Box Office Report for the Week of May 31

This week has been relatively quiet for movies, with no ‘major’ releases, except for maybe Young Woman and the Sea (if you live only in the United States). Interestingly enough, the movie did not crack the top ten. At the same time, the smaller fare did much better than the Daisy Ridley-starring vehicle (which likely would’ve benefitted from an actually wide, international release).

Case in point: In a Violent Nature is IFC’s highest-grossing film of the year so far, grossing over $2.1 million in its opening weekend on a relatively low budget. The premise is very enticing, a slasher movie from the killer’s perspective, and it looks like audiences responded to it enthusiastically (if any of you are interested, Joey interviewed filmmaker Chris Nash on the movie, which you can find here). It is a solid start, showcasing how strong the appetite for original and independent horror has continued throughout the year.

The anime film Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle has also done solid numbers, with a $3.5 million tally, benefitted especially by a limited IMAX/PLF release. I’ve just started getting into the series, and it’s quite good, so it should come as no surprise how strong the fanbase is. After the successes of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training and SPY x FAMILY: CODE – White, Crunchyroll is keeping the momentum going with their latest theatrical import. Expect great numbers for Blue Lock the Movie: Episode Nagi later this month.

Tony Goldwyn‘s Ezra also did fairly solid numbers this weekend with a relatively low budget. The film garnered a $1.2 million tally, showing that there is still some desire to see smaller-scaled films on the big screen. But the real star of the weekend is The Garfield Movie, which, after a slow start, has outpaced Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and crossed the $150 million global mark, adding $14 million to its tally this weekend. With Inside Out 2 right around the corner, animated movies are poised to be a major draw in cinemas as the year is still trying to pick itself back up. Luckily, Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett return to the IMAX screen next week, so here’s hoping they save the box office as they did in 2020 with Bad Boys For Life.

Here is the full list of the top ten films of the weekend:

1. The Garfield Movie (Sony): $14.0M (-42%) – 4,108 theatres
2. IF (Paramount): $10.8M (-33%) – 3,783 theatres
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Warner Bros): $10.8M (-59%) – 3,864 theatres
4. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Disney): $8.8M (-34%) – 3,450 theatres
5. The Fall Guy (Universal): $4.2M (-30%) – 2,826 theatres
6. The Strangers: Chapter 1 (Lionsgate): $3.6M (-35%) – 2,527 theatres
7. Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle (Crunchyroll): $3.5M – 1,119 theatres
8. In a Violent Nature (IFC Films): $2.1M – 1,426 theatres
9. Ezra (Bleecker Street): $1.2M – 1,320 theatres
10. Sight (Angel Studios): $1.1M (-61%) – 2,118 theatres

Source: Comscore