The summer box office continues to remain subdued, with Sony’s “The Garfield Movie” poised to overtake “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” for the top spot in domestic earnings this weekend.
Despite the overall sluggish marketplace, Sony is finding some success. Alongside “The Garfield Movie,” the studio is also releasing “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle,” a manga adaptation, through its anime division Crunchyroll. Showing in 1,086 locations, including select Imax screenings, the high school sports film garnered $1.9 million from Friday and preview screenings, likely securing the sixth position on the domestic charts. This performance underscores the growing niche yet dedicated audience for anime in North American theaters. However, the U.S. box office is not the primary concern for “Haikyu!!,” which has already achieved significant success in Japan, becoming the country’s second-highest grossing film of 2024 since its February release.
“The Garfield Movie,” featuring the voice of Chris Pratt and animated by DNEG, pulled in an additional $3.7 million on Friday, projecting a $13 million total for its second weekend. This brings its North American total past $40 million. While not a blockbuster, the film is performing steadily considering its $60 million production budget and has the advantage of no direct animated competition until “Inside Out 2” debuts in mid-June.
Conversely, Warner Bros.’ “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” collected $3 million on Friday. The dystopian epic is expected to see a 59% drop in its second weekend, which, although not disastrous, falls short of the significant rebound needed to improve its box office fortunes. With a hefty $168 million production budget and additional marketing and distribution expenses, the well-reviewed prequel faces a steep climb to profitability. Its predecessor, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” had a more robust start, earning $63 million in its first week compared to “Furiosa’s” $38.9 million.
Paramount’s “IF” is estimated to bring in $11 million in its third weekend, reflecting a modest 32% decline from previous weeks. Despite a slow start, the family film directed by John Krasinski has shown resilience, aiming to surpass $80 million domestically by Monday. However, its $110 million production budget continues to be a significant hurdle.
Fourth place is expected to go to 20th Century Studios’ “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which earned $2.4 million on Friday. The sci-fi revival has now grossed over $130 million in North America, making it the fourth-highest domestic release of the year and outpacing its 2017 predecessor, “War for the Planet of the Apes,” which had accumulated $124 million in the same timeframe, eventually totaling $146 million.
Universal’s action-comedy “The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, rounds out the top five with a Friday earning of $1.1 million. The film is expected to cross the $80 million mark domestically over the weekend.
Elsewhere, IFC Films and Shudder have released the Canadian slasher “In a Violent Nature” in 1,426 locations, marking IFC’s widest release to date. The low-budget horror film is projected to open solidly with $2.2 million. Meanwhile, Roadside Attractions’ “Summer Camp,” featuring Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates, and Alfre Woodard, is debuting in 1,787 locations but has received poor reviews and a “C” CinemaScore, predicting a low single-digit earnings debut. Similarly, Bleecker Street’s “Ezra,” a feel-good drama about a comedian raising his autistic son, is also expected to earn modestly in its 1,320 venues.
