Memorial Day Weekend 2024 Box Office Sees Disappointing Results

The Memorial Day weekend box office of 2024 turned out to be more of a roller-coaster ride than a picnic, as movie theaters across North America faced significant challenges. The holiday weekend, typically a lucrative period for the film industry, fell short of expectations with neither Warner Bros.’ "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" nor Sony's "The Garfield Movie" managing to deliver blockbuster numbers.

"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" and "The Garfield Movie" Lead the Weekend

"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga," the latest installment in George Miller's post-apocalyptic franchise, narrowly edged out "The Garfield Movie" over the four-day period, grossing an estimated $32 million. For the Friday-Sunday window, "Furiosa" earned $26.3 million, surpassing "The Garfield Movie," which pulled in $24 million. However, initial projections had set higher expectations for "Furiosa," which was anticipated to open in the $40 million to $45 million range.

Despite its strong performance, "Furiosa" is the lowest-grossing Memorial Day weekend No. 1 opener since "Casper" in 1995, which earned $22.5 million. This comparison excludes the years impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly 2020 when theaters were closed.

"The Garfield Movie," featuring Chris Pratt as the voice of the beloved orange cat, claimed victory on Sunday with a projected $31.9 million for the four-day weekend. However, the estimates were revised down to $31.1 million by Monday. The close competition between the two films kept both studios cautious in releasing their four-day figures.

Industry-Wide Challenges and Box Office Decline

The overall box office revenue for the four-day Memorial Day weekend fell to an estimated $128.3 million, marking a 29-year low and a nearly 37% drop from last year. This significant decline highlights the absence of major blockbuster releases, a role usually filled by Marvel Studios at the start of summer. This year, the planned release of "Deadpool & Wolverine" was pushed to late July due to production delays caused by the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Audience Reception and Future Prospects

Both "Furiosa" and "The Garfield Movie" received lukewarm responses from audiences, each earning a B+ CinemaScore. Despite the moderate audience reception, "Furiosa" had a strong start internationally, grossing $32.8 million from 76 markets, bringing its global total to $64.8 million. However, with a production budget of $168 million, the film needs sustained performance to achieve profitability.

"Garfield," with a production cost of $60 million, performed in line with expectations. Its international earnings of $14 million over the weekend pushed its global total to $91.1 million. Industry insiders see this as a successful relaunch of the franchise.

Other Performances and Upcoming Releases

John Krasinski’s "IF" held firm at No. 3 in its second weekend, grossing $21 million over the four days and bringing its domestic total to $63.6 million. The film has performed well globally, with a worldwide total surpassing $100 million.

"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" continued to perform solidly, placing No. 4 and nearing the $300 million mark in worldwide sales. The 20th Century/Disney tentpole reported a four-day domestic gross of $17.2 million.

"The Fall Guy," starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, rounded out the top five with a four-day gross of $7.7 million, bringing its domestic total to $73.9 million and global earnings to $145.5 million.

At the specialty box office, Neon's "Babes" expanded into 589 theaters, earning $1.2 million over the four days. A24’s "I Saw the TV Glow" earned $642,000, bringing its domestic total to $2.8 million.

Looking Ahead

The summer box office has had a challenging start, but several high-profile releases are on the horizon, including Paramount’s "A Quiet Place: Day One," Universal’s "Despicable Me 4," "Twisters," and Disney’s "Inside Out 2" and "Deadpool & Wolverine." The industry remains hopeful that these upcoming films will draw audiences back to theaters and help recover from the early summer slump.

Final Thoughts

As the film industry navigates through these turbulent times, the upcoming releases will be crucial in determining the overall success of the summer box office. With major titles still to come, there is potential for a strong rebound in the months ahead.