It was Miles Morales and the Spider-Verse versus the Transformers at the box office this weekend and the bots came out on top.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the seventh entry in the series, took the number one spot in its first weekend in North American theatres with USD60.5 million according to studio estimates on Sunday. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse wasn’t too far behind, however, with an estimated USD55.4 million in its second weekend.
Paramount Pictures released Rise of the Beasts in 3,678 locations starting with Thursday previews. Set in 1994, it’s technically a sequel to the 1980s-set Bumblebee and a prequel to the other films. With a new cast led by Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback and a new director in Steven Caple Jr, it’s also an attempt to reset and breathe fresh life into the USD4.8 billion franchise.
Rise of the Beasts also earned USD110 million from 68 international markets, giving it a USD170.5 million global debut.
Critics didn’t love the movie, but that’s also par for the course for this franchise. Overall, Rotten Tomatoes aggregated a less-than-fresh 52 per cent rating.
“The problem with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the same problem faced by all of the instalments — balancing the humanity with the metal,” wrote AP’s Mark Kennedy in his review.
In fact, the only movie that did get a fresh rating was Bumblebee, which also made the least money of all of them. Audiences (62 per cent male) were more positive, giving Rise of the Beasts an A- CinemaScore. According to PostTrak surveys, general audiences gave it 4.5 stars out of 5.
While a USD60.5 million opening might not seem like enough to support a USD200 million production budget, Rise of the Beasts is a movie that will make most of its money abroad. Since 2011’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon, international ticket sales have accounted for at least 70 per cent of the global box office total. Two of the seven movies, Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction, from 2014, made over USD1 billion each.
“To have a number one debut is impressive given the formidable competition from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which had a much stronger opening than anyone anticipated and in its second weekend is a really powerful player,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.
Sony’s Spider-Verse sequel fell about 54 per cent. In just two weeks, it’s already surpassed the total domestic box office of the first film with USD225.4 million in ticket sales and become the highest grossing Sony Pictures Animation release. With terrific reviews in its arsenal, Spider-Verse is likely destined for a longer life at the box office, too.
Third place went to Disney’s The Little Mermaid, which earned USD23 million in its third weekend, where it’s playing in 4,320 locations in the US and Canada. The live-action movie has made USD414.2 million globally to date.
Two other Walt Disney Co releases rounded out the top five, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 in fourth with USD7 million in its sixth weekend and The Boogeyman, in weekend two, in fifth place with USD6.9 million.
While many of the films in the top 10 are known brands or IP, one original property, A24’s Past Lives, is making waves in the specialty space. Playing on just 26 screens in its second weekend, Celine Song’s romance made USD520,772 for a stunning USD20,030 per screen average. It expands nationwide on June 23.
The summer movie season should continue to pick up heat with major new films coming nearly every week. Next weekend family audiences get Pixar’s Elemental, while the superhero crowd can catch up with The Flash.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theatres, according to Comscore.
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, USD60.5 million.
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, USD55.4 million.
- The Little Mermaid, USD22.3 million.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3,” USD7 million.
- The Boogeyman, USD6.9 million.
- Fast X, USD5.2 million.
- The Super Mario Bros Movie, USD2.1 million.
- About My Father, USD845,000.
- The Machine, USD575,000.
- Past Lives, USD520,772.
