Trouble for ‘Star Wars’ as ‘The Mandalorian’ Movie Suffers Massive Collapse

Lucasfilm is facing renewed questions about the Star Wars franchise’s direction after another steep drop for The Mandalorian and Grogu at the domestic box office.

The film arrived with a level of importance few recent Star Wars projects have carried. It was the franchise’s first theatrical release since 2019 and represented Lucasfilm’s most direct attempt yet to bridge the gap between its Disney+ success and its theatrical ambitions.

For much of the past six years, Star Wars has largely existed on streaming. Series such as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka became the primary focus of the franchise as several movie projects were delayed, reworked, or quietly shelved.

That made The Mandalorian and Grogu a significant test. Rather than moving forward with a fourth season of The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm elected to continue Din Djarin and Grogu’s story on the big screen, betting that two of its most popular modern characters could reignite interest in Star Wars movies.

The early results have been mixed at best.

Box Office Declines Continue for Lucasfilm

The Mandalorian and Grogu opened over Memorial Day weekend with $98 million domestically, falling short of Solo: A Star Wars Story’s four-day opening. Although the debut was enough to secure the top spot at the box office, attention quickly shifted to how the film would hold in the weeks that followed.

Its second weekend brought a 69% decline, one of the steepest drops seen by a modern Star Wars release. The latest projections suggest the trend is continuing.

According to estimates reported by Deadline, The Mandalorian and Grogu is expected to earn roughly $9.5 million domestically during its third weekend. That would represent another 61% drop and leave the film with a domestic total of approximately $155.3 million.

The decline is particularly notable given the popularity of the characters involved. Since debuting on Disney+ in 2019, Din Djarin and Grogu have become central figures in Star Wars, helping launch an entire era of interconnected storytelling that came to define the franchise’s post-Skywalker Saga strategy.

Questions are now emerging about whether that strategy can continue in its current form.

Uncertainty Grows Around the MandoVerse

The success of The Mandalorian led Lucasfilm to expand its story across multiple Disney+ series. Characters and storylines moved between shows, with The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka helping establish what fans came to call the MandoVerse.

The interconnected narrative appeared to be building toward a larger event centered on Grand Admiral Thrawn. At various points, a fourth season of The Mandalorian, Dave Filoni’s crossover film, and several related projects were all expected to continue that storyline.

Recent reports have cast doubt on those plans.

Earlier this year, industry insider Daniel Richtman, via The Direct, reported that Lucasfilm was considering moving away from the interconnected storyline that has dominated Star Wars television for much of the past decade. Multiple reports have also suggested that no additional MandoVerse projects are currently planned beyond Ahsoka Season 2.

That series was recently delayed until 2027, leaving it as the only officially confirmed live-action project within that timeline.

Some of the franchise’s stars remain optimistic. Pedro Pascal has said that he’s keen to play the role “for as long as my body, or as many bodies as we put into the suit, can take it,” while Sigourney Weaver recently revealed that members of the cast and creative team would welcome another installment.

Lucasfilm’s broader slate remains active regardless of what happens next. Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, remains on track, while a film centered on Rey’s New Jedi Order is still in development after years of setbacks. Discussions surrounding a possible second season of The Acolyte have also intensified in recent months.

Whether the MandoVerse ultimately continues beyond Ahsoka Season 2 remains unclear. What is clear is that Lucasfilm’s biggest Disney+ success story has yet to prove it can deliver the same results at the box office.

What are your predictions for the future of the MandoVerse?