Wes Ball has offered his thoughts on the disappointing opening weekend box office for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and encouraged people to go and watch the movie on the big screen.
Furiosa, a prequel and spin-off of Mad Max: Fury Road, had the worst Memorial Day opening in 30 years, earning $32 million at the U.S. box office over the four-day holiday weekend, putting it only slightly ahead of The Garfield Movie, which took in $31.1 million, prompting people to assess the reasons for its slow start.
Ball, the director behind the Maze Runner trilogy, the widely successful Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and the upcoming live-action Legend of Zelda movie, weighed into the discussion on X/Twitter, pointing out that Furiosa's reported $168 million production budget is likely to be an underestimation of the expenses.
"The thing about FURIOSA… That is not a $168 million movie," Ball wrote in a post addressing Furiosa's box office. "I'm pretty sure that's what $300+ (minus significant tax credit) buys you. Like the movie or not, creative swings like this don't come around often… when they do, try to enjoy the ambition of it all in a great theater."
The thing about FURIOSA…
— Wes Ball (@wesball) May 28, 2024
That is not a $168 million movie. I’m pretty sure that’s what $300+(minus significant tax credit) buys you. Like the movie or not, creative swings like this don’t come around often… when they do, try to enjoy the ambition of it all in a great theater.
Fear not. Movies will be okay. There will always be box office hits and flops. Great filmmakers will continue to push boundaries. Audiences will love what they love. Furiosa was made because Fury Road was beloved, not because it was a box office hit. Movies will live on…
— Wes Ball (@wesball) May 28, 2024
He also shared his opinion that Furiosa's box office miss would not heavily impact the industry as some people might assume at first glance, as he recognized that there will always be peaks and troughs, but ultimately, a positive reception will keep studios and filmmakers making the movies audiences want to see.
The box office performance of Furiosa was not due to negative reviews, as it currently sits at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. IGN also gave the movie a rare 10/10 score, saying: "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga weaves a hero's journey of epic proportions, ushering in a powerful reflection on what it means to live and love in a dying world."
Furiosa spans 15 years and leads directly into Fury Road with an origin story about the young title character's life before she joined forces with Mad Max. She faces numerous trials along the way, especially after being snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falling into the hands of the cape-wearing Warlord Dementus.
Mad Max creator George Miller has already revealed there is a "whole story" planned for another Fury Road prequel after Furiosa — this time focusing on Max Rockatansky and what happened to the character in the year before he appears in Fury Road (a movie that gives us arguably one of the best ever on-screen car chases).
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.
