In May 2024, the Mad Max prequel, Furiosa, was released in theaters. Critics lauded the film for its action, epic scale, and emotional journey at the center. The film was heralded as a worthy successor to 2015’s legendary Mad Max: Fury Road, and virtually everyone who witnessed the film can attest.
However, while the film was beloved, the same cannot be said of its box office. Furiosa underperformed at the box office and disappointed many executives. Infamously, the film was in a fairly close race against Sony’s children’s film The Garfield Movie, sparking many memes. Here are the three biggest reasons Furiosa’s box office ended up mediocre.
Mad Max Wasn’t a Huge Franchise
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The first reason Furiosa flopped at the box office was that Mad Max was never a massive IP. Don’t be fooled, though; Mad Max is still a beloved franchise with some of the best action in cinema. However, their status never became mainstream, and they usually stuck to cult status. Furthermore, while the original film wasn’t an outright bomb, it did underperform compared to other box office titans.
Adding to this is that the last Mad Max film was released nine years ago. Since then, there has been virtually no official content from the franchise to expand the fandom. This is probably why Garfield could hold his own against the Imperator, as he has been a billion-dollar franchise for several decades. The same could be said of the more successful Planet of the Apes film released days earlier. In a media landscape dominated by remakes and adaptations, stories such as Furiosa deserve more love.
Furiosa as a Spinoff
Confounding the reason above is the fact that Furiosa, for all of its strengths, is still both a prequel and a spinoff. As with the main film, do not get us wrong. Furiosa herself was one of the most iconic female protagonists on the big screen in a film already packed with feminist ideas. However, without the star Charlize Theron’s name attached, her character lost the draw for many. The film was also a “Mad Max” film without its titular character, another missing piece for many filmgoers.
Furthermore, prequels are always going to be a hard sell to audiences. As shown by the Fantastic Beasts series and Solo: A Star Wars Story, filmgoers tend to overlook them. Prequels inherently have a foregone conclusion that can remove the stakes for many. However, as shown by The Star Wars prequels, this does nothing to prevent these films from being phenomenal. Still, it’s a shame that many can’t see the inherent value of prequels as continuations of a story.
Amidst the Fall of Theaters
The last reason is that the theater industry was hit with several issues in the past few years. The first reason theaters are tanking is the ubiquitous effects of the lockdowns four years ago. Movie theaters and many other industries worldwide took a massive blow during that period. While there were several exceptions, such as No Way Home and Top Gun: Maverick, theaters are still recovering from the pandemic. Similarly, the SAG-AFTRA writer’s strike last year delayed many projects.
On top of that is the rise of streaming and VOD. In the past few years, streaming has replaced cable and physical media (for better or worse) and encroached on theaters. As Fall Guy demonstrated, many studios are shortening the theatrical windows of their films in favor of streaming. While some are fine with this, many others realize that there’s a certain magic to movie theaters that cannot be replaced by any television. Hopefully, moviegoers will vote with their feet and wallets to keep cinema thriving and give us experiences like Furiosa on the big screen.
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