Receipts: ‘Garfield’ Claws Down ‘Furiosa’
Domestic: The lasagna-loving cat surpasses George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) in this week’s box office. Playing at 3,800 theaters, it opened at an underwhelming $10 million on opening day, especially given its Memorial Day Weekend release. The $168 million budget film has only grossed $54 million after two weeks in theaters. In comparison, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) grossed $102 million by its second week, putting Furiosa at a staggering $48 million disadvantage. If comparisons to previous films in the franchise weren’t enough, The Garfield Movie (2024) surpassed Furiosa with $58 million by its second week, despite being released on the same day. With an estimated production budget of $60 million, The Garfield Movie fares better compared to the extensive $168 million budget of Furiosa. While it’s too early to deem Furiosa a flop, it does question Miller’s intent on continuing the saga. While it was stated during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, the director hinted at a possible sequel titled Mad Max: The Wasteland. However, with Furiosa’s modest beginnings, it seems bleak that Warner Bros. will consider this option.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) was released on June 7th, earning $22 million on its opening day and achieving a total gross of $56 million. This fourth installment in the franchise is directed by Adil El Arbi, who also directed Bad Boys for Life (2020), and stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. In Ride or Die, the Miami detectives return to clear their late police captain’s name after it is linked to a drug cartel. The film has been relatively well-received, holding a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and marks Smith’s first major film return to theaters after the 2022 Oscars incident. Despite the slow start to the summer releases, there is high anticipation for upcoming films like Inside Out 2 (2024) and A Quiet Place: Day One (2024), both set to release in June.
International: Wonderland (2024) is a South Korean science fiction romantic drama that topped the charts this weekend in Korea, surpassing Furiosa (2024), which held the top spot for the previous two weeks. Despite claiming the number one position, Wonderland grossed a modest $1.66 million on its opening day and $3.3 million since its release on June 5th, capturing 25% of the market share. Given that it's been released for two weeks—aside from the slight influx in the daily gross this past Saturday—the $7 million budget film is on a downward trajectory for this week. The AI-focused film is directed by Kim Tae-Yong and follows Jeong-in (Bae Suzy) and Bai Li (Tang Wei) as they use Wonderland—an artificial intelligence software—to speak with departed loved ones via video call. Following (2024) is a Korean mystery thriller that has consistently performed well since its release on May 15th, securing the third spot at the box office for the third consecutive week, with a total gross of $8 million and a 10% market share.
Although these three films have remained consistent in the top three standings, the box office rankings in South Korea are likely to shift in the coming weeks. On June 12th, Inside Out 2 (2024) is set to release in theaters, along with other highly anticipated Korean films such as Seeking the King (2024) and Escape (2024). Elementals (2023), Pixar’s most recent release, dominated the Korean box office, becoming the most-viewed foreign film in Korea in 2023 and the most-viewed Pixar film released there. Inside Out was ranked 6th among foreign films released in South Korea and 11th overall. With Pixar already having a strong foundation in Korea, it will be unsurprising to see Inside Out 2 dominating the box office in the coming weeks.
Streaming: Following the AI trend, Atlas (2024), starring Jennifer Lopez and directed by Brad Peyton, was the most-watched film on Netflix over the past two weeks, amassing nearly 32 million views and 63 million hours watched. Atlas Shepherd (Lopez) is a renowned data analyst who is extremely wary of artificial intelligence. When plans go awry on Atlas’s mission, she must trust AI in order to save humanity from it. Released on May 24th, the film has received mixed but largely poor reviews, earning an 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite numerous TikToks mocking the science fiction action film, the primary critiques focus on its one-dimensional plot and the heavy emphasis on action and entertainment over logic. Comically, the Ice Age franchise has climbed its way into Netflix’s Top Ten, with Ice Age: Collision Course (2016) ranking second and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) ranking third. Each film has approximately 9 million views and 14 million hours watched.
