The Memorial Day box office isn't a breeze this year.
 |
| 'Garfield' SONY PICTURES |
Alcon and Sony’s The Garfield Movie is leading ahead of George Miller's Furiosa with an estimated four-day gross of $31.9 million, marking the lowest Memorial Day No. 1 opener since Casper debuted with $22.5 million nearly 30 years ago in 1995 (unadjusted for inflation). This statistic excludes 2020, when theaters were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the competition isn't settled just yet. Furiosa outperformed Garfield over the three-day weekend with an estimated $25.6 million compared to $24.8 million, but the four-day number is the critical figure. Competing studios either show Furiosa slightly ahead for the long weekend or have the two movies tied.
Warner Bros. has taken the unusual stance of not reporting a four-day estimate until Monday (with the race so close and the headlines so unfavorable, it's understandable why the studio is breaking from tradition).
Neither film dazzled audiences, with each earning a B+ CinemaScore.
With no major holdovers to boost the Memorial Day box office, overall revenue for the four days plummeted to an estimated $127 million to $130 million, marking a 29-year low. This excludes 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic was still rampant, although Paramount's A Quiet Place sequel managed to open to $57.1 million over the holiday in 2021.
Furiosa, a prequel featuring Anya Taylor-Joy as a younger version of Charlize Theron's character from the previous film, was anticipated to debut with $40 million to $45 million for the four-day holiday. However, it became the latest summer blockbuster to fall short in its opening (with the exception of The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes).
In 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road kicked off with a three-day gross of $45.4 million. Miller's latest film, also featuring Chris Hemsworth, came with a hefty price tag of $168 million before marketing expenses. Overseas, Furiosa began with $33.3 million from 76 markets, resulting in a modest global start of $58.9 million through Sunday. It will need sustained performance to break even. So far, it is attracting a predominantly male audience, with males comprising 72 percent of viewers in North America.
Garfield, voiced by Chris Pratt, was fully financed by Alcon and cost a relatively modest $60 million to produce, opening in line with expectations. Internationally, where it started rolling out earlier this month, the kids' film added another $14 million from 51 markets this weekend, bringing its global total to $91.1 million through Sunday. Insiders report that the film's performance has successfully rebooted the franchise.
Meanwhile, Angel Studios continues to strive for the remarkable success of last summer's Sound of Freedom but has yet to achieve similar results. This weekend, they released the faith-adjacent film Sight, which is projected to gross an estimated $3 million to $3.5 million over the four days, placing it in seventh position.
Back in the top five, IF is holding steady at No. 3 in its second weekend, with an estimated four-day gross of $21 million from 4,068 locations, bringing its domestic total to $63.6 million. The family film's estimated three-day gross of $16.1 million represents a 52 percent decline, which is a decent hold considering it is competing with Garfield for family audiences. This is welcome news for Paramount, director John Krasinski, and star Ryan Reynolds after IF's lukewarm opening. Additionally, 74 percent of kids say the film exceeds their expectations.
Globally, IF is surpassing the $100 million mark, having earned another $11.3 million from 64 markets this weekend, for a foreign total of $40 million and an estimated worldwide total of $103.6 million through Monday.
The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes secured the No. 4 spot in its third weekend, approaching the $300 million milestone in worldwide ticket sales. The 20th Century/Disney tentpole reports an estimated four-day gross of $17.1 million, bringing its domestic total to $126.5 million and its global total to $298.5 million through Monday.
Despite now being available to rent on premium VOD, The Fall Guy's estimated three-day gross of $5.9 million marks a drop of just 29 percent. For the four days, the Ryan Gosling-Emily Blunt starrer is expected to round out the top five with $7.6 million, bringing its domestic total to $73.9 million and its global total to $145.5 million through Monday.
At the specialty box office, Neon’s Babes broke into the top 10 as it expanded into 589 theaters. The dramedy earned an estimated $1.3 million over the four days, bringing its solid domestic total to $1.5 million through its second Sunday.
A24’s I Saw the TV Glow landed at No. 13 as it expanded into 458 theaters, earning a modest $642,000 over the four days, for a domestic total of $2.8 million.
May has had a rough start to the summer season, with the box office still reeling from marquee titles being delayed due to last year’s labor strikes. Marvel Studios usually kicks off summer in early May with a superhero tentpole, and this year it was supposed to be Deadpool & Wolverine. However, Marvel and Disney had to push the film back nearly three months to a planned July 26 release date because of the SAG-AFTRA strike halting production.
Neither Furiosa nor Garfield were ever considered to be the type of four-quadrant tentpole that typically anchors Memorial Day. For instance, last year Disney’s The Little Mermaid debuted to $118 million domestically.
0 Comments