The weekend brought a sense of déjà vu at North American cinemas as Sony’s The Garfield Movie and Warner Bros.’ Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga continued to dominate the box office, while a collection of holdovers rounded out the top spots. In a reversal from their Memorial weekend debuts, the beloved animated cat once again surged ahead of the post-apocalyptic heroine in their second outing.
Garfield led the pack with a solid $14 million in ticket sales, claiming the top position. Meanwhile, Furiosa found itself in a tight race for third place against Paramount’s IF, with both films earning a close $10.8 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday. IF edged slightly ahead of Furiosa in the end.
Garfield’s appeal remained strong, with the film experiencing only a 42% drop in its second North American weekend. Internationally, the movie added $27 million, bringing its total global earnings to an impressive $152.2 million. With Chris Pratt lending his voice, the animated film is poised to dominate the market until the release of Inside Out 2 on June 14.
While Garfield thrived, Furiosa faced challenges, seeing a 59% decline from its inaugural weekend. Still, it brought in just under $10.8 million from 3,864 locations across the U.S. and Canada. To date, Furiosa has garnered $49.7 million domestically and $114.4 million globally, though it still has a way to go to recoup its $168 million production budget.
Several new releases graced over 1,000 screens this weekend but failed to crack the top five. These include Sony/Crunchyroll’s anime Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, IFC’s horror flick In a Violent Nature, Roadside Attractions’ star-studded comedy Summer Camp, and Bleecker Street’s family drama Ezra. Despite their fresh presence, none managed to make a significant impact at the box office.
Disney also ventured into the fray with the well-reviewed Young Woman and the Sea, featuring Daisy Ridley as the first woman to swim the English Channel. However, the studio did not disclose ticket sales. Similarly, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, currently in select theaters before its streaming debut next week, also had its box office numbers withheld by Netflix.
Paramount’s IF secured second place with $10.8 million in its third weekend. The film, starring Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming in a story about imaginary friends, has now amassed over $80.4 million domestically and $138 million worldwide. Disney/20th Century Studios’ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes came in fourth with $8.8 million in its fourth weekend, totalling $140 million domestically and $337.1 million globally.
Rounding out the top five was the Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action-comedy, The Fall Guy, which added $4.2 million to its domestic total of $80.3 million. Globally, the Universal release has earned $157.9 million.
Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, based on the popular Japanese volleyball series, made an estimated $3.5 million from 1,119 locations. The slasher film In a Violent Nature opened to $2.2 million from 1,426 locations, a significant release size for IFC Films and Shudder. Ezra, focusing on a stand-up comedian and his autistic son, brought in $1.2 million from 1,320 screens.
The 2024 box office is notably sluggish compared to previous years, with a 23.9% decline from last year and a stark 42.2% drop from pre-pandemic levels in 2019, as per Comscore data. Last year, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse debuted to $120.
.7 million, and The Little Mermaid maintained $41.4 million in its second weekend. In contrast, 2024 has yet to see any film surpass the $100 million mark domestically on opening weekend.
Despite an underwhelming summer so far, potential blockbusters lie ahead. Inside Out 2, set to release in mid-June, is projected to open to over $85 million, potentially reinvigorating the summer season. Other anticipated releases, like Despicable Me 4 and Deadpool & Wolverine, are expected to follow suit in July.
Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst, pointed out that family-oriented films, though not producing the largest opening figures, have shown strong endurance at the box office, as seen with The Garfield Movie and IF. “It’s a momentum business,” he emphasized, noting the need for a major hit to jumpstart the summer box office.
The year’s biggest earner thus far remains Warner Bros.’ Dune: Part Two, which has made over $711 million globally since its March release. Its domestic earnings of $282.1 million account for 10.5% of the year’s total box office revenue.
During the Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto, Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve expressed his disappointment at his film still holding the top spot, hoping for a boost in the summer box office. “I hope soon that there will be other successes at the box office,” he said.
As the summer movie season continues, the industry eagerly awaits the arrival of anticipated blockbusters to bring a much-needed boost to the box office. Estimated ticket sales for U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, as compiled by Comscore, are:
1. The Garfield Movie, $14 million.
2. IF, $10.8 million.
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, $10.8 million.
4. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, $8.8 million.
5. The Fall Guy, $4.2 million.
6. The Strangers: Chapter 1, $3.6 million.
7. Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, $3.5 million.
8. In a Violent Nature, $2.1 million.
9. Ezra, $1.2 million.
10. Sight, $1.1 million.
