Mandalorian and Grogu Struggles Despite Strong Ratings

Disney’s latest Star Wars film, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is facing a difficult theatrical run despite earning the highest audience score of any Disney-era Star Wars movie on Rotten Tomatoes. The film suffered a steep 69% drop in ticket sales during its second weekend, marking the largest second-weekend decline ever recorded for a Star Wars feature. The sharp fall pushed it to third place at the box office, behind Backrooms and Obsession, two horror films directed by YouTubers that were produced on a combined budget of just $11 million.

The disappointing box office performance has intensified concerns about the current state of the Star Wars franchise. While the movie has struggled commercially, audience reception has remained notably strong. After accumulating more than 10,000 additional user ratings since release, The Mandalorian and Grogu has maintained an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes without any decline. That score places it ahead of every Disney-produced Star Wars film, including Rogue One, The Force Awakens, and The Rise of Skywalker, trailing only the original trilogy entries The Empire Strikes Back, A New Hope, and Return of the Jedi.

Early audience scores often decline as more viewers submit reviews, leading many observers to expect the film’s rating to fall over time. However, the score has remained unchanged even after thousands of additional ratings were added, preserving its position among the highest-rated Star Wars movies by audiences.

Despite the positive reception from viewers, the film’s financial performance remains a major concern. Although The Mandalorian and Grogu has already surpassed its production budget at the box office, additional expenses such as marketing could leave it only narrowly breaking even. Industry comparisons have already been drawn to Solo, previously considered one of the franchise’s biggest theatrical disappointments and a key reason Disney stepped away from releasing Star Wars films for several years.

The franchise now faces questions about its future theatrical direction. Upcoming projects include Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, and Dawn of the Jedi, which is expected to explore the origins of the Jedi Order. However, attracting audiences to stories centered on new characters remains a challenge. Disney previously attempted that approach with The Acolyte, a live-action series set during the High Republic era, but the show failed to gain significant traction.

On the streaming side, the only confirmed live-action Star Wars project currently moving forward is the second season of Ahsoka, arriving roughly three years after the debut season. Both The Mandalorian and Grogu and Ahsoka stem from Dave Filoni’s efforts to bring characters and storylines from The Clone Wars and Rebels into live-action productions. However, with the recent performance of the Mandalorian film and mixed reception to Ahsoka, Disney’s live-action Star Wars slate faces increasing scrutiny.

One bright spot for the franchise has been Maul: Shadow Lord, another project created by Filoni that has been viewed as a success. Beyond that, however, Star Wars continues to search for momentum as it navigates a changing entertainment landscape and attempts to reconnect with audiences.