Will The Mandalorian and Grogu begin to make things right? That’s the key subject of discourse as our original fourth-chair co-host returns to dissect yet another example of a once-towering franchise pulling merely okay opening weekend grosses.

It’s a reunion of the, uh, “core four.” Scott Mendelson, Jeremy Fuster, Lisa Laman and Ryan Scott (does Kermit flail) spend 80 minutes digging into the nitty-gritty over a new Star Wars spin-off that kids and general audiences seem to enjoy and will unquestionably be of more value to Disney as a theatrical movie than it would have been as the fourth season of The Mandalorian.

Meanwhile, since Obsession had to go and make box office history and steal all of Star Wars’ pop culture thunder, we spend a sizable portion discussing all of the good news concerning Focus Features and Blumhouse’s $750,000 horror flick that should be passing $100 million worldwide by the end of this sentence.

Along with the (should be) obvious takeaways in terms of what Blumhouse should be prioritizing, who Hollywood should be targeting and the breakout potential for non-franchise newbies, there’s some chatter about the still-unanswered (and thus probably still undecided) question of how long Obsession will remain exclusive to theaters.

And yes, we spent a surprising amount of time, I say that as a “compliment,” discussing Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters while making a point to offer proverbial “flowers” to Passenger. Paramount’s original chiller opened with $10.5 million over the holiday despite a comparatively under-the-radar marketing campaign and (comparatively speaking) tentpole-sized competition from Obsession.

Oh, and I’ll be hosting a paid subscriber chat on Thursday, May 28 and 9:00 a.m. PST. So if that’s the thing that entices you to go from “free subscriber” to “paid subscriber,” well, there you go.

Recommended Reading (or Listening)…

* Scott Mendelson gets mournful and melancholy about the notion that IMAX is (potentially) yet another company whose success is merely a step toward being bought up by a larger one.

* Jeremy Fuster digs into the AI protections in the new SAG-AFTRA contract.

* Lisa Laman argues that Disney can help make Star Wars more popular for younger/newer fans by embracing the kind of gleeful goofiness typified by the 2008-2013 “Hyperspace Hoopala.” If it leads to the return of “Darth By Chocolate,” I might buy a Disneyland season pass again…

* Ryan Scott offered a handy guide to the history and origins of this weekend’s Backrooms movie. However, I’d advise you to see the movie beforehand, as it’s even creepier and more disconcerting if you go in cold.

* Max Deering (who couldn’t make the recording, natch) says his peace about The Mandalorian and Grogu on this week’s episode of Action For Everyone.

If you like what you hear…

Please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com.

* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News

* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap

* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle

* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse

* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone

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