Advertisement
Warner Bros. and Sony executives had a rough Memorial Day weekend in 2024, experiencing historically low box office returns, and many are pointing the finger at Marvel for the downturn.
Two major releases, “Furiosa” — the highly anticipated prequel to 2015’s blockbuster “Mad Max: Fury Road” — and “The Garfield Movie,” featuring Chris Pratt, premiered ahead of Memorial Day on Monday, May 27. Both films had high expectations, with Warner Bros. banking on “Furiosa” and Sony hoping “Garfield” would follow the success of 2023’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
However, neither film managed to meet expectations, collectively failing to earn $100 million. “Furiosa” opened with a disappointing $32 million, significantly less than “Fury Road’s” $45 million debut, which didn’t benefit from a holiday weekend. Similarly, “Garfield” garnered just $31.1 million, falling short of replicating the success of the “Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
This dual disappointment led to the lowest-grossing Memorial Day weekend since 1995, not counting 2020 when theaters were closed due to the pandemic. While some might blame the individual films, many see the real issue as the absence of a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film to kick off the summer season.
For the first time since 2009, the MCU did not release a movie in May, traditionally a prime spot for the franchise to launch its summer blockbusters. The ongoing impact of the 2023 strikes delayed many of Marvel’s projects, leaving 2024 with only one Marvel release, July’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Historically, Marvel’s May releases have driven significant box office revenue, with 2022’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” earning $955 million and 2023’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” bringing in $845 million.
Despite recent fluctuations in Marvel’s box office dominance, the franchise’s May releases have consistently performed well. With “Thunderbolts” slated for release on May 5, 2025, the hope is that next year will see a return to form, avoiding a repeat of this Memorial Day’s box office slump. While the MCU may no longer singularly carry the film industry as it did in the 2010s, it remains a crucial component in driving overall cinema attendance and revenue.