‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Makes a Strong Debut at the Box Office
This weekend, the sound of clashing metal dominated theaters as Paramount’s ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ stormed the box office, claiming the top spot with an impressive $25 million debut. The film, which includes $8 million from Thursday previews, is now set for a fierce competition with the popular superhero movie ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ for the weekend’s highest-grossing film.
As the seventh installment in the blockbuster franchise that started in 2007, ‘Rise of the Beasts’ is expected to launch a new trilogy of Transformers movies for Paramount. On its opening day alone, the film surpassed the entire opening weekend earnings of its predecessor, ‘Bumblebee’ (2018), which ended up grossing $127 million domestically and $465 million worldwide. Although ‘Bumblebee’ received the franchise’s best reviews, it had the lowest box office performance.
Starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, ‘Rise of the Beasts’ is currently projected to achieve a $60 million opening weekend, surpassing the $44 million debut of ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ in 2017. By comparison, the first film in the franchise, ‘Transformers’ (2007), grossed $70 million in its opening weekend. The highest-grossing opening in the franchise remains ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ (2009), which made $200 million in its first five days, followed by ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ (2014) with a $100 million debut. While the franchise’s previous five films were directed by Michael Bay, their box office returns diminished over time. However, Travis Knight’s ‘Bumblebee’ brought a much-needed fresh perspective to the series, setting up director Steven Caple Jr. for success with ‘Rise of the Beasts.’
Critics have given mixed reviews to the film, representing a slight drop from the warm reception of ‘Bumblebee’ but a considerable improvement over Bay’s sequels. The first ‘Transformers’ movie has now reached a nostalgic status for fans who grew up watching the series. FilmSweep’s Ross Bonaime described ‘Rise of the Beasts’ as “both a step forward and a step back” in his review. The film received an A- CinemaScore from audiences on opening day, indicating promising word-of-mouth and potential success in the future.
Meanwhile, ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ added $16 million on its second Friday and is expected to reach $58 million in its second weekend. This sets up an exciting race for the top spot, and even a slight deviation from projections could result in a different film taking the lead. ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ surpassed expectations in its opening weekend, grossing an impressive $120 million and is projected to reach $226 million at the domestic box office by Sunday. In third place is Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid,’ swimming strongly domestically while struggling overseas. The live-action remake added $6 million on Friday and is predicted to earn $24 million for the weekend, bringing its total domestic earnings to $230 million.
The top five at the box office was dominated by holdovers from previous weeks. The horror film ‘The Boogeyman,’ which debuted at number three last weekend, earned an additional $2.1 million on Friday, totaling $20 million domestically. Initially intended for streaming, the movie hasn’t performed as well as other recent horror hits such as ‘Evil Dead Rise’ and ‘Smile,’ which also made the shift to theaters after positive test screenings. Rounding out the top five is ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,’ adding $2 million on Friday, bringing its total domestic earnings to $330 million. The film is poised to surpass the lifetime domestic earnings of the first ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ film ($333 million) this weekend, having already surpassed it globally. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ is expected to finish its theatrical run with over $800 million, a satisfying outcome for Disney and Marvel. For more box office updates over the weekend, stay tuned to FilmSweep.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about box office performance
What is the box office performance of ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’?
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ had an impressive debut at the box office, earning $25 million on its opening weekend, including $8 million from Thursday previews. It is expected to have a closely-contested clash with ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ for the top spot this weekend.
How does ‘Rise of the Beasts’ compare to previous Transformers movies?
‘Rise of the Beasts’ is the seventh installment in the Transformers franchise. It is projected to perform better than its predecessor, ‘Bumblebee’, which had the lowest box office earnings in the franchise’s history. While the reviews for ‘Rise of the Beasts’ have been mixed, it is considered an improvement over the sequels directed by Michael Bay.
Who are the main stars of ‘Rise of the Beasts’?
The main stars of ‘Rise of the Beasts’ are Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback. They lead the cast of this new installment in the Transformers series.
What are the box office projections for ‘Rise of the Beasts’?
Currently, ‘Rise of the Beasts’ is projected to achieve a $60 million opening weekend, which is an improvement over ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’. However, it falls short of the highest-grossing openings in the franchise, such as ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ and ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’.
How does ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ compare to ‘Rise of the Beasts’ at the box office?
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ is also performing well at the box office, adding $16 million on its second Friday. It is projected to have a strong second weekend and presents a tough competition for ‘Rise of the Beasts’ to secure the top spot.
More about box office performance
- Collider: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Box Office Report
- IMDb: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
- Box Office Mojo: Transformers Franchise
- Rotten Tomatoes: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
- FilmSweep: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Review
- Box Office Mojo: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
