Baby Yoda re-sets 'Star Wars' films with $165 million global opening

LOS ANGELES - Baby Yoda brought crowds to movie theaters over the U.S. Memorial Day weekend, putting "Star Wars" film "The Mandalorian and Grogu" on track to collect roughly $165 million around the globe, distributor Walt Disney DIS.N said on Sunday.

The movie topped box office charts in the United States and Canada, where it was expected to bring in about $102 million. That would edge abovepre-weekend forecasts for Friday through Monday but rank as the smallest opening for any "Star Wars" film under Disney.

The new film cost much less to make than other "Star Wars" installments, setting a lower bar for profitability.

"Mandalorian and Grogu," the first "Star Wars" movie in seven years, tells the story of a helmeted bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) and his small, green sidekick nicknamed Baby Yoda. The duo debuted on television in the Disney+ streaming series "The Mandalorian" in 2019 and made Baby Yoda a pop culture sensation.

Putting the character on the big screen will help jump-start sales of Grogu toys and T-shirts, said Jeff Bock, senior box ​office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co. More than 13 million Grogu toys were sold in the first two years after the TV series debuted.

"What Disney really wants this film to do is stabilize the 'Star Wars' universe. I think this helps do that," Bock said of the opening weekend numbers.

Disney put new "Star Wars" movies on hold after 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker" in order to re-evaluate its big-screen strategy. Executives concluded they had released too many "Star Wars" films in theaters too quickly.

Disney's lowest-grossing "Star Wars" film, "Solo: A Star Wars Story," brought in $103 million over the 2018 Memorial Day weekend and was considered a flop.

The "Grogu" movie, however, had a smaller production budget than most other "Star Wars" movies, costing about $165 million to make rather than the typical $300 million-plus.

Audiences were more enthusiastic about "Grogu" than critics. Verified moviegoers gave the movie an 89% positive score, compared with 62% of critics, according to the Rotten Tomatoes website.

"Star Wars" debuted in 1977 and became one of the highest-grossing movie franchises of all time with more than $10 billion in global ticket sales.

Disney purchased the franchise from creator George Lucas in 2012. The next movie, "Star Wars: Starfighter" featuring Ryan Gosling, is ​scheduled to hit cinemas in May 2027.

-Reporting by Lisa Richwine, editing by Deepa Babington and Nia Williams/Reuters