Traditionally, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of the summer box office season, but 2024 has broken with tradition. With great anticipation, the newest Mad Max film, Furiosa, debuted in theaters this past weekend. Still, the results were less than stellar, registering the lowest holiday weekend attendance in thirty years.
During the extended weekend, Furiosa sold $31 million worth of tickets, barely beating Garfield. Even with its high-profile release and stellar cast, the movie didn't meet box office expectations, indicative of a more significant trend of disappointing Memorial Day openings.
The unsatisfactory showing of Furiosa portends a difficult beginning to the summer film season and raises questions about the continued relevance of traditional blockbuster releases in a changing entertainment environment.
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The industry's vigilant observation of upcoming releases, as theaters strive to bounce back, instills a sense of hope. However, the summer of 2024 might struggle to recapture the enchantment of past blockbuster seasons, given the apparent reluctance of moviegoers to return to theaters.
