We Have a Star Wars Movie

A really bad Star Wars movie. It opened to the lowest box office in the Disney Lucasfim era.

This post morphed into a monster, because one post got stuck in drafts, so this merges them together. The first part talks about the movie, financial performance, and some reviews. The break is in the middle of the 1st part. The 2nd part deals with how Disney took the #1 cinema franchise of all time, and created apathy.

First I direct you to this story from Marvin Montanaro at Geeks + Gamers: ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ is Officially The Lowest Opening Disney Star Wars Movie Ever

For years, Disney and Lucasfilm treated Din Djarin and Grogu like the future of Star Wars. The duo became the centerpiece of the franchise’s streaming era, drove massive merchandise sales, and were positioned as the answer to fan backlash surrounding the sequel trilogy. Now, the box office numbers are in for The Mandalorian and Grogu, and they paint a troubling picture for the state of the brand.

The film officially opened to approximately $81.9 million domestically over its traditional 3-day opening weekend, with an estimated $102 million over the extended Memorial Day frame.

Now Marvin only had the Sunday and Monday estimates. Typing this on Tuesday 26 May, I have the actual spend, at least the domestic spend. The number is NOT $102 million. The actual number (from The Numbers - click on the Box Office tab) is $98 million domestically as of the end of Memorial Day weekend (Monday the 25th).

There was much discussion prior to the weekend, if it would be necessary to account for inflation of the next-worst-performing, Disney, Star Wars movie; it is not. The worst-performing movie HAD BEEN Solo: A Star Wars Story, which came out in 2018. It also released on Memorial Day weekend. Domestically Solo cleared $103 million through its first Monday. That is without accounting for inflation.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is officially the worst-performing movie in the entire Disney era. It is worse if you take inflation into account.

CPD Officer Attacked by Suspect with Brass Knuckles

I miss living in a civilized society. CPD officer may be unable to eat solid food for months after McKinley Park attack - CWB Chicago

They were getting a ticket, becuase they blocked an ambulence at an emergency. Blocked it so the ambulence could not leave and take the injured person to the hospital.

A convicted child sex offender and his sister have been detained on allegations that they battered a Chicago police officer who wrote them a ticket for blocking an ambulance at an emergency scene Tuesday night in McKinley Park. Prosecutors said the injured officer will be unable to eat solid foods for several months.

So of course they attacked the cop, because in a civilized society, we worry about what we owe to the others around us, like letting emergency services do their jobs. Chicago no longer qualifes as a civilized society; it is chaos.

To be clear, the suspect had brass knuckles when he was arrested. The family is saying that the cop was hit with them; I'm not sure the cops are saying that.

At that point, Sopher joined the fray, grabbing Mangan and punching the officer in the face multiple times, causing Mangan to fall to the ground, prosecutors said. Sopher then allegedly climbed on top of the fallen officer and continued to punch him in the face, causing several of Mangan’s teeth to be knocked out or loosened. Officers pulled Sopher off of Mangan and found a pair of brass knuckles in his front hoodie pocket, prosecutors said.

Click thru for the details. Weep for the status of Chicago, and the Blue Cities in general.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 27 May

William Teach at Pirate's Cove is up first with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

9. Victory Girls Blog: Jeffries Tries to Define What is/is not Acceptable anti-Semitism in Democrat Party
10. Virtual Mirage: Meritocracy

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 05.26.26 (Afternoon Edition)

Stoic Observations: Outfitting
Based Book Sale: Craig Wilson Makes Hard SF Meet Deep Time

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 26 May 2026: Polka Time Edition

If you are running Ghost CMS the best time to upgrade was February 19. (Bleeping Computer)
The second best time is now. If your site still exists.

EBL - Jaxson Dart and Marissa Ayers

NY Giants QB Jaxson Dart got some attention supporting President Trump.
But Jaxson's girlfriend Marissa Ayers also gets some attention too.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Iran Deal in the Wings? and Another White House Shooter

Nick Arama thinks a New Report Reveals CIA Director John Ratcliffe Dropped One Heck of a Boss Move on Cuban Regime. "Ratcliffe made a point of introducing the paramilitary leader to the Cubans as the one who killed their people in Venezuela, several sources said.

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 5/25/2026

Official statistics have shown that asylum seekers in one English county are approximately 9,000% more likely to commit sexual or violent offences than their share of the local population would indicate

Don Surber - HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEWS

ITEM 9: Science Alert reported, “A Beluga Whale Showed a Sign of Intelligence Once Thought Unique to Humans.”
They recognize themselves in a mirror—and like it. That makes them as smart as Obama.

Bacon Time!!!! - Sunday Linkange

The Shekel – Coins, Law, and Commentary – Goodbye, Thomas Massie
Woodsterman Babes ………….

The Glibertarians - Saturday Morning Mourning Links

Anyone who is hated by both Team Blue and Team Red is OK in my book.
It’s the monster you helped create. Deal with it.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 05.26.26 (Evening Edition)

Racket News: Humanity Needs To Get Offline
Shark Tank: Catalina Lauf Slams Madison Cawthorn Over Memorial Day Meet & Greet

Small Dead Animals - Saturday On Turtle Island

China Carney’s Canada: A bubble wrapped world. Misleading CBC article. First Settlers funding. Investing in communism. Indian schools a holocaust.
Stories You Won’t Find At Carney’s CBC: Small boat migrants. White racism.

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

Spencer Pratt speaks
It Turns Out Illegal Aliens Were Getting Food Stamps in Wisconsin

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 5/ 26/26

“I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side,” Trump wrote.
Rubio Reveals What’s Stalling Iran Agreement.

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: For the Honored Dead

• Rage, Rage Against the Dying of the Net Zero Dream - Tilak Doshi
• Dr. Oz Fires Back After Joy Behar's TrumpRx Meltdown - David Manney

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 05/26/2026

You will have to travel over the Vox Day and read this one. It features a transcript, which if true, might mean Nicola Tesla discovered the Vatican discovered electricity as early as 1200 AD

I leave you with Food for Thought – 24 May 2026 from Mostly Cajun, Sunday Funnies For 05-24-26 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Sunday Memes … from MaddMedic, and Tuesday Memes … from MaddMedic.

There Are No Guarantees

I still think that being armed in your own defense is better than the alternative. An Oregon Man Fired Back at an Intruder. By the Time Police Arrived, Two People Were Down. - USA Carry

This is a pretty standard story of the home invasion. Very few details were provided by the police, and the wording they used wasn't 100% clear on what happened.

Here is what we do not know, and I am not going to pretend otherwise. We do not know for certain who the two wounded people were. We do not know whether one of the wounded was the homeowner or whether both were intruders, though the way the police report is worded, with the caller saying he was shooting back, it sounds like one was the resident and one was the intruder.

This guy did everything right. He called 911. He defended himself. He ended up shot.

There are no guarantees in this life, there are only strategies for dealing with violent encounters.

Illinois Sued Over Firearms Owners ID Card

The FOID card is one of many things Illinois does to stand in the way of your Second Amendment RightsIllinois Sued Over Firearms Licensing Scheme | The Daily Caller

Illinois requires anyone to obtain a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card (FOID) before they can possess any firearm or even ammunition, according to the Illinois State Police Firearms Service Bureau. The New Civil Liberties Alliance announced the litigation in a Tuesday release, bringing the action on behalf of several Illinois residents including a Navy veteran and a restaurant owner.

Click thru for the details, as it is a fairly straight-forward suit in the era of Bruen.

“Under the FOID scheme, the state denies all residents the right to keep and bear arms unless and until they satisfy the ISP that they are eligible—and reserves the right to revoke permission instantly, at any time,” the complaint says.

Need to buy some popcorn. Oh, and the liberals with be screaming about the end of the world in a few seconds.

Put the Message In the Box

Another selection from WXRT's Saturday Morning Flashback. This is from a late April show.

1990 was a pretty good year. The films from that year include The Hunt for Red October, Ghost, Awakenings, Home Alone, Pretty Woman, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

World Party was the project of Karl Wallinger. He was the only consistent member of the group. Wallinger started World Party after he left Water Boys. He stopped touring, releasing albums under the name World Party in 2015, though he was reportedly working on a new album in 2023. Considering the first album came out in 1987, that is not a bad run. Wallinger passed away in 2024 at the age of 66.

This song is "Put the Message In the Box" by World Party from their 1990 album Goodbye Jumbo.

German Boy Decapitated By Palestinian Migrant

Europe is going to kill themselves over empathy. HORRIFIC: German Boy Decapitated By Palestinian Migrant Who Should Have Been Deported - modernity

German media is reporting that a 14-year-old boy was murdered in an abandoned building near Memmingen train station by 37-year-old Qais Saleh, a rejected Palestinian asylum seeker from Abu Qash in the West Bank.

He was denied asylum, but couldn't be deported for some reason. Why? Bureaucrats run on documentation and he didn't have any.

You can click thru for the details on the crime, why he was in the country, when he came to Europe, etc.

When confronted, he attacked officers with a knife, fled, and was later shot after lunging at them again outside an indoor swimming pool.

He died in hospital and authorities are now investigating the use of lethal force.

Because of course they are investigating if a guy who killed a kid, and then attack cops with knife, was dealt with fairly. And while this is Germany, this kind of thing is happening all over Empathetic Europe, though decapitation is extreme, rape has become disturbingly common.

Tuesday Links - 26 May

William Teach at Pirate's Cove starts us off with Good Grief: Masculinity, Eating Meat, And Climate Doom

I thought the age of this type of Woke wackadoodle crap was over. But, hey, it’s the uber-Leftist UK Guardian

Busted Knuckles - I grew up listening with my parents to CBS News Radio, can’t say I am not gratified to hear it is gone.

Once you cease to be useful to the Black Rider, you will be thrown from the high horse. And if CBS News Radio was a part of holding the country together, it was doing so for the benefit of the ruling elite.

Chant du Départ - The Mowing ...

I am giving serious thought to finding someone else to do it, you know, for cash money. As Danny Glover might have put it ...

Clayton Cramer - Capitalist Meets Astronomer Need

Results: magnificent.

Miguel Gonzalez - Let Darwin be the teacher for others.

We have seen this crap going on for ages. More than one Hollywood movie has a version of the subway surfing probably dating back to silent movies.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 23 May 2026: Peak Three Edition

Spotify is focusing on AI to deliver everything except what it is paid to deliver. (Tech Crunch)

Spotify wants to become an "everything audio" app, only it's all AI. Audiobooks read by AI; podcasts read by AI; your daily schedule... Read to you by AI.

Want to listen to music? Well, sure, that's in there too. Somewhere. Probably.

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Writing Until Dawn

I wrote a thing. Maybe not as good as Ralts Bloodthorne’s Behold! Humanity (and certainly not as long) but you may find it entertaining. As the post title says, it kept me up until dawn for most of last week.

The Other McCain - ‘Crash Out Kylie’: How a Queer Feminist Became Famous (Not in a Good Way)

Lecturing the world about politics at age 24? Never crossed my mind circa 1984, and I can’t imagine why Kylie Brewer or anyone else would imagine the world needs such lectures.

Gates of Vienna - Justice, Belgian-Style

Mr. Bakkali was sentenced in France, but he is serving his sentence in a Belgian prison. Under Belgian penal rules, he is eligible for furloughs from prison after serving only one-third of his sentence.

Jews Can Shoot - CPRC: FBI Active Shooter Reports Undercount Armed Citizens Who Stop Attacks

The Crime Prevention Research Center report claims the FBI’s active shooter reports from 2014 through 2023 badly undercount armed citizens who stopped attacks. According to the CPRC, the FBI listed only 14 active shooter incidents stopped by defensive gun use during that period, while the CPRC found 180 such cases.

Again from The Other McCain - Congo: ‘The Horror! The Horror!’

Joseph Conrad famously used the Belgian Congo as the scene for Heart of Darkness, with the madman Kurtz dying of fever, his final words being: “The horror! The horror!” The situation has not much improved lately, as the State Department warns: “Do not travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) due to crime, civil unrest, and health. Some areas have increased risk due to armed conflict.”

And then there’s the deadly ebola outbreak

Hunter Shoots Charging Grizzly Bear

Some predators walk on 4 legs, and you are only an apex predator when you are armed. Hunter shoots charging grizzly bear in defense of life near Cave Falls Road | Idaho Fish and Game

A hunter and his son were hunting black bear in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, near Ashton, Idaho, when a Grizzly charged them.

The hunters were sitting on the edge of a meadow when a grizzly began crossing it and seemed to pick up their scent. The grizzly then changed direction and headed directly toward the two hunters. As the hunters attempted to alert the grizzly to their presence, it began to charge directly toward them. The man fired at the charging bear with his sidearm before quickly switching to his hunting rifle, killing it within 5 yards of where he was standing.

Ashton, Idaho, is near West Yellowstone. It is about 220 miles north of Salt Lake City, Utah, or about 110 miles south of Bozeman, Montana.

The Idaho Fish and Game department has determined that the grizzly was shot in self-defense.

After conducting a thorough investigation, it was determined that the hunter acted in defense of life, as he and his son were being charged by a bear from a close distance.

Click thru for details, and info about how to deal with things in bear country.

Can You Stop a Home Invasion With a Cellphone?

The short answer is, "No!"

This is the story of a Home Invasion in Los Angeles.

Here is the tl:dr version of the video. A Man Tried To Stop A Home Invasion With His Cell Phone. This video is 90 seconds.

Here is the longer video: Los Angeles Built The Perfect City For Criminals

So, a man tried to stop a home invasion with his cell phone. You see, I'll let you guess how that worked out.

This was LA, so they didn't need to be armed. There were 2 home invaders, and they nailed this guy, a neighbor with a cellphone, with a can of bear spray. He is lucky that they didn't have a firearm, but then crooks in Los Angeles don't really need firearms.

The perfect ecosystem for predatory criminals.

This is the full video from Colion Noir; it is 10 minutes.

Another Homemade Gun from Brazil

Impro Guns bring us the story in Brazil capture

The Left is going crazy over 3D printed guns, but long before 3D printers, there were sheet-metal guns.

A seized DIY sheet metal auto pistol which may have been reworked to at least chamber .38 spl.

Click thru for a photo of the gun, and a link that should take you to some build plans, and other photos.

The Criminal Justice System Is Broken - Seattle Edition

Michael Austin, The Western Journal, at The Gateway Pundit, we get another story of how the Criminal Justice System has given up on Public Safety. Seattle Homeless Man Who Allegedly Kidnapped and Raped Girl Had 28 Prior Arrests

I miss living in a civilized society, where the government spends at least some money trying to combat crime, and support law and order.

A Seattle homeless man who allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl already had 28 prior arrests and 46 warrants.

He had to commit a heinous crime before they would take action, even though he had a history of ignoring court orders, court dates, etc.

Kowalczewski indeed had 28 arrests and 13 convictions, as well as 46 lifetime warrants and nine active warrants,

But then the people of Seattle keep voting for the same soft-on-crime politicians, so maybe this is what they want.

Eye Of The Storm

I love knowing about new music. Between social media, the streaming services, and the internet, it isn't hard to know about new music from bands you like.

This song is "Eye Of The Storm" by Five Finger Death Punch. It was released May 15th as a single ahead of their upcoming album.

Remember Why You Have a Three Day Weekend

It isn't just to mark the start of summer.

San Diego Shooters Seem Confused

The Other McCain asks a question. Why Would Two Jew-Hating Teenage Incels Shoot Up a Mosque in San Diego?

If what you’re looking for is logic and rationality, homicidal adolescents probably aren’t the first place you’d look.

The media, predictably is not interested in this story.

It has been noticed, by the way, that once the identity of the San Diego killers was determined, their background examined, and the contents of their “manifesto” widely available for scrutiny, the mainstream media lost interest in this story. The 24/7 coverage on CNN ended abruptly, without explanation. A full understanding of the factors involved simply doesn’t fit the preferred narrative.

Then there is the schools' role in radicalizing kids.

Beyond that, however, is the possibility that mandatory “ethnic studies” courses in high school may have played a role in radicalizing these weirdos. Last year, San Diego journalist Amy Reichert interviewed Cain Clark’s mother who “said her son was mandated to take an Ethnic Studies class to graduate from [high school]”:

That "ethics course" focused on "Whiteness," and Cain's mother worried that the course was actually teaching hate against his white family. (Cain was multiracial.)

Click thru for the rest. The details on the crime, the ethics course, the short-staffing of the cops, and how that played into the crime, etc.

I miss living in a civilized society.

People You Know Can Be a Threat

While it doesn't say, I'm assuming that since they were neighbors, this is the result of an ongoing conflict. One dead after Midwest City home invasion - News9

The gun-hating part of the Left loves to go on, at length, about how if you own a firearm you are more likely to shoot someone you know, than a complete stranger. While those statistics may be changing, shooting someone you know is not always a tragedy.

Authorities say a man entered a neighbor’s house unannounced and began assaulting the homeowner.

The suspect was shot during the confrontation according to police.

He was taken to a local hospital, but he did not survive his wounds.

Midwest City, Oklahoma, is a suburb of Oklahoma City. It is about 5 miles east of downtown. More or less.

The investigation is in early days, but this sounds like self-defense to me, and while I am not a lawyer, it is my understanding that Oklahoma has a fairly robust version of the Castle Doctrine.

Self-defense is a human right.

Chicago's Criminal Justice System's Electronic Monitoring Is Broken

Another aspect of the Criminal Justice System in Chicago and Cook County that is not getting the job done. 300 Lost in Cook County’s EM Program

Officials are now admitting that Cook County's pathetic and dangerous electronic monitoring system, a program that is supposed to make sure convicts are properly serving their home-based criminal sentences, has lost track of more than 300 people.

According to the Chief Judge, that is about eight percent of the population on electronic monitoring.

Burke added the data "clearly demonstrates how current safeguards are falling short, particularly when [electronic monitoring] is available to those charged with the most threatening and heinous crimes."

These are people charged with serious crimes. The people missing are as follows:

• 21 convicts charged with murder
• 13 charged with attempted murder
• 173 charged with aggravated assault
• 29 people charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault

Click thru for more.

In That Place Where Great Britain Used To Be

The UK is toast, and Europe is probably mostly toast as well. The UK doesn't deserve to survive. - Flopping Aces

I’ll bet you know the name George Floyd. He couldn’t breathe.

I’ll bet you don’t know the name Henry Nowak. He couldn’t breathe either.

Henry Nowak was a white, 18-year-old university student in England. His was stabbed. The guy who did the stabbing claimed Nowak was being "racist," so the cops handcuffed him, and when he told them he had been stabbed, the cops said, "I don't think so." He died in handcuffs, while cops accused him of being racist. I think the cops might be projecting their anti-white racism.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC said Digwa "was carrying an extremely large knife in a sheath openly displayed over his clothing" which he used to stab the first-year Southampton University accountancy and finance student. [Ref. Sky News]

He denies the video evidence.

There are a lot of stories on this incident. Not too many were in the "legitimate media," until the publicity blew up around the trial, because The Narrative must be protected. There are a lot of accusations of two-tiered policing. The cops believed the statement "He was being racist" and didn't believe the statement "I've been stabbed." You figure it out.

The killing was in December of last year.

Keep Your Dogs Under Control

People get upset when dogs are shot, but this case seems justified. UPDATE: Dog shot by neighbor dies from injuries, owner facing charges

Sometimes you need to defend yourself, and your family, from four-legged threats.

Bangor Police Lt. Brent Beaulieu says their investigation, aided by video evidence, shows the dog was untethered and ran “aggressively” towards the neighbor and his children, who were in a small play area in their driveway. He adds the dog leapt over a small barrier and continued running towards the family when the homeowner shot the dog. The dog then ran home.

The dog was euthanized later in the day.

The dog is identified only as a Staffordshire Terrier, though the photo looks more like a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, than an American Staffordshire Terrier. Either way, it is one of the breeds usually lumped under the heading of Pit Bull.

On Wednesday, The owner of the dog was charged with dogs at large, a civil offense, according to police.

The shooter has apparently not been charged with a crime, because self-defense is a human right.