The China Mail - Mandalorian and Grogu blast to first place in weekend box office

The film is a jump to the big screen for the hit streaming series, and the first Star Wars film to be released in theaters since 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker."

It appeared on some 4,300 screens in its opening weekend, Exhibitor Relations estimated.

The takings are "not on the level of the primary Star Wars films," said industry analyst David Gross. "But these are big numbers and this is how spinoffs perform."

"The movie is a piece of the story, and it's earning a piece of the business," he added.

Jumping to second place, Focus Features' original horror film "Obsession" drew $28.5 million in sales on its second weekend, bringing its total earnings to an estimated $59 million.

Trade magazine Variety credits some of its popularity to an exceptional performance by star Inde Navarrette that "demands awards attention."

Lionsgate brought home the box office's weekend bronze medal as "Michael" and took home $25.7 million this weekend for a total of $319.9 million. The biopic based on pop icon Michael Jackson was still thrilling fans but dropped out of the top spot in its fifth weekend on the silver screen.

The fashionable fan favorite, "The Devil Wear's Prada 2," dropped to fourth place but still earned another $16.5 million this weekend for a total of $200 million.

MGM's "The Sheep Detectives," a farmyard whodunnit, took in $12.5 million over the weekend for a total of $47 million -- marking a fifth-place finish.

Rounding out the top 10:

"Passenger" ($10.5 million)

"Mortal Kombat II" ($7.9 million)

"I Love Boosters" ($4.6 million)

"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" ($4.2 million)

"Project Hail Mary" ($3.5 million)

S.Davis--ThChM