It may be the summer holiday season, but the box office has felt a little drab to date, with a somewhat dull May slate that has failed to gain much audience traction. We could see that change as we power into the heart of summer, however, with two potential hits on the table- one already tracking well. Strangely, it’s not the one everyone expected! Look at entertainment attorney from Blake & Wang P.A., Brandon Blake, takes a look at the Memorial Day box office weekend.
Furiosa May Deliver the Action May Missed But Is Proving a Hard Sell
Between the inevitable release delays from last year’s strikes and Disney’s stepping-down of their Marvel release schedule, one thing has been notoriously absent in the summer slate so far. A fast-paced, fun, blockbuster romp to act as an action tentpole. Fresh off the back of a high-profile Cannes debut, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, could have been just what the box office- and holiday audiences- are craving.
Despite opening to a $3.5M domestic debut for its Thursday previews, however, Furiosa seems to be failing to connect with audiences as anticipated, leaving it at a lackluster $66M global opening weekend. However, with the action and fancy special effects of a blockbuster in place, this could change in the coming weeks as young people on holiday look for a way to pass the time. Let’s not be too hasty to write off a film that performed exceptionally with critics.
Family-Friendly Fat-Cat Fun
The other big opener for Memorial Day weekend was Sony’s The Garfield Movie. With a solid $1.9M in Thursday previews, it was expected to track significantly behind action-packed Furiosa. However, the vagaries of the current moviegoer continue! Instead, Garfield drew level with Furiosa domestically, with an opening in the $30M range, and global takings to date of $91.1M.
What can we say, other than that the modern theater-going audience is a fickle and difficult-to-predict one? However, both films still have immense potential for staying power, and it will be interesting to see who the ultimate victor between them is.
Film and Television 