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Honestly, most of us shouldnt care.
The important thing aboutFuriosais that it exists,mad and uncompromising.
So what if it flopped?
But the noise is inescapable nowadays.
Everybody has an idea, but nobody has a clue.
Now the only movies this summer that seem to be guaranteed successes areDeadpool v. WolverineandInside/Out 2.
But Hollywood is in the midst of a transition, whether it realizes it or not.
COVID, production delays, strikes, and things like franchise fatigue have all contributed to these current doldrums.
The system currently in place still relies on massive opening weekends.
(As many have noted,Mad Max: Fury Roadwas itself not a gargantuan hit.
Large releases get out of one anothers way so that they can each have their big weekends.
Promotion and advertising are thoroughly focused on the first weekend, and they largely drop out soon thereafter.
Amid the hubbub, there is one small truth few people have paid attention to.
In the weeks following its soft opening,The Fall Guyposted an admirable box-office hold.
Will those numbers be enough to make back its large price tag, including marketing?
No, probably not.
Will any of these films leg out over several months to qualify themselves as genuine hits?
No, probably not.
Because were still expecting tentpole results from non-tentpole movies.
Within the vortex of disappointment are a few bright spots.
Yes, its absurd to compare that movie toFuriosa.Anyone But Youcost $25 million,Furiosaalmost $170 million.
$219 million is an amazing result for the former; it would be a disaster for the latter.
A similar fate likely awaitsFuriosaat Warner Bros.
But they have to shed this kind of thinking if they are to succeed.
Remember, last years summer box office was also supposed to be woeful, beforeBarbenheimercame along and saved it.
There were many reasons for the twin successes ofBarbieandOppenheimer, obviously, and both movies certainly opened huge.
Thats how those pictures conquered the Zeitgeist.
Oddly enough, a more varied approach will be more beneficial for the bigger movies too.