'The Mandalorian and Grogu' is Disney's lowest-ever Star Wars film opening

Still from Disney's "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu." Disney Walt Disney's "The Mandalorian and Grogu" jettisoned into theaters Friday, marking the first time in seven years that a new Star Wars film has launched on the big screen. Sunday estimates indicated that the film, based on the hit Disney+ show "The Mandalorian," surpassed initial box office projections, tallying $82 million in domestic ticket sales through its first three days in theaters. Official numbers will be released on Monday. While "The Mandalorian and Grogu" outpaced the $80 million that most box office analysts predicted, it has so far tallied less than 2018's "Solo: A Star Wars Story," which at $84 million was the previous lowest-opening Star Wars project in the era of Disney Star Wars releases, according to data from Comscore. Analysts foresee the film exceeding $100 million domestically for the four-day Memorial Day holiday weekend. Internationally, "The Mandalorian and Grogu" snapped up around $63 million in ticket sales. The film benefited from premium large format screenings like IMAX and Dolby Cinema, as 41% of tickets were sold for these upgraded, more expensive showings, according to data from EntTelligence. Standard tickets for the film averaged $16.01 apiece, while premium tickets cost an average of $19.43 each, the data company reported. However, the film's box office isn't the only metric that Disney will be keeping an eye on. …