Over the Memorial Day weekend, Hollywood released highly anticipated films such as "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" and "Garfield" in hopes of attracting audiences back to movie theaters. However, box office sales did not meet expectations, with Warner Bros. reporting $25.6 million in ticket sales for "Furiosa" and Sony expecting $31.9 million for "Garfield" over the weekend.
This Memorial Day weekend marked the worst opening for Hollywood since 1995, when "Casper" earned $22.5 million in ticket sales. The numbers do not take into account 2020, when theaters were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, theater sales in the United States and Canada are expected to be down 40% year-over-year, amounting to a $125 million decrease, according to Comscore.
Despite the disappointing start to the summer movie season, film studios are optimistic about upcoming releases like Disney's "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Inside Out 2" to boost box office numbers. "Deadpool & Wolverine" was originally slated for a May release but was delayed to July due to strikes within the entertainment industry.
In addition to "Furiosa" and "Garfield," other top movies over the Memorial Day weekend include Paramount's "If" and 20th Century's "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," expected to make $21 million and $17.1 million respectively. Universal's "The Fall Guy" is expected to bring in $7.6 million.
As Hollywood continues to navigate challenges such as changing consumer preferences and competition from streaming services, the industry remains hopeful that upcoming releases will help revitalize the box office and attract audiences back to theaters.