ended its theatrical run with $392 million worldwide and failed to recoup its production and marketing costs.

However, it's too early to talk about a disaster. Unlike "Solo," the new film can count on word-of-mouth: the audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 88% positive reviews, compared to a modest 63% for the smuggler's solo film.

But the main salvation for Disney could be the budget: the production of "The Mandalorian & Grogu" cost the studio $165 million, compared to $275 million for "Solo," which means Jon Favreau's film has a significantly lower break-even point.