Key Takeaways:
– Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Garfield Movie battle for the top spot but with low box office earnings.
– The predicted gross is the worst for a leading movie during Memorial Day weekend since 1983.
– Although Furiosa received positive reviews, consumers are not flocking to the big screens.
– The movie IF by John Krasinski shows potential, with a modest dip in the box office collection.
Box Office Blues: Furiosa and Garfield Trail Behind Expectations
The early box office results from Memorial Day weekend are bleak. Both George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Garfield Movie pulled in less than expected at the U.S. box office. Forecasts from Deadline put Furiosa ahead with an approximate take of $27-28 million over three days and about $31 million during the four-day holiday. The Garfield Movie is trailing slightly behind at $24 million but could still potentially eclipse Furiosa over the four-day weekend, with expectations of $30-32 million. However, these projections fall drastically short of the previously anticipated $40 million for Furiosa and $35 million for Garfield.
Historic Lows for Memorial Day Weekend
In an unfortunate milestone, this Memorial Day saw the lowest opening gross for a winning movie since Return of the Jedi in 1983. This excludes 2020's box office, which had no new movie releases due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To give perspective, Solo: A Star Wars Story was considered a flop for debuting to “merely” $103 million on Memorial Day 2018. The current numbers for Furiosa and The Garfield Movie seem to cast a gloomy shadow on the state of the film exhibition industry.
Furiosa's struggle despite glowing reviews
Despite rave reviews, Furiosa is struggling to attract audiences. Possible reasons such as word-of-mouth influence could potentially push the movie to the $100 million mark, but even this figure would be disappointing given its high production cost of over $160 million. There are aspirations that worldwide grosses may rescue Furiosa and allow Miller to proceed with creating Mad Max: The Wasteland.
The Glimmer of Hope: IF by John Krasinski
While the weekend's numbers generally cause for concern, one movie has shown signs of resilience. John Krasinski's IF, after a less-than-stellar opening weekend, has held up at the box office with a modest 50% drop, all thanks to its strong A CinemaScore. This might signal the movie evolving into a modest sleeper hit.
Bigger Questions About The Theatrical Experience
The apparent lack of interest in movie attendance begs the question: Why are people staying away from movie theaters this summer? Is it the movies themselves, or is something more profound happening with the traditional theatrical experience? Audience feedback and future box office results will surely provide some answers.
In light of these low box office figures, the film exhibition industry is seeking ways to entice moviegoers back to the cinemas. With adjustments in the industry on the horizon, the future of cinema might look entirely different.
