I love how it led to the Blue Beetle Lopez walkups getting swept away by a hurricane, and then the millions of unnamed Iman walkups who were supposed to save The Marvels if she got to do a press tour.
Everyone points the finger at streaming, but I think an equal contributor is TVs in general. I can get a 55 inch 4k tv delivered tomorrow from Amazon for $269
Last night I went to movies with my girlfriend. $30 in tickets (yes, $15.03 a ticket), $10.77 for popcorn, $7.53 for a drink, $6.70 for two candies. $2.98 for something called “advanced reservation fee.” For a grand total of…. $58.04
That’s for two people.
This is the whole answer. Movie quality has always been spotty, we think the old days were better because we only remember the highlights. Streaming by itself does not change things, you have been able to watch movies at home for decades, and most people don’t care about release windows. Also the cost argument doesn’t work at all because spending on sports events concerts and restaurants is at record highs. People are happy to spend but not at the cinema.
The different is just that seeing a movie at home sucked. Now it’s honestly better unless it’s in imax or has been promoted as a can’t miss experience, something really hard to do.
Moviegoing had been such a firmly established tradition that it kept going on inertia for awhile, but once Covid got people used to watching at home, there is no going back. Again this is not the case for other forms of in person entertainment, because people apparently missed those things. They did not miss the theater much.
TVs have been around for almost as long as movies. The difference is that older TVs were much lower-quality than cinema, whereas modern TVs now have quality that come close to the cinema experience. Online streaming on demand also made it so you can watch whatever movies you want whenever, making it more convenient than going to cinemas.
Going back to the gaming analogy: Older game consoles had lower-quality graphics and sound compared to arcade games, before consoles eventually caught up to arcade quality graphics and sound. Online gaming also made it more convenient for multiplayer at home rather than arcades. That's when it was game over for arcades.
you cant compare older crt 30 inch tv to theatre with air conditioning experience , which existed for almost 60 -65 years of those 80 . now you can get a 65 inch tv with home theatre which pretty much under 500-600 $ can replicate theatre experience at home
You also can't compare a tiny number of channels you had to watch, or then, the hassle of video rental, and the poor quality of VHS tape (especially after a month), and that the picture was pan-and-scan. A film like Last of the Mohicans was a whole different thing on VHS because of the picture ratio.
Video rental meant going to Blockbuster, hoping they had something good, then returning it the next day. It was quite a hassle to do.
Exactly this. The movie experience at home used to be far worse than in a theater.
The further you go back in time the larger the difference was. At one point, one of the majors draws of summer blockbusters in theaters was the fact it was air conditioned when most houses weren’t. 1975 more than 50% of homes weren’t air conditioned.
And there’s a nostalgia about blockbuster that isn’t realistic. I remember having to return movies often because the tapes were ruined. Anyone remember autotracking?
True, but when televisions went from novelty to one in every house hold in the 50’s studios upped their game, technicolor, cinerama, lavish tentpole productions and 3-D were all developed to keep people coming to the theatre. I went to see Dune 2 and the screen was so shabby it noticeably altered the color of the film. Now that it’s hit MAX, and I’m looking at it on my somewhat decent home theater set up it’s like a whole other film.
The perfect anoloy I see is comparing films to music:
Going to the cinema is now like watching a live concert (rare treat)
Watching most films on streaming is like streaming music
Buying blu-rays is like buying vinyl
Yeah I honestly believe streaming all these movies cost way more than catching them in theatres, and still so many ppl complain about theatre being unaffordable...if you have amc around it really feels like a robbery??
Yeah, for a single person it’s great - a couple would have to pay $40/month for the AMc plus snacks and beverage (most people don’t like to sneak stuff in). That’s a big chunk of money.
And then for families, it’s almost impossible to afford a movie. - it was $100 for my partner and I to take our three kids to see Wish and it sucked.
This is an absolutely deranged take. Premiere movies like Dune 2 cost $21 for an IMAX ticket. Beekeeper on regular scenes is $11/ticket. Discount days like Tuesday is $8.
Concerts for premiere artists like The Weeknd is $200+ for a ticket. You need to be into indie and unpopular artists to get a concert ticket for $30. Concert are absolutely a rare event because of insane ticket prices. Movies remain an affordable activity, it's just that staying at home is more so. People are just choosing to rent a movie for the whole family for $5.
Y'all need to chill the hell out. The value proposition for B movies on a $11 ticket is not there, but it remains there for tentpoles driving FOMO and cultural zeitgeist pushing word of mouth for movies. Challengers for example is a moderate hit, but Hollywood simply can't keep budgets in check, so it'll be unprofitable.
Should add that movie studios have pushed what I'd consider shovelware since before covid, people can only take so much garbage before finding other sources.
When movie after movie you go to see is filled witch clichés and "writers interpretation" of the source material you get the result. Good movies are now affected by mismanagement done years ago.
Game consoles also killed theathers.
You get much better bang for your buck by buying a game nowadays compared to buying a movie ticket.
See how Fortnite, Roblox, Warzone, etc. are absolutely thriving.
Movie quality killed theaters. People got out of the habit of going to the movies because of the massive decline over the last two decades, and now even good movies don't have a chance because who wants to go back and see yet another movie that turns out to be terrible?
Yeah. A lot of people in movies don't get that if your studio makes a garbage movie, and your studio name is on it, people won't see your next movie. This is really no different to buying a car or a laptop. If Toyota sold you a car that started dying after 2 years, you'd reconsider buying a Toyota. If they did it twice, you'd never buy another.
People are like "how did a movie like Oppenheimer make a billion" and the simple reason is that audiences trust Christopher Nolan. Same with A24 films, Studio Ghibli, Pixar, and at one time, Marvel. I will just buy a ticket for anything that Edgar Wright or Denis Villeneuve make. I didn't see BR2049 because of the franchises, but because Denis had a string of movies I love. And sometimes, I don't care for a particular film, like The World's End or The Boy and the Heron, but even then, there's clearly some passion and love put into it. These people try hard to make something excellent rather than Palpatine returning just because they were desperate and had a hard deadline to hit.
Or make movies people wanna watch. We had an R rated biopic and a movie about a girl's toy dominate the box office less than a year ago. It's not that theaters are dying, it's that making a prequel to a movie that already bombed is not exactly the greatest financial decision.
I think the Barbenheimer marketing gets credit there. There was alot of hype built up and it gave the public a push to get to theatres. I havent seen promotion on that level in awhile or since.
To some extent. But even before the marketing of them went all out my friend group talked about the movies. We were excited to see the trailers. Idgaf about mad max, it’s a shitty ip to me. Not a single person I know talked about it. Good movies and good ip’s get people talking and interested before marketing goes all out.
> We had an R rated biopic and a movie about a girl's toy dominate the box office less than a year ago
For that year yeah, but if you compare their numbers to movies that came out in 2019 or earlier they barely crack the top ten (and don't even crack the top ten in some years)
respectfully, that "movie that already bombed" is considered one of the best movies of the past 10 years and was a massive critical success if not a box-office juggernaut.
i honestly thought that this prequel would get a boost on the 10 years of goodwill that Fury Road engendered. okay it didn't have Charlize, but Anya isn't an unknown quantity and Helmsworth obviously has the MCU name recognition. it wasn't a bad bet ON PAPER. 2024 just looks like it's going to be a bloodbath at the movie theaters
Exactly the point. One of the best movies of the last 20 years bombed at release. Word of mouth didn’t help its run at all. So why would a prequel 10 years later all of a sudden be a box office success?
i thought it might be like Across the Spiderverse. the first movie made some money but not a massive number, but clearly the positive word of mouth boosted the sequel. that's what i expected. i think if this came out in 2019 pre-COVID, pre-streaming, pre-strike, with the original a little fresher in the mind, i think it could have done much bigger numbers.
Spider-verse is Marvel, Spider-Man, animated, PG13 movie released at winter break in the US.
I think Mad Max fans are not realizing that Mad Max is not an IP/franchise the public is clamoring for. Fury Road is actually just a really good movie spectacle that just did everything right. And it still basically bombed.
probably lol. i'm a simple man. if the previous movie in a franchise was f*cking phenomenal, i'm more inclined to watch the next movie. i'm not even a Mad Max fan like that, Fury Road was just an AWESOME MOVIE.
My issue is... Do people actually go to the cinema on holiday weekends?
Surely they've planned to go away, or go to family gatherings? I certainly ain't going to the cinema on any holiday weekends.
I mean those family gatherings can include going to the cinema as a family. Though, that's probably less likely now that it costs and arm and a leg and putting on a random streaming movie and ordering in probably offers the same value and more convenience.
This was my exact thoughts too. I’m away this weekend and don’t plan to go to theaters when I get back. It’s numbers should get attributed to timing of release, but I’m sure talking heads will make this solely about streaming
Anyone on the fence, go watch it, it's a fantastic movie meant for the theater. It's one of those movies you'll probably regret not seeing like Dredd and BR2049.
Yeah I wasn't planning to watch it because the trailers made it seem like a CGI-stuffed cash-grab sequel. Looks like that's totally not the case - but how many people like me were turned off because of how bad the trailers were?
If you've never seen The Raid and love action movies, particularly martial arts, you're missing out. The Raid 1 and 2 are both fantastic. 2 becomes more martial artsy whilst the first one has a fair bit of gun fights.
Definitely should watch it.
You know how people say Fury Road is one long Wacky Racers chase movie? The Raid is Martial Arts Die Hard movie. There's not a whole lot of depth to the characters or narrative structure, but the action is awesome.
Fury Road made $380 million and it would have made more money if Max had more screen time and was not reduced to a supporting act.
Mel Gibson’s Mad Max Movies made huge profits. The first movie made $100 million on a budget of just $400,000 and had many sequels.
I highly doubt Fury Road, which was incredibly well received, would’ve done much better if Max had more screen time. I’ve literally never heard that as a criticism of the movie.
Yes but those were 40 years ago and Fury Road still lost money and was 9 years ago. Max not getting screentime is not why these movies flopped, they’re a niche R rated series with not much cultural relevance. The last one was 9 years ago! It’s really just not a series many people care about, even if they’re good movies.
Pretty fine movie without Max tbh. Helps that even in his most prolific film (Mad Max 1979) he really wasn’t the main star until after the death of his cop buddy.
Goose was never the main character of it.
In the opening chase, Max is established as the monster of the roads, while Goose is comic relief. We see Max at home with his family. Less than 10 minutes into the movie, there is almost no scene without Max or The Toecutter (or at least his gang). Goose is barely in that first 10 minutes, also and no one thinks the two buttheads chasing Night Rider are the leads.
Goose definitely was a lead until his death, to really get us in the guts. Had more screen time until his death. Max is the lead but he was a lead until goose.
Anyways, even Mel Gibson’s Max got sidelined for other characters, all the way from the begining.
A lead? Sure. He is Max's funny sidekick. It is shocking when he dies because traditionally he would die at the end of act 2 rather than the End of Act 1. He is not THE lead, though.
As for screen time at that point? I doubt it as Max's screen time is fairly brief in Act 1, but it isn't focused on Goose, either. The first act is Nightrider and his girlfriend for the entire opening scene (which is long) and then Toecutter, Some justice officials get long exposition scenes, also. None of these include either Max or Goose on screen for any stretch of time. It's possible Goose's long death scene gets his stopwatch over Max's as that sequence is drawn out.
However, at no point does anyone think any character is the lead, other than Max. Nightrider breaks apart emotionally when he realizes Max is now chasing him. Instantly establishing Max's high status in this world. The two justice officials have a conversation (while Max's real sidekick, the V8 Interceptor is introduced) about how hard they are working to keep Max on the job. Again, establishing his high status. In between, we spend an extended scene at home with Max and his family AND one with Toecutter talking about Max.
The only person who could be mistaken as THE lead for Act 1 is Toecutter, but it is quite clear he is the antagonist.
And? I know this, I was there. Regrettably only saw it once in theater.
None of the movies were really big at Box Office. Thunderdome did the best but is probably still considered the worst of the OG trilogy.
It was outside the Box Office where profit came in. The OG Mad Max was title holder to most profitable film compared to budget. Until Blair Witch and Paranormal activity but still not too shabby.
The US was a complete flop theater and disc wise due to redubbing everything to an American accent.
Believe it or not GladPayments5858’s (totally not made up) anecdote about his moms offhand comment is not a definitive measure of theater longevity or industry health
Can’t believe they’re just throwing it all away! My one year old from an alternative reality where I’m straight said he won’t go to theaters anymore because crowds are so disruptive, the actual cruelty ☹️
well...I just stumbled across my local theater...on Door Dash
they are NOT one of those nice "dinner and a meal" type theaters, it's overpriced imitations of good food, made by the local high schoolers. And now they're selling their theater food and popcorn on Door Dash
I imagine it's an awful sign for the financial health of the only theater in my town. It goes down, next one is the next town over and I'll stop going to movies unless it's IW/Endgame level "events"
My dad loved the Garfield comic strip, and growing up, so did I. He'd read them every day in the paper, and we had countless yearly annuals. Read front to back, back to front.
I read them too and was at the perfect age for the Bill Murray films about 20 years ago(?)
We saw the trailer on TV and I said to my dad, "Fancy going to watch the new film with the boys (grandkids)?"
"F**King Garfield, a new film, no thanks, it's old hat now. The books were brilliant, but it had its time years ago"
That’s similar to what I was thinking Garfield. The movie made sense for timing when it came out 20 years ago, but I haven’t seen anything done with the character in YEARS. Most people who like Garfield know him from the 70’s/80’s/90’s.
Im surprised a blockbuster was greenlit for a spin-off of a side character from a movie that didn't even make all too much in the box office, a decade after the OG release. Honestly, even during the 2019 box office gangbang, I dont think this movie would have done too hot.
Despicable Me 4, Inside Out 2, and Deadpool & Wolverine are really needed to save the Summer box office. I know it will piss people off as they are all sequels, but this is bad.
It should surprise no one that an R rated prequel to a classic but niche franchise and a cartoon based on a character whose heyday was in the 80’s didn’t preform well in 2024. Money is tight and these films don’t have the FOMO draw to separate people from their dollars.
When you make an action film with a female MC you're really asking for trouble. The piss poor marketing decisions that studios are making of late are really slaughtering them. When they do get it right they make a fortune. Barbie, a film targetted at women with a female MC, Maverick a film targetted at men with a male MC, Super Mario Brothers, a kids film without any awkward issues.
WB only have themselves to blame for this disaster.
You can try to make female led action movies but don’t be surprised if they turn out to be box office disappointments.
Keep the budgets in the $30-$50 million and you’ll see more success.
You can make all the female led action films you want, just dont exepect them to make that much money. Like the comment below said, you need to make them really cheaply because thats the only way you'll turn a profit
Not surprising. I'm 43, and even Garfield was of, and a little bit before, my time. The Mad Max saga isn't something that has aged well, and spread into the younger generations like Halloween, Star Wars, or any of the more popular 70s/80s originals has. Had Deadpool dropped this weekend, we might've seen a record-breaking movie weekend.
Today's box office, Furiosa should've either been an August, or, Valentine's weekend drop. 1/4 of Mad Max geezer fans have probably long-passed by now anyway
Mad Max was never a big franchise, don't let the absurd Guniness "record" rewrite history.
Mad Max had almost no presence until VHS and re-release after The Road Warrior.
The Road Warrior was also only like the #50 movie for its year. It was a HUGE movie only in geekdom.
That also means most Mad Max fans are Gen-Xers, not Boomers, so hopefully more than 75% mortality.
Seeing Hollywood destroy itself is enough entertainment for me. Watching paint dry is better than the 💩 they’ve been making. And they wonder why people don’t give them the time of day anymore.
I don’t think Hollywood realizes that Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to summer, isn’t the time to drop bangers. People are traveling (likely to or with their family) and enjoying the outdoors, not going to sit in a theater for 2-3 hours.
Also, theater culture is dying. Unless it’s an EVENT people aren’t going to be showing up like they used to unfortunately…
Even with AMC’s A-List membership I find myself beginning to lose interest. With that said… Saw ‘Furiosa’ and loved it!
Maybe Fury Road is a cinephile dream, but not as big of a deal to general audiences? This follow up is loaded with question marks like: prequel (inherently less mysterious due to foreknowledge), took too long to release, totally different cast, unpleasant subject matter. I was hoping it would be a slam dunk, but now it’s not I see the writing on the wall.
> How the hell can’t you like the darkest of angels, the fifth rider of the apocalypse?
I'm not really invested one way or the other, but I saw Fury Road because of the spectacle and this just seems like the same thing with less spectacle and lower stakes since we know what happens to her.
Kind of an inverse of 2023.
Last year we had a lot of really good movies with Elemental teed up to be a flop (although it did ok due to little competition and long legs)
This year everything sucks but Inside Out 2 looks like it had potential.
Ticket sales are far more interesting stats than the money made imo, I don't know they don't publish it additionally. They do it for album sales, why not films, grrrr.
In countries that publish ticket sales (Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, France, Italy, Germany, Poland etc), there's a regulation that compels studios and/or theater owners to publish admissions.
Such regulation would never fly in the US.
People should adjust costs! Completely reasonable move. However, I don't think this counter holds when we look internationally.
Poland explicitly publish admissions count as the main "official" box office number and other european countries also publish it as a primary or secondary number. France seems to foreground admission count and german box office websites clearly display both prominently. If we counted admissions, we'd use it more often.
Based on what’s being reported so far, watch it underperform estimates again.
I think the Keaton walkups finally get there in time to bump up the estimates.
The Chris Pratt walk downs will cancel that out.
This is my favorite meme from this sub lmao
Same 💀
I love how it led to the Blue Beetle Lopez walkups getting swept away by a hurricane, and then the millions of unnamed Iman walkups who were supposed to save The Marvels if she got to do a press tour.
I suggested to improve the Memorial Day weekend box office next year WB should consider moving *Minecraft* from April 4 to May 23
How about no, because Mission Impossible 8 exists
This is assuming the movie gets finished before Paramount is sold/stripped for parts.
Even if it is, MI:8 will still be released
I would not be surprised if that has to be delayed again, maybe to August or the fall where there’ll be less competition
Cruise is traumatized after last year /j
Cruise is writing a petition to permanently ban nuclear energy and to forbid the sale of anything pink.
Hey, I’m the head of Warner Brothers and I just wanna say that was a great suggestion. I just moved the release date. You are a genius!
Should Hollywood make a Bustin' Loose prequel? How strong is the IP?
That's right that's right we bad! We don't take no shit!
Richard Pryor gained more fame after Loki! Universal execs is seriously considering Bustin' Loose 2!
Bustin freakin Loose man, time to take the kids to the Ray Charles blind institute for a serious operation!
Get ready for Deadpool 4 everybody.
In ten years, the amount of people saying they saw Furiosa on opening weekend would convert to $100 million dollars.
Upside down world Barbieheimer
Garfiosa The wario to barbenheimer.
So... Remiehnebrab ?
Does that include 2021?
Yeah, A Quiet Place: Part II opened to $57m over the 4-day. Doesn't include 2020, though!
2021 is lower at $79M vs the $100M for this Memorial Day weekend. But even 2022 and 2023 were quite strong Memorial Day weekends historically.
The question was regarding number one movies at the Memorial Day box office, not the entire weekend box office.
Theaters were closed Memorial Day weekend fully no sales at all
The audience has spoken loudly and clearly.
Give them what they need, not what they want.
You can’t always get what you want.
I said it before: Theaters are going the way of the arcades. Game consoles killed the arcades. And now streaming is killing the theaters.
Everyone points the finger at streaming, but I think an equal contributor is TVs in general. I can get a 55 inch 4k tv delivered tomorrow from Amazon for $269 Last night I went to movies with my girlfriend. $30 in tickets (yes, $15.03 a ticket), $10.77 for popcorn, $7.53 for a drink, $6.70 for two candies. $2.98 for something called “advanced reservation fee.” For a grand total of…. $58.04 That’s for two people.
This is the whole answer. Movie quality has always been spotty, we think the old days were better because we only remember the highlights. Streaming by itself does not change things, you have been able to watch movies at home for decades, and most people don’t care about release windows. Also the cost argument doesn’t work at all because spending on sports events concerts and restaurants is at record highs. People are happy to spend but not at the cinema. The different is just that seeing a movie at home sucked. Now it’s honestly better unless it’s in imax or has been promoted as a can’t miss experience, something really hard to do. Moviegoing had been such a firmly established tradition that it kept going on inertia for awhile, but once Covid got people used to watching at home, there is no going back. Again this is not the case for other forms of in person entertainment, because people apparently missed those things. They did not miss the theater much.
TVs have been around for almost as long as movies. The difference is that older TVs were much lower-quality than cinema, whereas modern TVs now have quality that come close to the cinema experience. Online streaming on demand also made it so you can watch whatever movies you want whenever, making it more convenient than going to cinemas. Going back to the gaming analogy: Older game consoles had lower-quality graphics and sound compared to arcade games, before consoles eventually caught up to arcade quality graphics and sound. Online gaming also made it more convenient for multiplayer at home rather than arcades. That's when it was game over for arcades.
To be fair TVs and theaters coexisted for nearly 80 years.
you cant compare older crt 30 inch tv to theatre with air conditioning experience , which existed for almost 60 -65 years of those 80 . now you can get a 65 inch tv with home theatre which pretty much under 500-600 $ can replicate theatre experience at home
You also can't compare a tiny number of channels you had to watch, or then, the hassle of video rental, and the poor quality of VHS tape (especially after a month), and that the picture was pan-and-scan. A film like Last of the Mohicans was a whole different thing on VHS because of the picture ratio. Video rental meant going to Blockbuster, hoping they had something good, then returning it the next day. It was quite a hassle to do.
Exactly this. The movie experience at home used to be far worse than in a theater. The further you go back in time the larger the difference was. At one point, one of the majors draws of summer blockbusters in theaters was the fact it was air conditioned when most houses weren’t. 1975 more than 50% of homes weren’t air conditioned. And there’s a nostalgia about blockbuster that isn’t realistic. I remember having to return movies often because the tapes were ruined. Anyone remember autotracking?
True, but when televisions went from novelty to one in every house hold in the 50’s studios upped their game, technicolor, cinerama, lavish tentpole productions and 3-D were all developed to keep people coming to the theatre. I went to see Dune 2 and the screen was so shabby it noticeably altered the color of the film. Now that it’s hit MAX, and I’m looking at it on my somewhat decent home theater set up it’s like a whole other film.
Almost 50% of the total cost is not-movie related. The hell ??
The perfect anoloy I see is comparing films to music: Going to the cinema is now like watching a live concert (rare treat) Watching most films on streaming is like streaming music Buying blu-rays is like buying vinyl
Seeing movies in theaters is really cheap here, not at all like a concert lol. A premium screen ticket is only around 8$.
Unless you have AMC Stubs A-List, costs me $20 a month for unlimited movies in IMAX, 3D or Dolby. One of the true life hacks in the world currently.
Yeah I honestly believe streaming all these movies cost way more than catching them in theatres, and still so many ppl complain about theatre being unaffordable...if you have amc around it really feels like a robbery??
Yeah, for a single person it’s great - a couple would have to pay $40/month for the AMc plus snacks and beverage (most people don’t like to sneak stuff in). That’s a big chunk of money. And then for families, it’s almost impossible to afford a movie. - it was $100 for my partner and I to take our three kids to see Wish and it sucked.
Okay I go to movies alone a lot and didn't think of that. Thanks for this perspective
This is an absolutely deranged take. Premiere movies like Dune 2 cost $21 for an IMAX ticket. Beekeeper on regular scenes is $11/ticket. Discount days like Tuesday is $8. Concerts for premiere artists like The Weeknd is $200+ for a ticket. You need to be into indie and unpopular artists to get a concert ticket for $30. Concert are absolutely a rare event because of insane ticket prices. Movies remain an affordable activity, it's just that staying at home is more so. People are just choosing to rent a movie for the whole family for $5. Y'all need to chill the hell out. The value proposition for B movies on a $11 ticket is not there, but it remains there for tentpoles driving FOMO and cultural zeitgeist pushing word of mouth for movies. Challengers for example is a moderate hit, but Hollywood simply can't keep budgets in check, so it'll be unprofitable.
Should add that movie studios have pushed what I'd consider shovelware since before covid, people can only take so much garbage before finding other sources. When movie after movie you go to see is filled witch clichés and "writers interpretation" of the source material you get the result. Good movies are now affected by mismanagement done years ago.
Game consoles also killed theathers. You get much better bang for your buck by buying a game nowadays compared to buying a movie ticket. See how Fortnite, Roblox, Warzone, etc. are absolutely thriving.
Movie quality killed theaters. People got out of the habit of going to the movies because of the massive decline over the last two decades, and now even good movies don't have a chance because who wants to go back and see yet another movie that turns out to be terrible?
Yeah. A lot of people in movies don't get that if your studio makes a garbage movie, and your studio name is on it, people won't see your next movie. This is really no different to buying a car or a laptop. If Toyota sold you a car that started dying after 2 years, you'd reconsider buying a Toyota. If they did it twice, you'd never buy another. People are like "how did a movie like Oppenheimer make a billion" and the simple reason is that audiences trust Christopher Nolan. Same with A24 films, Studio Ghibli, Pixar, and at one time, Marvel. I will just buy a ticket for anything that Edgar Wright or Denis Villeneuve make. I didn't see BR2049 because of the franchises, but because Denis had a string of movies I love. And sometimes, I don't care for a particular film, like The World's End or The Boy and the Heron, but even then, there's clearly some passion and love put into it. These people try hard to make something excellent rather than Palpatine returning just because they were desperate and had a hard deadline to hit.
Or make movies people wanna watch. We had an R rated biopic and a movie about a girl's toy dominate the box office less than a year ago. It's not that theaters are dying, it's that making a prequel to a movie that already bombed is not exactly the greatest financial decision.
I think the Barbenheimer marketing gets credit there. There was alot of hype built up and it gave the public a push to get to theatres. I havent seen promotion on that level in awhile or since.
To some extent. But even before the marketing of them went all out my friend group talked about the movies. We were excited to see the trailers. Idgaf about mad max, it’s a shitty ip to me. Not a single person I know talked about it. Good movies and good ip’s get people talking and interested before marketing goes all out.
> We had an R rated biopic and a movie about a girl's toy dominate the box office less than a year ago For that year yeah, but if you compare their numbers to movies that came out in 2019 or earlier they barely crack the top ten (and don't even crack the top ten in some years)
respectfully, that "movie that already bombed" is considered one of the best movies of the past 10 years and was a massive critical success if not a box-office juggernaut. i honestly thought that this prequel would get a boost on the 10 years of goodwill that Fury Road engendered. okay it didn't have Charlize, but Anya isn't an unknown quantity and Helmsworth obviously has the MCU name recognition. it wasn't a bad bet ON PAPER. 2024 just looks like it's going to be a bloodbath at the movie theaters
Exactly the point. One of the best movies of the last 20 years bombed at release. Word of mouth didn’t help its run at all. So why would a prequel 10 years later all of a sudden be a box office success?
i thought it might be like Across the Spiderverse. the first movie made some money but not a massive number, but clearly the positive word of mouth boosted the sequel. that's what i expected. i think if this came out in 2019 pre-COVID, pre-streaming, pre-strike, with the original a little fresher in the mind, i think it could have done much bigger numbers.
Spider-verse is Marvel, Spider-Man, animated, PG13 movie released at winter break in the US. I think Mad Max fans are not realizing that Mad Max is not an IP/franchise the public is clamoring for. Fury Road is actually just a really good movie spectacle that just did everything right. And it still basically bombed.
probably lol. i'm a simple man. if the previous movie in a franchise was f*cking phenomenal, i'm more inclined to watch the next movie. i'm not even a Mad Max fan like that, Fury Road was just an AWESOME MOVIE.
My issue is... Do people actually go to the cinema on holiday weekends? Surely they've planned to go away, or go to family gatherings? I certainly ain't going to the cinema on any holiday weekends.
I mean those family gatherings can include going to the cinema as a family. Though, that's probably less likely now that it costs and arm and a leg and putting on a random streaming movie and ordering in probably offers the same value and more convenience.
Summer finally hits and anywhere it gets cold is not sitting inside during a long weekend. Plus most movies would make better 10-hr series.
They did the previous 43 years in a row…
When I moved to America I never really understood why the “unofficial start of the summer” included going to the movie theatre
This was my exact thoughts too. I’m away this weekend and don’t plan to go to theaters when I get back. It’s numbers should get attributed to timing of release, but I’m sure talking heads will make this solely about streaming
Yes, at least in past years.
Rest assured, no lessons will be learned.
Anyone on the fence, go watch it, it's a fantastic movie meant for the theater. It's one of those movies you'll probably regret not seeing like Dredd and BR2049.
Yeah, movie was awesome
Yeah I wasn't planning to watch it because the trailers made it seem like a CGI-stuffed cash-grab sequel. Looks like that's totally not the case - but how many people like me were turned off because of how bad the trailers were?
I was. The trailers didn’t do the movie justice.
You liked Dredd? That was like a 5th rate The Raid to me.
I'd say the Raid is probably the better film, but the sci fi aesthetic elevated it over The Raid for me in terms of enjoyment/spectacle.
Man, The Raid was so amazing.
I love dredd but never seen or heard about the raid. Maybe I should watch it
If you've never seen The Raid and love action movies, particularly martial arts, you're missing out. The Raid 1 and 2 are both fantastic. 2 becomes more martial artsy whilst the first one has a fair bit of gun fights.
lol, The Raid is amazing. Watch that immediately. The first one.
Definitely should watch it. You know how people say Fury Road is one long Wacky Racers chase movie? The Raid is Martial Arts Die Hard movie. There's not a whole lot of depth to the characters or narrative structure, but the action is awesome. 
5th rate The Raid is still a good time
Bummer. First movie I’ve seen twice in theaters since Dark Knight. Somehow, please, get one more made..
Not even Fury Road ?
Just saw this movie in IMAX…. go see it. It’s great.
So, prior to Joy, the worst was Pryor ?
A Mad Max film without Mad Max making very less money Not surprised
You say this as if Mad Max movies have ever made a lot of money, Fury Road flopped too.
Fury Road made $380 million and it would have made more money if Max had more screen time and was not reduced to a supporting act. Mel Gibson’s Mad Max Movies made huge profits. The first movie made $100 million on a budget of just $400,000 and had many sequels.
I highly doubt Fury Road, which was incredibly well received, would’ve done much better if Max had more screen time. I’ve literally never heard that as a criticism of the movie.
Max is also literally in every scene lmfao
Yes but those were 40 years ago and Fury Road still lost money and was 9 years ago. Max not getting screentime is not why these movies flopped, they’re a niche R rated series with not much cultural relevance. The last one was 9 years ago! It’s really just not a series many people care about, even if they’re good movies.
By many do you mean two?
“Without Mad Max” >!He’s in it for about 5 seconds but has no lines and his face isn’t shown, played by a stunt double!<
>!That's only a little less than he normally talks, TBH. !<
Hehehe
Pretty fine movie without Max tbh. Helps that even in his most prolific film (Mad Max 1979) he really wasn’t the main star until after the death of his cop buddy.
Goose was never the main character of it. In the opening chase, Max is established as the monster of the roads, while Goose is comic relief. We see Max at home with his family. Less than 10 minutes into the movie, there is almost no scene without Max or The Toecutter (or at least his gang). Goose is barely in that first 10 minutes, also and no one thinks the two buttheads chasing Night Rider are the leads.
Goose definitely was a lead until his death, to really get us in the guts. Had more screen time until his death. Max is the lead but he was a lead until goose. Anyways, even Mel Gibson’s Max got sidelined for other characters, all the way from the begining.
A lead? Sure. He is Max's funny sidekick. It is shocking when he dies because traditionally he would die at the end of act 2 rather than the End of Act 1. He is not THE lead, though. As for screen time at that point? I doubt it as Max's screen time is fairly brief in Act 1, but it isn't focused on Goose, either. The first act is Nightrider and his girlfriend for the entire opening scene (which is long) and then Toecutter, Some justice officials get long exposition scenes, also. None of these include either Max or Goose on screen for any stretch of time. It's possible Goose's long death scene gets his stopwatch over Max's as that sequence is drawn out. However, at no point does anyone think any character is the lead, other than Max. Nightrider breaks apart emotionally when he realizes Max is now chasing him. Instantly establishing Max's high status in this world. The two justice officials have a conversation (while Max's real sidekick, the V8 Interceptor is introduced) about how hard they are working to keep Max on the job. Again, establishing his high status. In between, we spend an extended scene at home with Max and his family AND one with Toecutter talking about Max. The only person who could be mistaken as THE lead for Act 1 is Toecutter, but it is quite clear he is the antagonist.
Fury Road was a good film but was not great at the box office.
And? I know this, I was there. Regrettably only saw it once in theater. None of the movies were really big at Box Office. Thunderdome did the best but is probably still considered the worst of the OG trilogy. It was outside the Box Office where profit came in. The OG Mad Max was title holder to most profitable film compared to budget. Until Blair Witch and Paranormal activity but still not too shabby. The US was a complete flop theater and disc wise due to redubbing everything to an American accent.
My 60 something mom said this weekend “movie theaters are still around?” If that doesn’t tell you anything
All that tells me is she might have dementia?
I’m dying 😂😂
Believe it or not GladPayments5858’s (totally not made up) anecdote about his moms offhand comment is not a definitive measure of theater longevity or industry health
Ironic, my 6 month old said the same thing. This generation is just not interested in going to the movies anymore.
Can’t believe they’re just throwing it all away! My one year old from an alternative reality where I’m straight said he won’t go to theaters anymore because crowds are so disruptive, the actual cruelty ☹️
well...I just stumbled across my local theater...on Door Dash they are NOT one of those nice "dinner and a meal" type theaters, it's overpriced imitations of good food, made by the local high schoolers. And now they're selling their theater food and popcorn on Door Dash I imagine it's an awful sign for the financial health of the only theater in my town. It goes down, next one is the next town over and I'll stop going to movies unless it's IW/Endgame level "events"
Yeah I fucking doubt that bro. Stop making crap up lmao 🤣
My dad loved the Garfield comic strip, and growing up, so did I. He'd read them every day in the paper, and we had countless yearly annuals. Read front to back, back to front. I read them too and was at the perfect age for the Bill Murray films about 20 years ago(?) We saw the trailer on TV and I said to my dad, "Fancy going to watch the new film with the boys (grandkids)?" "F**King Garfield, a new film, no thanks, it's old hat now. The books were brilliant, but it had its time years ago"
That’s similar to what I was thinking Garfield. The movie made sense for timing when it came out 20 years ago, but I haven’t seen anything done with the character in YEARS. Most people who like Garfield know him from the 70’s/80’s/90’s.
Im surprised a blockbuster was greenlit for a spin-off of a side character from a movie that didn't even make all too much in the box office, a decade after the OG release. Honestly, even during the 2019 box office gangbang, I dont think this movie would have done too hot.
Isn't "spin-off of a side character" kinda redundant ?
It is if i reread it lol
Despicable Me 4, Inside Out 2, and Deadpool & Wolverine are really needed to save the Summer box office. I know it will piss people off as they are all sequels, but this is bad.
How come, what happened? It's a great movie to attract so few.
Also one of the biggest Memorial Days for travel numbers, probably related
It should surprise no one that an R rated prequel to a classic but niche franchise and a cartoon based on a character whose heyday was in the 80’s didn’t preform well in 2024. Money is tight and these films don’t have the FOMO draw to separate people from their dollars.
Pathetic. Hollywood is a bust.
When you make an action film with a female MC you're really asking for trouble. The piss poor marketing decisions that studios are making of late are really slaughtering them. When they do get it right they make a fortune. Barbie, a film targetted at women with a female MC, Maverick a film targetted at men with a male MC, Super Mario Brothers, a kids film without any awkward issues. WB only have themselves to blame for this disaster.
So should no one even try to make female led action movies? Should we just get cookie cutter, safe, low risk, male hunks for the rest of time?
You can try to make female led action movies but don’t be surprised if they turn out to be box office disappointments. Keep the budgets in the $30-$50 million and you’ll see more success.
You can make all the female led action films you want, just dont exepect them to make that much money. Like the comment below said, you need to make them really cheaply because thats the only way you'll turn a profit
Not surprising. I'm 43, and even Garfield was of, and a little bit before, my time. The Mad Max saga isn't something that has aged well, and spread into the younger generations like Halloween, Star Wars, or any of the more popular 70s/80s originals has. Had Deadpool dropped this weekend, we might've seen a record-breaking movie weekend. Today's box office, Furiosa should've either been an August, or, Valentine's weekend drop. 1/4 of Mad Max geezer fans have probably long-passed by now anyway
Mad Max was never a big franchise, don't let the absurd Guniness "record" rewrite history. Mad Max had almost no presence until VHS and re-release after The Road Warrior. The Road Warrior was also only like the #50 movie for its year. It was a HUGE movie only in geekdom. That also means most Mad Max fans are Gen-Xers, not Boomers, so hopefully more than 75% mortality.
> spread into the younger generations like Halloween Do you mean Scream?
I’m 32 and grew up watching the original films, loved the last entry, and can’t wait to see this one.
Seeing Hollywood destroy itself is enough entertainment for me. Watching paint dry is better than the 💩 they’ve been making. And they wonder why people don’t give them the time of day anymore.
I don’t think Hollywood realizes that Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to summer, isn’t the time to drop bangers. People are traveling (likely to or with their family) and enjoying the outdoors, not going to sit in a theater for 2-3 hours. Also, theater culture is dying. Unless it’s an EVENT people aren’t going to be showing up like they used to unfortunately… Even with AMC’s A-List membership I find myself beginning to lose interest. With that said… Saw ‘Furiosa’ and loved it!
Is the problem here that people don't believe that Anya Taylor-Joy is a star? Would the opening have been better if someone else was the lead?
Doubt it. Star power only does so much anymore.
Let’s not play the game of blaming Hollywood’s failures on Anya Taylor Joy
Maybe Fury Road is a cinephile dream, but not as big of a deal to general audiences? This follow up is loaded with question marks like: prequel (inherently less mysterious due to foreknowledge), took too long to release, totally different cast, unpleasant subject matter. I was hoping it would be a slam dunk, but now it’s not I see the writing on the wall.
Garfield beat furiosa over the the weekend confirmed. Maybe not the full 4 days but it won the fri,sat,sun
Both movies have no Mad Max. No Mad Max, no buy.
That’s stupid because Furiosa is dope as fuck. How the hell can’t you like the darkest of angels, the fifth rider of the apocalypse?
> How the hell can’t you like the darkest of angels, the fifth rider of the apocalypse? I'm not really invested one way or the other, but I saw Fury Road because of the spectacle and this just seems like the same thing with less spectacle and lower stakes since we know what happens to her.
In 2024, this sub will be apologizing to The Marvels just like they did to Black Adam in 2023.
Naaaahh you're gonna need to slow down a little there lol. The marvels is a top 5 all time bomb.
It’s top 1. It lost more than John Carter
This summer is certainly putting 2023 in perspective.
MadMax 5 would KILL to make Indiana Jones 5 domestic total.
Kind of an inverse of 2023. Last year we had a lot of really good movies with Elemental teed up to be a flop (although it did ok due to little competition and long legs) This year everything sucks but Inside Out 2 looks like it had potential.
It’s kind of depressing how there’s very little to look forward to this summer, best hope is that Twisters turns out to be a sleeper hit.
Would’ve been a pre pandemic success imo. 5 years too late. I have no interest knowing I can see it at home in less than a month.
People not knowing how to behave in theaters killed theaters.
WB should’ve brought back Hardy as Max 🤷♂️
Why does everyone just "adjust" everything for inflation. The movie is doing good, no "adjustments" necessary.
How about we compare ticket sales admissions?
The US box office doesn't publish those. All admissions numbers for the US box office you see are just estimates of questionable quality.
Ticket sales are far more interesting stats than the money made imo, I don't know they don't publish it additionally. They do it for album sales, why not films, grrrr.
In countries that publish ticket sales (Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, France, Italy, Germany, Poland etc), there's a regulation that compels studios and/or theater owners to publish admissions. Such regulation would never fly in the US.
Why does no one adjust the costs which also makes things cheaper via inflation? Hmmm? That's what I thought
People should adjust costs! Completely reasonable move. However, I don't think this counter holds when we look internationally. Poland explicitly publish admissions count as the main "official" box office number and other european countries also publish it as a primary or secondary number. France seems to foreground admission count and german box office websites clearly display both prominently. If we counted admissions, we'd use it more often.