The underwhelming global box office performance of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is more dire than many might think, set to lose Warner Bros. (WB) millions of dollars.
Despite big-name stars like Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth being added to lead the new Mad Max film, audiences have not widely supported Furiosa in theaters.
Its Memorial Day weekend opening wasn't only subpar, it was alarming to anyone who cares about the future of theatrical moviegoing.
What is the state of moviegoing in 2024? Furiosa was the lowest Memorial Day weekend No. 1 opening since Casper nearly 30 years earlier in 1995
How Much Has Furiosa Made So Far?
Furiosa was immediately in trouble following its $26.3 million three-day domestic opening.
To date, it has only earned $52.5 million domestically, the 16th-highest earner of 2024 in North America. Internationally, it hasn't been pretty either, bringing in a total of $65.2 million from those markets.
China has not been a part of the equation but will be getting a Furiosa release on June 7, which could help swell the international haul up a bit.
Since opening on May 24, Furiosa has earned $150 million at the worldwide box office, an unfortunate flop for such a costly blockbuster and the most disappointing theatrical outing for Warner Bros. this year thus far.
How Furiosa Can Be Profitable
For a blockbuster movie like Furiosa to turn a profit, it typically needs to gross at least twice its budget at the global box office, considering marketing costs, which are often less transparent than the production budget.
In addition to theater revenue, the film will eventually generate a "waterfall" income from digital sales, subscription video on demand, and future TV rights.
Mad Max: Fury Road showed the great impact of what success can mean post-theaters. The 2015 film won six Academy Awards but wasn't a smash box office hit like many may think in retrospect, earning a solid (but not extraordinary) $379.4 million worldwide.
However, over the past nine years, it's been viewed as one of the most successful (and one of the best) films of the 2010s, having been continually rewatched on digital, streaming, and physical copies.
Unfortunately for Furiosa, even if it were to have a promising "waterfall" income post-theaters, it's unlikely to make WB any money.
Will Furiosa Turn a Profit for Warner Bros.?
The profitability outlook for Furiosa is looking grim, to say the least.
Given its whopping $168 million production budget and a projected marketing budget of around $100 million, it would need a box office haul of around $450 million or more to quickly turn a profit from theaters only.
However, according to Variety's sources, the Mad Max prequel must earn a more-achievable $350 million to $375 million globally at the box to ultimately be economically profitable.
However, Furiosa is currently projected to earn less than $200 million at the worldwide box office.
It's unfortunate for WB, who had hits earlier this year (in association with Legendary Pictures) with Dune: Part Two and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, but Furiosa is turning into a sunk cost.
Even factoring in eventual earnings from Blu-ray, digital rentals, purchases, and added value to the streaming service Max, Furiosa will most likely lose Warner Bros. tens of millions of dollars.
A fair estimate for Furiosa's range of net profit loss for WB is around $35-$75 million over its lifetime. Another big-budget Mad Max film being greenlit anytime soon would be a surprise.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is playing now in theaters.
Read more about Furiosa below:
'Mad Max: Furiosa' Online Streaming Release Date Potentially Revealed by New Listing
Furiosa is a Vibrant Chaotic Crusade Through Mad Max's Wasteland, With Some Road Bumps (Review)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Reviews: Critics Share Strong First Reactions
