IMAX is cutting The Mandalorian and Grogu from its originally scheduled three-week exclusive premium run early, and the premium large-format screens will flip to Masters of the Universe on June 5, 2026. The change shortens a marquee window that was supposed to give Disney's latest Star Wars film a runway in IMAX before the summer schedule moved on.
The move comes after the film opened to $80 million domestically and then fell 72% in its second weekend, taking in $23 million and sliding to third place behind Backrooms, which earned $90 million, and Obsession, which collected $30 million. For Jon Favreau, who directed the film, the early IMAX exit is the latest sign that what was meant to be a triumphant return of Star Wars to theaters has instead become a test case for how quickly audiences can cool on a franchise launch.
The Mandalorian and Grogu was built as a theatrical extension of a Disney+ success story, but the box-office numbers now point in a different direction. The film carried a production budget heavily estimated at $165 million, while the break-even mark was widely pinned around $400 million. Industry analysts have questioned whether it can get past $300 million worldwide, and if it stalls below that level, Disney could face a net loss that exceeds $100 million.
That risk helps explain why IMAX is moving on so fast. A three-week premium run is meant to signal confidence, but early removal from those screens suggests the film has not delivered the kind of sustained audience demand premium formats need. The Star Wars name still matters, yet the brand has also been thinned by years of Disney+ series of uneven quality, and this release is now being read less as a comeback and more as another sign of fatigue and indifference.
The practical question now is how long the film will keep playing once the IMAX window closes. For Disney, the answer matters because the premium-screen cut is happening just as the movie tries to make up ground elsewhere, and because its theatrical ceiling may already be visible. That is a hard place for a Star Wars title to be in, and it leaves The Mandalorian and Grogu drifting toward the kind of company no franchise wants to keep, alongside Solo: A Star Wars Story in the history of low-performing Star Wars releases.
