This summer, movie theaters are facing a challenging time as Memorial Day weekend failed to bring in the usual blockbuster numbers. Two highly anticipated films, 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' and 'The Garfield Movie,' were unable to lift the box office to its usual heights, resulting in one of the lowest-earning holiday weekends in the past two decades.
'Furiosa,' the prequel to the popular Mad Max series, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, managed to secure the top spot for the Friday-Saturday-Sunday weekend with $25.6 million in ticket sales. On the other hand, 'The Garfield Movie,' an animated family-friendly film, claimed the No. 1 spot for the four-day holiday weekend with an estimated $31.9 million in earnings through Memorial Day.
These earnings mark the lowest No. 1 movie performances in 29 years, excluding the COVID-19 impacted year of 2020. The last time such low numbers were seen was in 1995 with 'Casper' earning $22.5 million in its first four days. Typically, the holiday weekend sees big earners, with ten movies having crossed the $100 million mark, including record-setting launches like 'Top Gun: Maverick' in 2022.
'Furiosa' was not expected to reach the $100 million mark, but its performance fell short of expectations, aiming for the $40 million range over the four-day weekend. The film, with a reported $168 million production budget, faces a challenging road to profitability despite positive reviews and strong international promotion.
Meanwhile, 'The Garfield Movie,' with a more modest budget of $60 million, received mixed reviews from critics but garnered a B+ CinemaScore from audiences. Both 'Furiosa' and 'The Garfield Movie' received positive ratings from viewers on PostTrak.
As the industry reflects on the absence of recent blockbuster hits, upcoming films like 'A Quiet Place: Day One,' 'Despicable Me 4,' 'Twisters,' 'Inside Out 2,' and 'Deadpool & Wolverine' are expected to carry the weight and revive the box office in the coming weeks.
Despite the current challenges, the industry remains hopeful for a resurgence in movie theater attendance as audiences eagerly anticipate the release of these highly anticipated films.
