The 2023 labor strikes in Hollywood had a significant impact on both exhibitors and moviegoers over the first weekend in June. With no substantial new wide releases, total ticket sales for all films amounted to a meager $64.6 million, marking the fifth lowest total of the year.
Until now, the May movie lineup had been not been spectacular but fairly acceptablee, featuring films like The Fall Guy, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, IF, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Garfield Movie. However, this weekend’s lackluster performance was a far cry from last year when Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opened with an impressive $120.7 million in its first three days, contributing to a robust total of $205.2 million for all films.
The strike disrupted studios’ plans to take advantage of the late May/early June weekend, which typically offers an opportunity for high-profile movies to thrive without competition. This weekend, the only reasonably wide releases were Sony and Crunchyroll’s anime feature Haikyuu The Dumpster Battle (which came in seventh place with $3.5 million) and Roadside Attraction’s art house title Summer Camp (which finished eleventh with $1.1 million).
Following the lowest Memorial Day box office in 25 years ($101.7 million for all films), this weekend’s total of $64.6 million was even more alarming, representing only 31% of the same weekend’s revenue last year. The situation resembled the early-year low totals rather than the expected start of the summer movie season.
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Looking ahead, next week’s release of Sony’s action sequel Bad Boys! Ride or Die is forecasted to bring in $50 million over its first three days, potentially injecting new life into the box office.
In terms of specific films, The Garfield Movie held strong in its second weekend, grossing $14.0 million (a modest 42% drop from the previous weekend). The 10-day total reached $51.6 million domestically and $134.5 million worldwide, surpassing the 2004 live-action Garfield The Movie. The animated film is on track to set a new domestic record for films featuring the iconic cat.
Paramount’s animated family film IF surprised with a strong second-place finish, earning $10.8 million in its third weekend (a mere 33% decline from the previous weekend). With a 17-day total of $80.4 million domestically and $124.8 million worldwide, IF has become the seventh highest-grossing movie in the domestic market for 2024 and the ninth highest worldwide.
Director John Krasinski’s fresh take on family films resonated with audiences, earning an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Paramount may consider a sequel, but a smaller budget would be advisable for profitability.
Meanwhile, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga landed in third place with $10.75 million, experiencing a 59% decline from its opening weekend.
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