While Hollywood saw both successes and failures in 2024, the box office fates of these critically acclaimed movies are hard to explain.
Only a few films did a great job at the box office in 2024. While critically acclaimed movies like Deadpool & Wolverine and Dune: Part Two became blockbuster hits, others like Joker: Folie à Deux and Megalopolis faced heavy criticism and flopped at the box office.
There were even surprise hits like Inside Out 2‘s billion-dollar success and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s franchise-topping numbers.
From left to right – The First Omen | Credits: 20th Century Studios; Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures; and The Fall Guy | Credits: Universal Pictures
However, the failure of a few other critically acclaimed movies broke our hearts. Critics gave them a thumbs up and fans believed they were headed for a blockbuster. However, we later learned that these films fell far short of the required numbers.
5. The First Omen
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The First Omen did everything right in its attempt to revive a dormant franchise. A prequel to the 1976 film The Omen and the sixth film in The Omen franchise, the film follows an American nun, played by Nell Tiger Free, who is sent to work at a Catholic orphanage in Rome. The nun uncovers a conspiracy theory and all hell breaks loose in this supernatural horror film.
The film received largely positive reviews. Critics praised Arkasha Stevenson’s direction and Free’s performance. The Tomatometer score stands at 83% and the RT website consensus called the film “a bright future for the franchise”. However, the film hardly made any profit for the studio. It earned $53.9 million against a budget of $30 million (via Box Office Mojo).
Two major factors could’ve caused the underwhelming performance of the film at the box office. The first factor is the oversaturation of films from the horror genre in 2024. While films like A Quiet Place: Day One and Longlegs came out on top, many worthy films like The First Omen took the brunt of the audience’s fatigue with the genre.
Secondly, the film came from a franchise that slowly went dormant in the 2000s, with the last few films from the franchise failing to make an impact. Viewers weren’t exactly looking forward to such a good film from the franchise.
The First Omen is now available for streaming on Hulu.
4. The Fall Guy
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Every film lover believed that the days of watching films in theaters were coming to an end when The Fall Guy flopped at the box office. There were essays written about what the film’s failure meant for cinema. A film uniting Barbenheimer stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt itself was enough to build anticipation for the film.
Both actors were nominated for the Oscars for their films the previous year. Moreover, David Leitch of Bullet Train and Deadpool 2 fame helmed this film. When it was released, critics gave the film glowing reviews praising the action, comedy, and Gosling and Blunt’s chemistry. The Tomatometer score of the film currently stands at 82% from 373 reviews.
It appeared that the film was heading for a blockbuster success. However, The Fall Guy ended its run with $181.2 million (via Box Office Mojo). While it was a decent enough number for any average Hollywood flick, the film boasted a budget of $120 million. Calculations suggested that the film must’ve lost the studio around $50 million.
One of the main takeaways from this failure was the watching habits of the audience. The ever-shrinking streaming window was believed to be a big reason for the failure. Viewers thought they could see the film after its digital release, which in this case took place two weeks after the film’s theatrical release. According to Collider, the film was a massive hit when it debuted on Peacock.
The Fall Guy is now available for streaming on Peacock.
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
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Anya Taylor-Joy played the younger version of the taciturn metal-armed warrior Imperator Furiosa, earlier played by Charlize Theron, in George Miller‘s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. It was one of the most anticipated releases of the year and received largely positive reviews from critics. However, it still struggled to bring audiences into the theaters.
The film had a rather embarrassing opening in the U.S. theaters where it was released among the Memorial Day films. The film’s $25.6 million opening was even behind the critically panned The Garfield Movie, which opened at $31.9 million (via THR). According to Box Office Mojo, the film was only able to gross $173.8 million against a $168 million budget.
Not only did the film’s failure put a strain on Miller’s plans to make his next Mad Max film, The Wasteland, but it also worried fans about the summer box office. While things did fall in place with Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine‘s billion-dollar box office successes, fans were still shocked at Furiosa‘s box office.
The film’s lackluster promotion materials, showing CGI-heavy sequences didn’t sit well with fans. Many believed that the film couldn’t even create buzz around the positive word-of-mouth from theaters. While Miller expected the franchise’s reputation to work for the film, it is possible that the gap was too long between Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa for that to happen.
Most importantly, it was a prequel that no one asked for. Fans would’ve shown interest in a sequel project with Theron rather than this prequel. The Tomatometer score of the film currently stands at 90% from 417 reviews, with the site consensus reading, “Furiosa is another glorious swerve in mastermind George Miller’s breathless race towards cinematic Valhalla.”
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is now available for streaming on Max.
