First, the Hollywood film industry had to face strikes by screenwriters and actors last year. This has had serious consequences, causing the number of large-budget films released to decrease significantly. Audiences have to wait longer to enjoy anticipated blockbusters, leading to indifference and lack of enthusiasm for newly released works.
Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor Joy attend the Australian premiere of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”.
Besides, the explosion of streaming services also contributes to reducing the appeal of cinemas. With a huge and convenient movie store, viewers are increasingly inclined to stay at home and enjoy their favorite movies on the small screen. The convenience and variety of streaming services have made going to theaters less appealing, especially for movies that aren't blockbusters that capture the public's attention.
The combination of the above factors has created a “storm” hitting cinemas, causing box office revenue to decline seriously in 2024. Can the film industry overcome the “storm”? this and rediscover the old glory? Or will cinemas face an unprecedented crisis? The answer remains unclear, but what is certain is that the film industry is facing unprecedented challenges.
Below are some of the blockbusters that failed most miserably at the box office.
Furiosa
Anya Taylor-Joy's appearance in “Furiosa”.
“Furiosa” debuted to a modest $32 million during the four-day Memorial Day holiday. According to The Wrap, this is the top film at the box office during the Memorial Day holiday, but its revenue is lower than any film that has opened the box office on this holiday since 1995.
In addition, according to Screen Rant, “Furiosa” also recorded the worst second-week revenue decline in the history of “Mad Max” movies, down 59%. This is an alarming number.
In addition, Anya-Taylor Joy (as Furiosa), although famous, is not yet an A-list movie star. Her breakthrough mainly came from “The Queen's Gambit”, and recent movies such as “Dune : Part Two” and “The Menu” both rely on the popularity of other actors such as Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Ralph Fiennes.
The Garfield Movie
We can't entirely blame “Furiosa” for its disastrous Memorial Day box office performance. The other movie released around the same time was “The Garfield Movie,” the second animated version of the beloved lazy cat.
The film, starring Chris Pratt as Garfield, grossed only $31 million in its opening weekend. Thus, the total revenue of the two top box office films “Garfield” and “Furiosa” only reached 63 million USD.
After the huge success of “The Super Mario Bros Movie” (also starring Pratt), “Garfield” simply cannot be compared. The year's other big animated film, “Kung Fu Panda 4,” debuted with $57 million and has grossed $541 million worldwide.
“Garfield” will face another challenge when it competes with “Inside Out 2” on June 14.
The Fall Guy
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in “The Fall Guy”.
“The Fall Guy” did not create a box office fever as many people expected. A romantic action comedy starring the two main stars of last year's box office phenomenon, Barbenheimer? Thought it was a hit, “The Fall Guy” failed to meet those high expectations.
Variety reported that the film was expected to gross between $30 and $40 million in its opening weekend, but actually made just $28.5 million. Up to now, the film has grossed 158 million USD worldwide.
As Business Insider's Jason Guerrasio noted before the film's release, this May was the first time in 17 years (excluding 2020) that a Marvel movie didn't kick off the summer. The Marvel movie released last May, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”, earned $118 million in its opening weekend in the domestic market.
Argylle
Henry Cavill as Agent Argylle in “Argylle”.
“Argylle” earned less than half of its production costs. It's hard to believe that an action spy movie with a huge cast of stars like Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, Catherine O'Hara, Bryan Cranston and Dua Lipa couldn't reach the $100 million mark at the box office. ticket.
Compared to the $200 million production cost funded by Apple, “Argylle” is a real box office bomb. Although Apple has not publicly admitted that “Argylle” was a failure, the box office revenue was much lower than the production costs, causing many people to believe that this movie was a “failure” and Apple had to bear the burden. suffered great losses.
Drive-Away Dolls
Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan in “Drive-Away Dolls”.
“Drive-Away Dolls” is the lowest-grossing film directed by the Coen brothers in 33 years. “Drive-Away Dolls” was directed by Ethan Coen, the first film he directed alone, without the participation of his brother Joel (except for the 2022 documentary “Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind”) .
It's also the first Coen film to gross under $10 million since 1991 with “Barton Fink,” which grossed $6.2 million compared to “Drive-Away Dolls”' $6.8 million. . Since then, the Coen brothers have made 14 films, some of which have grossed as much as $252 million (“True Grit”).
