Weekend Box Office Recap: The Mandalorian and Grogu Wins Memorial Day, But Obsession Steals the Buzz

The weekend of May 22–24, 2026 brought Star Wars back to theaters for the first time since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, and Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu easily took No. 1. But the bigger story is more complicated: Disney got a solid Memorial Day launch, not a franchise-resetting event, while the low-budget horror breakout Obsession had the kind of second-weekend jump studios dream about. Box Office Mojo listed The Mandalorian and Grogu at $81 million for the three-day weekend and $100 million through Memorial Day Monday.

The Mandalorian and Grogu Brings Star Wars Back to No. 1

For Disney and Lucasfilm, the good news is simple: The Mandalorian and Grogu opened in first place and gave theaters a true holiday anchor. The film earned $81 million from 4,300 theaters over the standard Friday–Sunday weekend, then reached $100 million by the end of Monday’s Memorial Day frame.

The less clean part is the comparison to past Star Wars movies. AP reported Sunday estimates of $82 million domestic for the three-day frame, with an expected $102 million by Monday and $165 million worldwide, noting that the film opened on the lower end of Disney-era Star Wars releases. The Guardian framed it even more sharply, pointing out that the four-day launch was slightly behind Solo: A Star Wars Story, which opened to $103 million over Memorial Day in 2018.

Still, this is not a clean flop narrative. AP reported that The Mandalorian and Grogu cost about $165 million to produce, far below Solo’s much larger production budget, and audience response was stronger than the critical response, with an A- CinemaScore despite mixed reviews. That gives Disney a better path toward profitability, especially when streaming, merchandise, and theme park value are part of the larger Star Wars ecosystem.

Domestic Top 10

Here is the estimated domestic top 10 for May 22–24, 2026:

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu — $81.0 million Obsession — $23.9 million Michael — $20.7 million The Devil Wears Prada 2 — $12.7 million The Sheep Detectives — $9.2 million Passenger — $8.7 million Mortal Kombat II — $6.1 million I Love Boosters — $3.7 million The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — $3.2 million Project Hail Mary — $2.7 million Obsession Is the Weekend’s Best Story

The No. 1 movie may have been Star Wars, but the most exciting box office story was Obsession. The Focus Features horror-romance jumped 39% in its second weekend according to Box Office Mojo, rising to $23.9 million after opening to $16.1 million the week before. That is an unusual hold for almost any movie and especially rare for horror, a genre that usually drops hard after opening weekend.

AP described the rise as a word-of-mouth and social-media-driven breakout, with Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian calling the increase “really unheard of.” The movie had already stood out because of its tiny production cost and strong audience response, but this weekend changed the conversation: Obsession is no longer just a smart low-budget win; it is now one of the summer’s clearest sleeper hits.

The four-day number makes the story even stronger. Box Office Mojo listed Obsession at $60.7 million domestic through Monday after only 11 days in release. Entertainment Weekly reported the film at $73.9 million worldwide, meaning this has already become a massive return relative to its reported microbudget.

Michael Keeps Marching Toward $800 Million

Michael dropped to third place domestically, but there is nothing weak about its run. The Michael Jackson biopic added $20.7 million over the three-day weekend, bringing its domestic total to about $314.9 million through Sunday and $321.1 million through Memorial Day Monday.

Globally, the film is still one of 2026’s defining box office events. Entertainment Weekly reported that Michael has reached $782.4 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing music biopic of all time behind Bohemian Rhapsody. That is a remarkable result for a film that opened with controversy, mixed critical response, and questions about how much of Jackson’s life it would cover.

Prada 2 and The Sheep Detectives Keep Holding

The Devil Wears Prada 2 finished fourth with $12.7 million over the three-day weekend. Its domestic total reached about $196.2 million through Sunday and just over $200 million through Monday. Entertainment Weekly also placed the sequel at $604 million worldwide, confirming that this is not just a nostalgia-driven domestic hit, but a major global performer.

The Sheep Detectives also held well, earning $9.2 million in its third weekend and reaching $43.7 million domestic through Sunday. Its four-day total pushed the film to $47.4 million domestic, while Entertainment Weekly listed its global total at $82.2 million. For a family-friendly mystery comedy about sheep solving a murder, that is a quietly impressive run.

New Releases Had Mixed Results

Outside of The Mandalorian and Grogu, the weekend’s new wide releases were more modest. Passenger, a Paramount horror release starring Melissa Leo, opened to $8.7 million for the three-day weekend and $10.5 million through Monday. AP noted that the film received poor reviews and a B- CinemaScore, which may limit its legs after the holiday frame.

Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters opened in eighth place with $3.7 million from 1,750 theaters, reaching $4.6 million through Monday. The Neon release, described by AP as a colorful shoplifting caper and surreal social satire starring Keke Palmer and Demi Moore, gave the weekend some indie counterprogramming but did not break out commercially.

Holdovers Filled Out the Holiday Frame

Mortal Kombat II continued to fall quickly, landing in seventh with $6.1 million, down about 55% from the previous weekend. Its domestic total reached $72.7 million through Sunday and $74.3 million through Monday, which is respectable but suggests the sequel is front-loaded.

Lower on the chart, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie added $3.2 million, pushing its domestic total to $423.7 million through Sunday and $424.6 million through Monday. Project Hail Mary added $2.7 million, bringing its domestic total to about $339.6 million through Sunday and $340.3 million through Monday. Both films remain two of the year’s biggest long-tail success stories.

The Bigger Story: A Solid Holiday Weekend, Not a Record One

Memorial Day weekend gave theaters a strong lineup, but not a record-breaking result. AP reported that the overall four-day frame was expected to finish around $211 million, down from last year’s record $330 million Memorial Day weekend, which was led by Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.

That comparison makes the weekend look softer, but the marketplace itself still had a healthy mix: a Star Wars return, a horror breakout, a music biopic with major global legs, a fashion sequel crossing $600 million worldwide, family counterprogramming, and late-stage strength from Mario and Project Hail Mary. The issue is not that audiences stayed home; it is that The Mandalorian and Grogu opened more like a successful spinoff than a full-force Star Wars event.

Looking ahead, the horror audience will be tested again next weekend when Backrooms arrives. Entertainment Weekly noted that the film comes from YouTuber Kane Parsons and is based on the viral “Backrooms” concept, giving it a similar internet-native advantage to Obsession.

International Box Office

Internationally, The Mandalorian and Grogu opened with about $63 million overseas, bringing its global launch to roughly $163–165 million depending on the reporting source. AP reported $165 million globally on Sunday estimates, while Entertainment Weekly reported $163 million globally after the four-day frame. Either way, the overseas number is solid but not spectacular for Star Wars.

The comparison to Solo is again unavoidable. The Guardian reported that Solo opened to $171 million globally in 2018, higher than The Mandalorian and Grogu before even adjusting for inflation. But the newer film’s lower reported production budget gives Disney more breathing room than Solo had.

Among holdovers, Michael remained a global heavyweight at $782.4 million worldwide, while The Devil Wears Prada 2 reached $604 million worldwide and The Sheep Detectives hit $82.2 million globally. Obsession climbed to $73.9 million worldwide, which may be the most impressive return-on-investment story of the weekend.

Bottom line: The Mandalorian and Grogu won Memorial Day weekend, but it did not erase questions about the theatrical strength of modern Star Wars. The real spark came from Obsession, whose second-weekend jump turned a low-budget horror film into the breakout story of the holiday frame.