Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | May 25, 2026
Remember when we used to get excited for a new Star Wars movie? Times have changed since we last saw one in theatres, and the numbers reflect that. The Mandalorian and Grogu may have easily taken the top spot at the box office over the weekend, but it set a new franchise record it never wanted to claim. It’s the lowest opening weekend for a Star Wars movie of the Disney era. Pedro Pascal and Baby Yoda’s double act earned $102 million domestically over the Memorial Day weekend. That’s less than what Solo made (no disrespect to Solo, I liked that movie!) Granted, this is a spin-off of a TV show that doesn’t feature any of the Skywalker extended clan, so it’s not unexpected for it to open softer than a main film in the series. But it’s also not a great sign for Disney. This is one of the biggest franchises, after all, but fatigue is a very real phenomenon.
If you want to see what good word-of-mouth does for a film, check out Obsession. Directed by YouTube filmmaker and comedian Curry Barker, it was a tiny-budgeted horror that opened with little hype. Now, in its second week of release, it saw a 30% increase from its opening numbers. Not a drop, an increase. It’s now grossed about $52.7 million domestically, which is bananas. But this is the year of internet horror, between this, Markiplier’s Iron Lung, and the upcoming Backrooms.
Speaking of horror, debuting at number six is Passenger, which earned $8.7 million from 2,534 locations. And new at number eight is I Love Boosters, the comedy by Boots Riley, with $3.72 million from 1,750 places.
In limited release news: the drama Tuner, starring Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman, grossed $102,000 from four cinemas; and the horror Saccharine scared up $41,603 from 385 theatres.
This coming week sees the release of Nate Bargatze on Mr. Mom duties in The Breadwinner, the war drama Pressure, and the horror Backrooms.
You can check out the rest of the weekend box office numbers here.
