Alcon and Sony’s The Garfield Movie is claiming victory ahead of George Miller‘s Furiosa with an estimated four-holiday gross of $31.9 million, the worst Memorial Day No. 1 opener since Casper debuted to $22.5 million nearly 30 years ago in 1995 (and that’s not adjusted for inflation). This stat excludes 2020, when theaters were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the race isn’t over just yet. Furiosa made more than Garfield for the three-day weekend with an estimated $25.6 million versus $24.8 million, but the four-day number is the key stat. Rival studios either show Furiosa slightly ahead for the long weekend or have the two movies tied. Warners has taken the unusual position of not reporting a four-day estimate until Monday (with the race so close, and the headlines so bad, it’s easy to understand why the studio is deviating from tradition). ...

With no holdovers to contribute in a massive way to the Memorial Day picnic, overall revenue for the four days plummeted to an estimated $127 million to $130 million, also a 29-year low. That excludes 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic was still raging, though Paramount’s A Quiet Place sequel was able to open to $57.1 million over the holiday in 2021.