Garfield has another reason to hate Monday.
In a nail-biter at the box office, ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ narrowly emerged victorious over ‘The Garfield Movie’ on the North American charts. On Sunday, Warner Bros. claimed. and Sony both had their own films at No. 1 with about $25 million over the weekend and an estimated $31 million over the Memorial Day holiday on Monday.
According to Monday’s estimates, “Furiosa” generated $26.2 million this weekend and $32 million over the four days. “Garfield” was shockingly close behind with $24 million over the weekend and $31.1 million over the four days.
Regardless of the final order, it’s the worst Memorial Day weekend in nearly three decades — with the exception of 2020, when theaters were completely closed due to COVID. Box office comparisons to the same holiday weekend in 2023 are especially difficult — down nearly 36% — considering Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” remake took the crown with $118 million, one of the top debuts for the holiday. Overall, this Memorial Day stretch is adding to Hollywood’s summer woes, as ticket sales are 22% behind 2023 and a worrying 41% behind 2019, according to Comscore.
It’s a particularly disappointing showing for “Furiosa,” the fifth installment in director George Miller’s post-apocalyptic “Mad Max” series. The R-rated film, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, is expected to lead the holiday season with $40 million to $45 million. And even that wouldn’t have been a great start, considering the film’s $168 million price tag. Worldwide, ‘Furiosa’ has earned $65 million. At this rate, it will be difficult to live up to the franchise’s previous entry, 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road,” starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. The opening grossed $45 million (not on a holiday weekend) and ultimately grossed a modest profit. $380 million worldwide. Despite good reviews, analysts believe “Furiosa” faltered because prequels rarely perform as well as direct sequels, especially if they don’t have the original stars. And this action epic failed to expand beyond its core group of older male moviegoers.
For $60 million, “Garfield,” is off to a decent start for a family film, coming in at the lower end of projections of $30 to $35 million. The film has already generated $66.3 million overseas and $91.1 million worldwide, so it’s well positioned for its theatrical run. Chris Pratt voices the Monday-hating, lasagna-loving cat in “The Garfield Movie,” which was financed and produced by Alcon Entertainment.
