‘Furiosa’ flops at box office in opening weekend
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has had a poor opening weekend at the cinema despite receiving rave reviews from critics.
NME’s five star review of the long-awaited prequel to the Mad Max series described the film as “brilliant and unmissable” and said the film was “another extraordinary blockbuster juggernaut that in some sequences somehow excels even its predecessor, arresting viewers with its booming, utterly immersive world of grease, dust, motorbikes and carnage.”
Directed by George Miller, the film stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa – a younger version of Charlize Theron’s character in Mad Max: Fury Road – and Chris Hemsworth as war lord Dementus.
In the prequel, Taylor-Joy’s character is snatched as a child by the sadistic Dementus. Forced to ride through the Wastelands with a great biker horde, Furiosa must fight to find her way home while Dementus and fellow tyrant Immortal Joe battle for dominance in the desert.
Despite a budget of $168million (£143million) to make, the film underperformed in its box office debut, only recouping $25.6million ($20million) between Friday and Sunday in the US.
For cinemas in the US, it marked their worst Memorial Day performance in 29 years.
The film did recoup an additional $33.3million (£26million) from international audiences, with a total of $58million (£45million) worldwide according to Variety.
At Cannes, where the film received its premiere, it received a sx-minute standing ovation.
Variety reported that Hemsworth grew emotional during the applause, while the actor was also filmed kissing director George Miller on the head.
“We worked very hard on this film, and it’ll be very interesting to see what you make of it,” Miller said ahead of the screening. “Thank you for having us.”
The film also received favourable reviews from critics who have already seen the action blockbuster. Fandango’s Erik Davis described the movie as “A ferocious & relentlessly paced epic that expands the story of Furiosa and the Wasteland while delivering the craziest chases, the most bombastic characters & just plain stunning cinematography.”
The Guardian said it was “a remarkable achievement by Miller” while Forbes said it was a “brilliant new chapter” for the franchise.
In other news, last month it was revealed that one single action scene in Furiosa took 78 days to film.
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Elizabeth Aubrey
NME
