Disney Grooming Syndicate is reportedly limiting critical screenings due to concerns over negative reviews of The Mandalorian & Grogu.
It seems Disney is reducing the number of movies available for critics to see. Some journalists have raised concerns online, noting that their publicists mentioned The Mandalorian and Grogu isn’t being screened for critics, which is odd given how previous Star Wars films were handled.
Interestingly, it’s reported that several markets won’t have critical screenings at all—indicating some level of unease about the film’s reception from Lucasfilm.
I understand that studios might make these choices, but ultimately, they’re in the business of selling products worth hundreds of millions. One tactic they often use is to carefully select which critics attend early screenings. Here, Disney has two distinct groups to draw from: enthusiastic Star Wars fans and those who might trade favorable responses for perks.
Typically, this strategy could work well.
But, let’s be honest… the movie isn’t very good.
Anyway…
Some who attended the early screenings did express fondness for it, but even that enthusiasm wasn’t as high as you’d expect from this audience.
If you’re not a fan of Disney, which, I think most people are not due to their controversial approaches, this could be seen as promising news.
Current optimistic box office predictions seem grim for The Mandalorian and Grogu. With expectations of around $70 to $80 million during the Memorial Day weekend, that’s a significant underperformance, especially if you look back at past Star Wars openings. For context, Solo: A Star Wars Story debuted at $88 million in 2018—adjusted for inflation, that’s about $113 million now.
In comparison, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story launched at $155 million, The Rise of Skywalker hit $176 million, The Last Jedi reached $220 million, and The Force Awakens unlocked $248 million on their debuts.
Remember, these projections of $70 to $80 million were made before any early reactions came in. If the buzz generates something like a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it could suffer considerably—a welcome blow to a studio that often seems to exploit younger audiences, particularly with the Star Wars franchise. This franchise has been criticized for pushing a political agenda that some fans feel disrespects and dismisses them.
