Audiences have not turned out for “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” the latest installment in George Miller’s post-apocalyptic franchise. Despite high expectations and optimistic projections, the film failed to ignite the summer box office as anticipated.
“Furiosa” was heralded by numerous outlets as a potential blockbuster, with opening projections ranging from $30+ million to $100+ million. However, these hopes were quickly dashed when the film opened to previews on May 23rd.
According to box office analytics outlet The-Numbers, “Furiosa” pulled in just $3,500 across 3,400 theaters on its first near-full day in theaters. The official May 24th release date fared slightly better, with an opening night take of $10,350,000 across 3,804 theaters.
Unfortunately, the film failed to gain momentum over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The subsequent sales totaled $8.335 million, $7.615 million, and $5.7 million, respectively, with Monday’s viewership showing a 25% decline since the official opening. By the end of the four-day weekend, “Furiosa” had garnered a total of barely $32 million.
In comparison, its main competition, the family-friendly “Garfield,” led by Chris Pratt, pulled in $31.1 million. Despite its disappointing performance, “Garfield” managed to take the top spot on Memorial Day with a holiday draw of $7.1 million.
“Furiosa,” meanwhile, earned the dubious accolade of being “The Worst Performing Memorial Day Blockbuster In 43 Years,” adjusted for inflation. The previous record holder was the 1981 Richard Pryor comedy “Bustin’ Loose,” which took the top spot with an adjusted $26.486 million ($6.622 million actual).
Internationally, “Furiosa” did not fare much better, pulling in a meager $32.5 million over the same timeframe, bringing its worldwide total to $64.548 million. Given the film’s reported budget of $168 million, it faces an uphill battle to break even. The film will need significant boosts from remaining territories, including Greece, Japan, and China, to have any hope of recouping its costs.
The reasons behind “Furiosa’s” poor performance are varied. Factors such as poor reviews, a lack of extracurricular funds due to a struggling economy, fatigue with female protagonists, and the cultural knowledge that most films become available to stream shortly after their release may have contributed to the lackluster turnout.
The impact of “Furiosa’s” failure on the future of the “Mad Max” franchise and Hollywood at large remains uncertain. As the industry continues to navigate the evolving landscape of moviegoing and streaming, the performance of high-budget films like “Furiosa” will be closely scrutinized.
