Memorial Day weekend box office misfires with ‘Furiosa’ and ‘Garfield’

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Chris Hemsworth in a scene from “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

LOS ANGELES – The North American box office over Memorial Day Weekend might be described as a wasteland, with “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Garfield Movie” pulling in disappointing holiday opening numbers, according to industry estimates.

“Furiosa” brought in an estimated $32 million Friday through Monday, with $25.5 million of that generated Friday through Sunday, representing the lowest total for a top grossing film on Memorial Day weekend since 1995.

The prequel to 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, with Taylor-Joy playing a younger version of the character played by Charlize Theron in the 2015 film. It is the fifth film in the action-heavy franchise that began with 1979’s “Mad Max,” all directed by Australian George Miller.

“The Garfield Movie,” came in second, an animated comedy based on the popular comic strip created by Jim Davis, stars Chris Pratt as the voice of Garfield. It opened with an estimated $31.1 million Friday through Monday, Comscore reported.

Director John Krasinski’s fantasy film “IF” slipped to third place one week after opening in first place, grossing an estimated $21 million Friday through Monday, Comscore reported.

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” was fourth with $17.2 million in its third week, followed by “The Fall Guy” with $7.65 million in its fourth weekend. Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases were “The Strangers: Chapter 1” ($6.9 million), “Sight” ($3.6 million), “Challengers” ($1.76 million), “Back to Black” ($1.35 million) and “Babes” ($1.23 million).

This weekend’s overall four-day box office haul was estimated at $128.3 million, according to Comscore. The 2024 year-to-date total – $2.586 billion – was down an estimated 22 percent compared to the same time period in 2023.

Aside from Memorial Day in 2020 when theaters were closed due to COVID-19, these are the lowest earning No. 1 movies in 29 years, since “Casper” earned $22.5 million (not adjusted for inflation) in its first four days in 1995. Big earners are more typical for the holiday weekend, which has had ten movies crack $100 million, led by “Top Gun: Maverick’s” record-setting $160 million launch in 2022.

Last year, the live-action “The Little Mermaid” joined the group with a $118 million debut. Audiences even turned out in greater numbers over the pandemic-addled weekend in 2021 for “A Quiet Place Part II,” which made over $57 million. (With CNS report)