The summer box office season got off to a rocky start over Memorial Day weekend, slumping to a nearly 30-year low in terms of ticket sales for the big-name films hitting theaters. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Garfield Movie”, were flops.

“Garfield” earned $31.1 million over the four-day weekend, while “Furiosa” brought in a weak $32 million. That makes “Furiosa” the unfortunate film to set the new record for the lowest-grossing Memorial Day blockbuster in 30 years, excluding 2020 when theaters were mostly closed due to the pandemic. That COVID summer also saw a steady stream of theaters screening classic movies like “Star Wars”, “Goonies” and “Jurassic Park”.

The previous record holder of Memorial Day shame was the family-friendly flick “Casper”, which opened with $22 million during the holiday weekend in 1995. Great movie by the way…..

This story about box office slumps and the decline of movie theaters is an ongoing saga. The stories have been writing themselves for over a decade now. Analysts should be careful not to pounce and declare the movie theater business dead. They are kept very much alive by an insider system set up by Hollywood where most movies have to hit theaters to be considered for seasonal accolades and awards.

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