The Mandalorian and Grogu, and Obsession are presenting two very different stories at the global box office.
Film News Blitz’s Dan Lawrence takes a look at the numbers.
A mixed opening for ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’
Per Variety, The Mandalorian and Grogu had a four-day opening weekend at the U.S. domestic box office of $100 million, $2 million below estimates.
$63 million from international markets puts the Star Wars spin-off at a worldwide mark of $163 million.
After a relatively lukewarm marketing campaign and relying primarily on fans of The Mandalorian series on Disney+ to kick this Star Wars property, the first in cinemas since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, into gear, reclaiming the majority of a $165 million production budget should be considered as a strong start.
Moreover, this opening weekend catapulted The Mandalorian and Grogu to the top of the box office charts.
However, if you compare these numbers to the rest of the Star Wars cinematic franchise, they aren’t nearly as compelling.
In fact, the film’s three-day U.S. domestic opening weekend gross, $82 million, is the worst in Star Wars history, $2 million behind Solo: A Star Wars Story.
The Han Solo prequel, with its inflated $300 million production budget, went on to become the first Star Wars film to lose money in cinemas.
Critical reception for Solo was mixed, contributing to a rapid box office decline in its second weekend.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is also getting a mixed reception, currently sitting at 62% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but 88% with audiences.
Film News Blitz’s Jonathon House hailed the film’s family-friendly nature, but questions its validity as a cinematic entity.
If The Mandalorian and Grogu is to truly succeed in re-launching Star Wars in cinemas, how well it fares in its second weekend will be a key indicator.
‘Obsession’ is the box office hit of 2026
Obsession, the brainchild of YouTube sketch creator, turned writer/director Curry Barker, is impressive on several counts.
The psychological horror is a hit by all metrics, enjoying an A- Cinemascore and an impressive 96% score with critics on Rotten Tomatoes (which drops off just slightly to 94% with audiences).
Like many innovative horrors, Obsession features breakout stars, such as Inde Navarrette, an original filmmaking voice, genuine scares, and a small budget, less than $1 million.
The net result is Navertte’s celebrated turn as a woman possessed by a wish to obsess over a male friend with terrifying consequences, which helped gross $17.2 million for Obsession in its opening weekend in U.S. cinemas.
Remarkably, it sat second in this past weekend’s charts, with an unprecedented 39% gain, not drop, over its opening weekend.
Obsession added $23.9 million over three days – showing extraordinary word of mouth with audiences.
In total, its global box office tally currently stands at $68.4 million worldwide.
It’s an incredible return, and has helped cement Barker as a new and exciting voice in western cinema.
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