Furiosa's Box Office Opening Explained: What The Hell Happened With The Mad Max Prequel?!
Furiosa's Box Office Opening Explained: What The Hell Happened With The Mad Max Prequel?!
Furiosa’s box office is another worrying sign.
Furiosa's opening weekend numbers have been a point of discourse for many trades after its release. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Furiosa slumped to a $26 million gross between Friday, May 24, and Sunday, May 26. However, Furiosa was released over the Memorial Day weekend, taking its estimated domestic total to between $31-33 million. Concerning how Furiosa fared overseas, the reading is not much better. In territories outside of the United States and Canada, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned around $33 million, taking its worldwide total opening weekend haul to a lowly $64-66 million.
Although Furiosa is receiving positive reviews, its box office returns for its opening weekend are underwhelming. Many could point to the film itself and wonder why Furiosa specifically is not resonating with audiences, though the issue is much broader than any one film. Instead, Hollywood as a whole has been suffering with box office success in recent years, with a variety of reasons factoring into this disappointing stretch of failed movies. Furiosa, unfortunately, is simply the latest in a long line of underperforming movies that, if its great reception is anything to go by, should be earning much more.
The first problem facing Furiosa has affected other 2024 releases like The Fall Guy. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the wait time between a movie ending its theatrical run and being released on digital is increasingly shortening. The Fall Guy's poor box office was capped off with the announcement it would release on digital only two weeks after releasing in theaters. This shrinking wait time is causing audiences to stop spending money in theaters in favor of cheaper, home-video options, which has evidently impacted Furiosa too.
Aside from wider industry problems, Furiosa's status as a prequel is likely a factor contributing to its poor box office. In recent years, prequels to giant movies simply do not have the same pull as they once might have. Some instances include Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, both of which grossed significantly less than their other franchise installments. Furiosa is now following suit, with a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road obviously not high on the list of stories general audiences desired.
I saw infinitely more marketing for Garfield, for which I have infinitely less interest in seeing.
Learned that Furiosa was released after watching Chris Hemsworth on Hot Ones, went to see it a couple days later, loved it.
Also movie tickets cost a fucking arm and a leg so we waited until discount day.
Personally, I'm tired of franchises. I don't want to see more money grabs when a movie does well. Let's bring new ideas to the table.
The industry has been so obsessed with reducing monetary risk that franchises have taken over.
I don’t want to see more money grabs when a movie does well.
I agree, but that's not the case here - Miller wrote Fury Road, Furiosa and The Wasteland (a prequel featuring Mad Max) at the same time, so everyone would have the back stories leading up to Fury Road. Theron wanted to make Furiosa first and she was probably right to do so - Fury Road feels like it should have been the big spectacular finish to a trilogy that you build up to.
I feel like most people think that too, yet the studios keep insisting.
I love marvel and Star wars. Doesn't mean that's the only thing I want to watch. Hire more writers and make what they suggest ffs
Memorial Day weekend plus nice weather equals people going outside instead.
Exactly. I will see it this weekend. No way was I not going camping over the long weekend.
Personally, there's no way I'm going camping on one of the most overcrowded holidays of the year. People are leaving town in droves and those that aren't leaving aren't going out? Guess my favorite pub is gonna be especially nice, and the campgrounds'll be wonderfully empty next weekend when the weather's even better. Fuck the punters. 🤌🏽
That doesn't explain why this is the worst memorial day weekend in decades
I was aware of the movie but didn't see it because I'm sick of sequels and remakes and prequels and reboots fucking over and over again.
I did also get this in my feed: Anya Taylor-Joy Is The Reason Mad Max Is Failing And It’s Not Her Fault
While she doesn't bring the same physicality to the role as Theron, I think she did a good job in the lead, especially with so few lines.
She was great. The movie was too long, too unfocused, and generally undercooked (bad CG, etc).
Some more time in the editing bay and the VFX shop and I think there would be a solid 9/10 movie there. As it stands, I’d call it a solid 7/10… but it’s 2024, and 7/10 isn’t going to get people into an inconvenient, overpriced, impractical theater.
MOST movies are too long these days. Lopping 15 or even 25 minutes off many would make them a better movie overall.
Agreed. I thought the movie was a great addition to the Mad Max films. As others have pointed out, some of the CGI was lacking, but other than that it was extremely enjoyable and well paced.
Interesring read I haven't seen it yet and am a fan of ATJs other work, but it kind of backs up my gut feeling she is an odd choice. Though I think I'm mainly disappointed we didn't get more Theron Furiosa.
I definitely will see it, but don't have a burning desire to go out to see it. In fact talking about it is making me more eager for another of rewatch Fury Road instead. I guess others are thinking similarly.
Though I think I’m mainly disappointed we didn’t get more Theron Furiosa.
Apparently, Miller wasn't happy with the de-aging technology.
I mean, I can really only speak for myself, and I guess my wife because we would go together...
I had no idea that it was opening this weekend. I knew it was coming, I just didn't know exactly when. Same for Garfield for that matter.
Also... I guess I'm the only one who never understood why everyone went crazy for Fury Road? It was fine... It's not a bad movie... But I wouldn't put it in the same league as Road Warrior or Beyond Thunderdome.
Tom Hardy just wasn't as likeable as Mel Gibson was in the originals. Like I say, it was fine.
Honestly I am baffled by your meh opinion. Fury Road is hands down a top 10, top 5 action film of all time. I’d say the main rivals are The Matrix, Mission Impossible Fallout, Die Hard, Fifth Element, etc.
It is really even top 3 for narrative action, meaning how the action forwards the characters so consistently, which is notable here given the lack of dialogue.
EDIT: You could not like it as much in the context of the Mad Max series; however by most objective narrative measures, it is easily a top film.
I also think Fury Road was mid at best for an action movie in general, not just for the series. All of the people putting it on "best of all time" lists makes me feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
EDIT: Ah yes, "objective narrative measures". Do you have a handy list of these "objective narrative measures", along with precise, unambiguous methods of quantifying them?
I could stand watching it again, I caught it in the theater, then bought it on Blu Ray, but I haven't felt a need to re-watch it since then.
I would definitely put the Matrix, Die Hard, Fifth Element, John Wick head and shoulders above it. Two of my other favorites too... Silverado and the Untouchables.
Like I say, it's not bad, I just didn't think it was as great as everyone says it is. It was fine. It had a high bar being a new entry into the Max Max series after 30 years, but it didn't fall all over itself or anything.
Hey man, is ok if someone doesn't dig what you love, is a matter of taste and everybody is different.
There's no objectivity in taste.
Personally I'm not a huge fan of prequels. They tend to have little to no stake for me.
I know where most if not all the pieces fall.