Despite the close race, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” came out slightly ahead of “The Garfield Movie” at the holiday box office, earning an estimated $32 million in ticket sales over the four-day weekend. The Warner Bros. film has the No. 1 spot in the country and has garnered $64.8 million globally so far. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, this prequel to the “Mad Max” series was highly anticipated and received positive reviews, contributing to its strong debut.
For Sony, the release of “The Garfield Movie” was also a success, despite coming in second at the box office. The animated film featuring the voice of Chris Pratt has already earned over $91.1 million globally against its $60 million production budget. With the summer holidays beginning for school-age children, “The Garfield Movie” is expected to have a long life at the box office, potentially boosting its earnings further.
The Memorial Day weekend box office numbers have been disappointing for Hollywood, with one of the worst showings in decades, excluding 2020 when theaters were closed due to the pandemic. Ticket sales are down 22% from 2023, raising concerns about the industry’s performance as the summer continues. It is worth noting that at this point last year, major releases like “Barbenheimer” had not yet hit theaters, which may have contributed to the gap in sales.
The top ten films at the U.S. and Canadian box office over the holiday weekend were: 1. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” with $32 million, 2. “The Garfield Movie” with $31.1 million, 3. “IF” with $21 million, 4. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” with $17.2 million, 5. “The Fall Guy” with $7.7 million, 6. “The Strangers: Chapter 1” with $6.9 million, 7. “Sight” with $3.6 million, 8. “Challengers” with $1.8 million, 9. “Back to Black” with $1.4 million, and 10. “Babes” with $1.2 million.
Despite the success of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Garfield Movie” at the box office, the overall performance of the industry during the holiday weekend has raised concerns about the future of theaters. With ticket sales down and the summer movie season just beginning, Hollywood will be closely watching how audiences respond to upcoming releases. The competition between films like “Furiosa” and “The Garfield Movie” demonstrates the unpredictability of the box office, leaving studio executives analyzing the results to plan their future strategies.
