June is upon us; unfortunately, it’s another barren weekend in 2024. Yes, the numbers are holding “okay” for legging it out post-Memorial Day, but 65% behind 2023 times on the same weekend? Ouch.
It might have to do with two things: A) no one was precisely asking for another Mad Max outing or another re-adapted live showcase for North America’s most iconic fat cat (which we’ll have more positive things to spew in a moment), and B) the labor strikes of last year pigeon-holed a lot of blockbusters that would’ve started reigning down this time, but sadly, most of them flocked to later this year or 2025. It also doesn’t benefit all parties when inflation is reigning supreme, meaning local theaters are clawing for more dollars with popcorn/sodas (something that could be worth discussing in a separate document). Tough times will showcase the power of what folks are gauging up for, and it seems that family time is prioritized over another action-packed blockbuster or CGI-ridden affair.
Case in point, The Garfield Movie took first place in its second weekend, holding quite well with a 42% for $14 million. It has already passed $50 million domestically and $152 million worldwide. Passing $200 million worldwide is a no-brainer at this point, and it should get some nice sums added from its releases in France (end of July) and Japan (August 16th) to get it to around $250 million globally. It’s a good number for the family-friendly live-action toon, and Sony will be more than pleased as they try to rope in some more summer dances coming with It Ends with Us and Bad Boys 4. At least Chris Pratt gets some added value entertainment added to his name, despite this not being any Mario film.
IF, the other family-friendly show in town, kipped back to second place to earn $10.8 million in its third weekend. It should still have no issue passing $100 million domestically, which would be the first live-action original to top this benchmark since Sound of Freedom last year. Had overseas been a more receptive turnout, we could’ve stated that $200 million worldwide was plausible, but it’s probably more opted for $180-185 million. Still, it could be worse, and yours indeed thinks Paramount will be fine with these results, provided PVOD makes up the difference.
Now, we move on to Furiosa, which is tumbling faster than one would envision, but Hollywood is still not learning from its mistakes. Its Friday plunge is on par with Solo, Pirates of the Caribbean 5, and X-Men: Apocalypse (and Days of Future Past), and its weekend earnings were $10.75 million. Not even breaking $50 million in its first ten days is harrowing. As mentioned last time, Hollywood needs to stop creating another installment as online fandom barely means much, as does making a spinoff/prequel with a lesser-known actor to helm it. The latest Mad Max saga is bombing because folks were not interested, even though Warner Brothers can absorb this loss as they have been kicking it well lately with Wonka, Dune 2, and Godzilla x Kong. Bringing Mel Gibson back won’t exactly reignite much interest if anyone dares to bring that up.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has passed $335 million globally and is still on course to reach $400 million worldwide. The Fall Guy has scraped past $150 million globally despite heading to PVOD already; technically, this won’t harm the remaining legs, but it’s another clumsy total once we call it a day for Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. The Strangers: Chapter 1 has earned $28.5 million in seventeen days.
The newcomers barely scrapped up much of the earnings, but their numbers are Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle ($3.5 million), In a Violent Nature ($2.12 million), and Ezra ($1.18 million). Also, Godzilla x Kong has become the highest-earning MonsterVerse film (kaiju action can still rule the world!), and Unsung Hero will wrap up with $20.3 million domestically.
Next weekend sees the release of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, The Watchers, Longing, and Late Bloomers.
