Furiosa Earns $3.5 Million in Thursday Previews

As evidenced by: “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is racing at the box office this holiday weekend.

The R-rated prequel to director George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” has grossed $3.5 million in previews so far. The action film from Warner Bros. is expected to gross between $40 million and $45 million over the four days of Memorial Day weekend, about the same as “Fury Road” over three days in 2015.

“Fury Road,” which starred Tom Hardy as wasteland warrior Max Rockatansky and featured Charlize Theron as badass pilot Imperator Furiosa, opened with $45.4 million after $3.7 million dollars in Thursday’s previews.

“Furiosa” goes back in time and stars Anya Taylor-Joy as a younger version of Theron’s character. This shows how she became a fearless sniper working for the evil Immortan Joe and his War Boys, later seen in “Fury Road”. Chris Hemsworth also plays Dementus, the leader of a pack of biker warriors.

After the film’s debut at Cannes, reviews were mostly positive, but it will be difficult to replicate the success of “Fury Road.” The predecessor grossed $380 million worldwide and is considered one of the best action films of the decade, if not all time. It earned 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won six for Costume Design, Editing, Makeup and Hair Design, Production Design, Sound Editing and sound mixing. “Furiosa” cost $168 million to produce, plus marketing costs, so it will need to do well at the international box office to succeed.

Sony and Alcon’s animated film “The Garfield Movie” also opens this weekend, starring Chris Pratt as the orange tabby. It is expected to open second with $30 million to $35 million, and it has grossed $1,925 in previews. Last week’s box office winner, John Krasinkski’s “IF” starring Ryan Reynolds, is expected to gross $15 million to $17 million in its second week.

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