Warner Bros.’ “Furiosa” pulled out to a narrow lead over Sony/Alcon/DNEG’s “The Garfield Movie,” though that is not much of a victory as the $32 million extended opening earned by the “Mad Max” prequel is part of the worst Memorial Day weekend box office results seen since the 1990s.
“Furiosa” scored the lowest total for a No. 1 Memorial Day film since “Casper” in 1995, while the overall estimated 4-day total of $128 million is a sharp 37% drop from last year’s Memorial Day weekend.
It’s a drop that can be attributed to an industry-wide slump as Hollywood and exhibitors weather weeks of reduced theatrical output due to delays caused by last year’s strikes, including Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which has enjoyed exceptional presales but moved from May to late July and left theaters without their customary comic book film boost to kick off the summer.