‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ tops charts and ‘Obsession’ grows in second weekend

Nbcwashington · 🇺🇸 public United States · May 25, 2026 · 868 words · By Lindsey Bahr; The Associated Press

Box Office Performance Entertainment Industry Trends

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What to know about Box Office Performance

After nearly seven years away from the big screen, a new Star Wars movie drew healthy but not record-breaking crowds to global theaters this weekend.

Claims checked 25

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage

Left17%

Center83%

Right0%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

After nearly seven years away from the big screen, a new Star Wars movie drew healthy but not record-breaking crowds to global theaters this weekend.

Why it matters

According to studio estimates on Sunday, “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” made $82 million in ticket sales from 4,300 theaters in the U.S.

Common ground

By the end of Monday’s Memorial Day holiday, it’s expected to have earned $102 million domestically and $165 million globally.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Box Office Performance story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” made $82 million in ticket sales from 4,300 theaters in the U.S. and Canada?
How does this story connect Box Office Performance with Entertainment Industry Trends over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/star-wars-mandalo…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

25 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 15

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified By Reference 3

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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““Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” made $82 million in ticket sales from 4,300 theaters in the U.S. and Canada.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (ABC News, and another box office report) confirm the $82 million opening weekend figure from 4,300 theaters.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Din Grogu () or simply Grogu, colloquially referred to as Baby Yoda, is a character from the Star Wars Disney+ original television series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. He is an infant mem…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grogu

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (titled The Mandalorian and Grogu on-screen) is a 2026 American science fiction film directed by Jon Favreau, who co-wrote the film with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mandalorian_and_Grogu

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The third season of the American television series The Mandalorian is part of the Star Wars franchise, set after the events of the film Return of the Jedi (1983). It continues the story of a bounty hu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mandalorian_season_3

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“By the end of Monday’s Memorial Day holiday, it’s expected to have earned $102 million domestically and $165 million globally.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report the global earnings reaching $165 million and domestic projections around $102 million over the holiday period.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Mandalorian, an American space Western television series set in the Star Wars universe created by Jon Favreau and released on Disney+, features an extensive cast of characters. Since the show's de…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Mandalorian_charac…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

““Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which made $103 million over the four-day Memorial Day frame in 2018.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While Wikipedia confirms 'Solo' is a 2018 film, the provided evidence does not contain the specific $103 million Memorial Day figure to verify this claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Star Wars franchise involves multiple live-action and animated films, occurring within its all-encompassing fictional universe. The series was initially created as a trilogy set in medias res (par…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Wars_films

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards and written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. Produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Walt Disney Studio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_One

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Solo: A Star Wars Story is a 2018 American space Western film directed by Ron Howard and written by Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan. Produced by Lucasfilm Ltd., and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Mot…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solo:_A_Star_Wars_Story

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

“The production budget for “Solo” was in the $300 million range”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for 'Solo' consists of general Wikipedia descriptions and dictionary definitions of 'production', but does not state the production budget was $300 million.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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““The Mandalorian and Grogu” was made for significantly less — a reported $165 million”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results explicitly state the production budget for 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' was in the $165 million range.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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“it currently carries a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results explicitly state the film has a 63% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

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web search NEUTRAL — 7 days ago ... 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' is at 63% on Rotten Tomatoes • Based on 68 reviews • One of the lowest-rated Star Wars films · Yanni Kost. A 63% by ...
https://www.facebook.com/culturecravefb/posts/the-mandaloria…

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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago ... #TheMandalorianAndGrogu currently has the 4th highest Rotten Tomatoes audience score of any theatrical Star Wars film
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYvHLsZn4KK/

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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago ... While The Mandalorian and Grogu has one of the lowest Rotten Tomatoes critic scores in Star Wars history, and the second-lowest of the ...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2026/05/24/the-mandal…

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“ticket buyers overall gave it an A- CinemaScore.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (Reddit boxoffice thread, a news report, and a Facebook post) confirm the A- CinemaScore.

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web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago ... I think it usually just shows how much general audiences got ... 'Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu' Rotten Tomatoes Verified Audience Score ...
https://www.reddit.com/r/boxoffice/comments/1tl3inw/the_mand…

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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago ... General audiences bestowed the film with an A- CinemaScore and a stellar 4.5/5 stars on PostTrak. Reviewers aren't as enthusiastic, although the ...
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-war…

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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago ... It's very nostalgic and has star warsy feeling in the theaters! This is what stars wars movies should be about good fun tine at the theater! Go ...
https://www.facebook.com/starwarsnerdout/posts/the-mandalori…

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“Boys under the age of 13... gave it an A CinemaScore and a perfect five on PostTrak.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent reports confirm that boys under 13 gave the film an A CinemaScore and a 5/5 PostTrak score.

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web search NEUTRAL — According to studio estimates on Sunday, “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” made $82 million in ticket sales from 4,300 theaters in the U.S. and Canada.Boys under the age of 13 are especially high…
https://www.tv20detroit.com/entertainment/movies/mandalorian…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, in Lucasfilm's 'The Mandalorian and Grogu.' Courtesy of Lucasfilm.Kids, especially boys under the age of 13, are going nuts for the film, giving it…
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-war…

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web search NEUTRAL — SUNDAY 12:49 AM: Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu after an estimated $25.5M Saturday is heading to a $97M-$98M 4-day. That Saturday is a tad higher than Solo: A Star Wars Story ‘s $24.6M. Know tha…
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/star-war…

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“Parents also gave it a five out of five.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this specific claim regarding parents' PostTrak scores.

verified

“The Jon Favreau-directed movie stars Pedro Pascal as the titular bounty hunter”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms the film is directed by Jon Favreau and stars Pedro Pascal (as the Mandalorian).

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“puts him and his tiny green companion on a mission to save Jabba’s son Rotta the Hutt, who is voiced by Jeremy Allen White.”

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““The Rise of Skywalker,” debuted in December 2019.”

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“Star Wars as a brand is in a time of transition under its new leadership team of Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan”

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“Earlier this year it was announced that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy... was stepping down after 13 years.”

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“next year’s “Star Wars: Starfighter,” starring Ryan Gosling”

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“Curry Barker’s relationship horror movie “Obsession”... earning $22.4 million from 2,655 theaters.”

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“The studio, which acquired the microbudget movie for some $15 million, is projecting that it will have made $28.2 million by the end of Monday, bringing its running total to $58.5 million.”

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““Michael” landed in third place with $20 million for the three-day weekend. The Michael Jackson biopic has now earned $782.4 million.”

PENDING

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““Passenger,” a Paramount Pictures release with Melissa Leo, which grossed an estimated $8.7 million from 2,534 locations.”

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“It’s expected to earn $10.5 million over its first four days.”

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“The movie received poor reviews from both critics (44% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (B- Cinema Score).”

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“Boots Riley's... “I Love Boosters” also opened this weekend to $3.7 million. The Neon release stars Keke Palmer and Demi Moore.”

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“last year’s record Memorial Day weekend, which was led by Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.””

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“The overall four-day frame this year will net out around $211 million, down about 36% from last year’s $330 million.”

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“the disastrous 2024 Memorial Day weekend box office, a 30-year low, when “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” opened.”

PENDING

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.