“The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the first “Star Wars” ​movie in seven years, heads to theatres this weekend as Walt Disney bets on the charm ‌of Baby Yoda to re-energise the film franchise.

Disney put the “Star Wars” movies on hiatus following 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” after executives concluded they had released too many films in a short period. That same year, the “Star Wars” TV show “The Mandalorian” became a hit on the ​Disney+ streaming service.

The series introduced a small green creature with oversized eyes, initially dubbed Baby Yoda and ​later revealed to be named Grogu, that became a pop culture sensation.

Grogu’s big-screen adventure, however, ⁠may open with the smallest domestic box office result for any “Star Wars” movie since Disney bought the franchise ​from creator George Lucas in 2012. Analysts predict “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will take in roughly $75 million to $100 million over ​the Memorial Day weekend at US and Canadian theatres.

Disney’s lowest-grossing “Star Wars” film, “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” brought in $103 million over Memorial Day weekend in 2018 and was considered a flop.

“What Disney is trying to figure out is, theatrically speaking, is Star Wars still essential? ​Do people still feel like they need to go see it in the theatres?” said Jeff Bock, senior box ​office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co.

Bock said he expected “Mandalorian and Grogu” to bring in roughly $85 million domestically through Monday. That would ‌be a ⁠success, Bock said, given the film cost about $165 million to make compared with $300 million-plus production budgets for other “Star Wars” movies. It also would spark more sales of Baby Yoda toys and t-shirts, he said.

Critics so far split

The movie stars Pedro Pascal as a helmeted Mandalorian bounty hunter who works with Grogu to free a prisoner in ​the galaxy far, far away.

At ​a fan event in ⁠London, Pascal pitched the movie as “a big-screen experience” like the ones he watched as a child. The franchise debuted in 1977 and has taken in more than $10 billion at ​theatres worldwide.

“People lost their minds over ‘Star Wars,’ which is why it exists as it ​does today and ⁠why it needs to be on a big screen again,” he said.

Critics so far are split on the movie, which as of Wednesday had a 60% positive rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.

Daily Beast entertainment critic Nick Schager called the ⁠film “a ​swashbuckling space Western that deftly marries combative spectacle and kid-friendly cuteness.” Bilge ​Ebiri, Vulture and New York film critic, found the movie “drab and stone-faced to a fault.”

Disney’s next movie, “Star Wars: Starfighter” featuring Ryan Gosling, is ​scheduled to hit cinemas in May 2027.