Trending Movie: Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away but now playing at a theatre near you, *The Mandalorian & Grogu* rocketed to the top of the Canadian and North American box office this long weekend. It was the franchise’s first theatrical outing in nearly seven years. The film, which brings the streaming sensation of Disney+’s *The Mandalorian* series to cinemas, earned an estimated $108.8 million over its four-day opening in the U.S. and Canada, according to Box Office Mojo. That claimed the number one spot easily. It was also the lowest opening for a Star Wars movie since *Solo: A Star Wars Story* in 2018.
For Canadian audiences, the release marks the return of Pedro Pascal’s helmeted bounty hunter Din Djarin and his tiny, green, Force-wielding sidekick Grogu (colloquially, Baby Yoda) to the forefront of popular culture. The two characters became a global phenomenon through the Disney+ series that began in 2019, and their leap to a theatrical film has been heavily marketed across Canada — from Cineplex lobbies to Tim Hortons cross-promotions. Despite mixed critical response, the blend of space western action and family-friendly humour is drawing sizeable crowds. A lot of them are coming for Grogu, and the film knows it.
From Streaming to Theaters
The movie was originally conceived as a fourth TV season. Then the 2023 Hollywood labour disputes upended production timelines. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and writer-director Jon Favreau reworked the planned scripts into a standalone feature. It became the first Star Wars movie since 2019’s *The Rise of Skywalker*. Filming took place entirely in California over 92 days, with a production budget pegged at $165 million USD. Advertising added significantly to the total spend — Hollywood never just makes a film, it markets one.
The plot sends Djarin and Grogu on a New Republic mission to rescue Rotta the Hutt, son of Jabba, voiced by Jeremy Allen White. Rotta is a gladiator trying to escape his father’s shadow and resists being saved, which leads to arena fights, double-crosses, and a showdown with the Hutt twins angling for control of the Cartel. The story bounces from gladiator pits to droid armies and a poison-induced sacrifice, with Grogu using the Force to save Mando’s life near the end. Along the way, you get Sigourney Weaver as a New Republic colonel, Martin Scorsese in a voice role as an Ardennian shopkeeper, and the return of fan-favourite Zeb Orrelios. Anthony Daniels voices C‑3PO in a cameo. Several *Mandalorian* series directors pop up in small pilot roles, a nudge to the show’s history.
Box Office: A Mixed Win
The film opened Thursday, May 22, 2026, across North America, including Canadian screens in both English and French-speaking markets. It pulled in $33 million on its first day (including $12 million from Thursday previews) and went on to gross $81.7 million over the traditional three-day weekend, $98.1 million over four days. By May 28, the global total hit $177.9 million. Healthy by most standards. For Star Wars, though, it’s a lower ebb. *The Force Awakens* debuted to $248 million in 2015. The franchise’s theatrical muscle has atrophied, and no amount of Grogu cuteness can slap a bandage on that.
Canadian-specific figures weren’t immediately available, but major cineplexes in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal reported busy weekend screenings. Many evening shows sold out. The film played on more than 400 screens across the country, premium formats like IMAX and 4DX pushing up ticket prices. Industry observers noted competition from warmer weather and a crowded release schedule. The “Mando and Grogu” duo still pulls families. And the homegrown numbers appeared solid — even if nobody’s mistaking them for a blockbuster revival.
Critical Response
Reviews are sharply divided. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 62 per cent positive rating from 267 critics, average score 5.9/10. The consensus calls it “bountiful in action but threadbare in narrative thrust.” Metacritic gives it a 53 out of 100, “mixed or average.” That about sums it up.
Many critics felt the episodic structure played out like a stitched-together season of television, not a cinematic event. *The Independent*’s Clarisse Loughrey called it “the dullest and most inconsequential Star Wars ever made.” *Gizmodo* wrote that it “doesn’t tell a vital story that pushes the characters or series into new territory.” *The Hollywood Reporter* said the movie “feels stubbornly small in its relatively inconsequential storyline,” and *The Guardian*’s Peter Bradshaw lamented a lack of “humanity, humour and extravagant space melodrama.” CinemaScore audiences were easier: an A− grade, and 71 per cent of PostTrak respondents said they’d definitely recommend it. People want to like this thing. That gap between critical knives and audience shrugging pleasure is where the franchise now lives.
Pedro Pascal’s dual performance — voice and on-set stand-ins when his character’s helmet was on — has been widely praised. So has composer Ludwig Göransson’s score. The film also gives fans a rare unmasking of Mando, a moment Pascal told *Empire* “made total sense” for the character’s arc.
The Franchise’s Theatrical Return
Star Wars has been in a theatrical dry spell since 2019’s divisive *The Rise of Skywalker*. Disney poured investment into small-screen content on Disney+ instead. *The Mandalorian & Grogu* was deliberately designed as a low-stakes entry point. Kennedy said she believed young audiences would consider it “their Star Wars” without needing decades of prior viewing. That calculation drew families. But the soft opening suggests putting Baby Yoda on a big screen isn’t a guaranteed billion-dollar formula. The Super Bowl ad parodying Budweiser Clydesdale commercials drew mixed reactions; some found it charming, others called it underwhelming for an event film.
In Canada, where the series has been a consistent hit, the movie remains a solid draw. It plays in standard, IMAX, and 3D formats. Matinees are particularly strong. It feels less like a cultural event and more like a comfortable family outing — the kind that doesn’t need to break records to justify the buttered popcorn.
What’s Next for the Duo?
Lucasfilm hasn’t announced a direct sequel. Favreau has hinted that the original season four scripts, which focused on Grand Admiral Thrawn and set up the next season of *Ahsoka*, still exist and could be revisited. The film’s ending leaves the door open for more adventures. Mando teaches Grogu to pilot the new Razor Crest. The shot lingers a beat too long, the way shots do when someone behind the camera is waiting for a green light from Burbank.
