Over Memorial Day weekend, a surprising box office competition unfolded between “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and Sony’s “The Garfield Movie,” each raking in approximately $25 million domestically and projected to hit $31 million by Monday. This duel marks a notably low start for a Memorial Day weekend, the poorest in nearly three decades, reflecting a broader sluggishness in movie theater earnings.
Jim Davis, the original creator of #Garfield, broke down how The #GarfieldMovie differs from the comics. See his work come to life in theaters NOW! Get your tickets here👇https://t.co/jml72fnbkT pic.twitter.com/WNGEDEXRAb
— Fandango (@Fandango) May 23, 2024
This year’s performance contrasts starkly with previous years, particularly in comparison to 2023, when Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” remake opened with $118 million. Current ticket sales are 22% lower than the same time last year and 41% below 2019. This downturn persists despite the release of potential blockbusters that have underperformed, such as “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Fall Guy,” and “IF.”
“Furiosa,” directed by George Miller, is the fifth installment in the “Mad Max” series and was anticipated to make a stronger impact with an expected $40 million to $45 million over the holiday. However, it fell short, only amassing $33.3 million internationally for a combined $58.9 million globally. This start is modest compared to its predecessor, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” which debuted at $45 million domestically over three days in 2015 and reached a global total of $380 million. “Furiosa,” despite being well-received by critics and featuring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, struggled to exceed its core demographic of older male viewers, possibly due to the inherent challenges of marketing a prequel.
Furiosa was the worst performing film for Memorial Day weekend in 30 years. It needs over 500 million just to break even after marketing.
Despite great reviews It made just 31 million & barely beat a Garfield movie nobody knew about it.
People are sick of female protagonists. pic.twitter.com/M6wYS5Kjf1
— TheQuartering (@TheQuartering) May 26, 2024
Meanwhile, “The Garfield Movie,” an animated film featuring voices from Chris Pratt and Samuel L. Jackson, has been embraced by audiences, earning a “B+” CinemaScore, identical to “Furiosa.” Despite weaker reviews, “The Garfield Movie” performed robustly overseas, pushing its total earnings to $91.1 million on a budget of $60 million, affirming its success against its modest financial expectations.
Other new releases saw mixed fortunes. “Sight,” a biographical drama about a Chinese immigrant who becomes a celebrated eye surgeon in the U.S., debuted at seventh place, garnering $2.9 million domestically over the weekend. Despite receiving an “A” CinemaScore, it failed to draw significant audiences.
“IF,” featuring Ryan Reynolds and directed by John Krasinski, slipped to third place in its second weekend, adding $21 million through Monday for a total of $103 million globally. The film, costing $110 million, remains hopeful for sustained interest through the summer.
Movie theaters are looking more and more like a wasteland this summer. Neither “ Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga ” nor “ The Garfield Movie ” could save Memorial Day weekend, which is cruising towards a two-decade low.https://t.co/ilOuykQ3dO
— WETM-TV (@WETM18News) May 26, 2024
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” continued to perform, collecting $17.1 million through Monday, reaching $294 million globally. This installment needs to maintain momentum to align with its successful predecessors.
“The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, rounded out the top five, earning $7.6 million through Monday, struggling to recoup its $140 million budget with a total of $143 million globally after four weeks.
As the summer progresses, cinemas are hopeful for upcoming releases like “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Despicable Me 4,” and “Inside Out 2” to revitalize the box office and attract larger audiences.
Major Points
- “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Garfield Movie” both earned around $25 million domestically over Memorial Day weekend, forecasting a total of $31 million each by Monday.
- This represents the weakest Memorial Day box office opening in nearly three decades, with overall ticket sales down 22% from last year and 41% from 2019.
- “Furiosa,” starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, struggled to attract beyond its core audience despite high expectations and favorable reviews.
- “The Garfield Movie,” with voices by Chris Pratt and Samuel L. Jackson, performed well internationally, bringing its total earnings to $91.1 million against a $60 million budget.
- Other notable films like “IF” and “The Fall Guy” showed mixed results, with ongoing releases hoping for improved performance in the coming months.
Al Santana – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
