With $30 million or more, it was believed that the Paramount and Hasbro Entertainment film would comfortably top the . Rather, it was estimated to have cost $25 million.
Transformers One, a film from Paramount and Hasbro Entertainment, was predicted to gross between $30 and $35 million at opening in North America, which would have been more than enough to top the box office. As opposed to the expected $26 million from 4,172 locations for Warner Bros.' Beetlejuice sequel, which is currently in its third weekend, it earned an estimated $25 million from 3,978 cinemas.
As of Saturday morning, Transformers One had a little advantage, but there wasn't enough traffic to secure a victory.
The disappointing news is surprising given the positive reviews, buzz around the film, an A CinemaScore, and outstanding PostTrak exit scores. However, Hasbro and Paramount always understood that they were taking a chance by going back to the franchise's origins and producing a CGI-animated picture with a family-friendly PG rating rather than a PG-13 live-action extravaganza aimed at fans. The film intended to appeal to both audiences in a manner akin to the successful Spider-Man: Spider-Verse series, but thus far, neither has seen much of a boost in attendance. Social media conversation suggests that several franchise aficionados were perplexed by the movie's animated status.
Additionally, the film debuted abroad and made $14 million from 50 nations, or 40% of the global market (many large areas have yet to see it released).
On the film's eventual outcome, the jury is still out. The film, which was co-financed by Habro and had a modest budget, only cost $75 million to produce before marketing, which lessens the blow of its lackluster domestic premiere. Based on such positive reviews and good box office results, the expectation now is that it can stabilize and have a lengthy run in theaters; although, the arrival of DreamWorks Animation and Universal's The Wild Robot the following weekend may complicate things, at least for families. (Over the weekend, Wild Robot began its international expansion in eight markets, generating $6.9 million, of which a pitiful $4 million came from China.)
Transformers One, directed by Josh Cooley, a former employee of Pixar, tells the tale of how two of the most recognizable Transformers—Optimus Prime and Megatron—went from being best friends to becoming archenemies. The two characters are spoken by Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry, with additional voices provided by Keegan-Michael Key, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm.
Frank Scheck stated, "Consider this a franchise revitalized," in his The Hollywood Reporter review of the movie.
The two other new releases this weekend are in much worse condition. With an estimated $4.5 million from 2,667 locations, Lionsgate's Halle Berry film Never Let Go launched in fourth place. Meanwhile, Mubi's The Substance, starring Demi Moore, debuted in sixth place with an estimated $3.1 million from 1,949 theaters.
After continuing to shine in North America, Beetlejuice ended Sunday with a $226.8 million domestic total. The Tim Burton-helmed film has made $103 million worldwide, for a total cume of $329.7 million, although not quite as well elsewhere. You may also read this: Rebuilding Rome for "Gladiator II," Ridley Scott
The Blumhouse horror-thriller Speak No Evil, which made $5.9 million from 3,375 theaters in its second weekend for a strong domestic total of $21.5 million, finished third behind Transformers One and the Beetlejuice sequel. Against a meager $15 million production budget, it has made an equally impressive $20.9 million at the international box office for a total of $42.4 million worldwide.
Deadpool & Wolverine from Marvel and Disney completed the top five in North America with $7.3 million from 2,450 theaters in its ninth weekend, bringing its total domestic revenue to $627.3 million and its worldwide total to $1.316 billion. This places the movie at No. 23 on the list of the 25 highest-grossing movies of all time, not accounting for inflation.
The much discussed documentary Am I Racist? by conservative pundit Matt Walsh. ranked sixth in its rerun, earning $2.5 million from 1,600 screens for a $9 million domestic total—the highest performance for a political documentary in two decades.
