After box office failure, Disney stands by Star Wars’ The Mandalorian and Gorgu
Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro has conceded Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu underperformed at the box office — and he’s pointing to a silver lining.
There was a time you could slap Star Wars on any old bit of merch and watch the cash roll in. Not quite so easy in 2026, is it? Take The Mandalorian and Grogu, the latest attempt to ship Baby Yoda into the multiplexes — it didn't come close to hitting Disney's targets at the box office. Still, the House of Mouse has, unsurprisingly, decided to see the bright side.
The Mandalorian and Grogu ended its worldwide run at $345 million, making it the lowest-grossing Star Wars film ever released.
Box Office: The Numbers No One Wanted
First, let's spell out the damage. Production on The Mandalorian and Grogu cost a hefty $165 million. It did manage to earn back that much in its opening weekend, thanks mainly to a decent turnout in the States — $102 million from US audiences alone, which was actually above early predictions. Not bad as far as starts go.
But that's where the good news ended. Disney spent big, and they needed much bigger results — experts say the film needed somewhere between $500 and $600 million globally just to break even after you factor in marketing, cinemas' share and so on. Instead, the money dried up fast, and the film limped to $345 million worldwide. For context, that's even less than Solo: A Star Wars Story managed in 2018 ($392 million), and that one's been the punchline for years.
Disney Spins the Narrative
Still, Disney's not letting a little thing like disappointing ticket sales get them down. Josh D'Amaro, the CEO, has been out there defending the project. Here's his official spin, which he shared with Variety as he scrambled to reassure investors that the brand isn't lightsabred just yet:
"The Mandalorian and Grogu drove healthy growth in retail sales for the 'Star Wars' franchise and drew guests to the updated Millennium Falcon attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World and led to significant engagement in gaming as well."
In other words: don't panic, the toys are selling and theme park footfall is up. There's some truth to that, to be fair — Disney's built its empire on being able to squeeze money out of films long after they've left the cinema. According to the company, the film boosted 'value creation' beyond the box office, though what that actually means in pounds and pence is another story. Still, it's not the sort of thing you expect to be celebrating with a franchise like this — in the past, they just made more Star Wars films.