In a surprising turn of events, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice edged out the competition at the weekend box office, overtaking the bots.
 |
| 'Transformers One' Paramount Pictures |
Paramount and Hasbro Entertainment’s Transformers One was projected to open with at least $30 million to $35 million in North America, which would have easily secured the top spot.
However, it only managed to gross an estimated $25 million from 3,978 theaters, compared to Warner Bros.’ Beetlejuice sequel, which earned an estimated $26 million from 4,172 locations in its third weekend.
Transformers One maintained a slight lead as of Saturday morning, but the needed boost in attendance never materialized.
Despite glowing reviews, awards buzz, an A CinemaScore, and strong PostTrak exit scores, the underwhelming performance was disappointing for Paramount and Hasbro. The companies had acknowledged the risks of returning to the franchise’s origins with a CGI-animated, family-friendly PG film, instead of a PG-13 live-action spectacle aimed at die-hard fans.
The movie hoped to appeal to both family and fanboy demographics, much like the successful Spider-Man: Spider-Verse series. However, the turnout has been weak in both groups, with social media chatter suggesting some fans were confused about the film’s animated format.
Overseas, the movie grossed $14 million from 50 markets, representing 40 percent of the international market (it has yet to debut in several key regions).
The fate of the film remains uncertain. With a modest production budget of $75 million, co-financed by Hasbro, the sting of its soft domestic opening is minimized. Paramount now hopes the film will gain momentum and have a long run in theaters, given its strong reviews and audience feedback.
However, the upcoming release of DreamWorks Animation and Universal’s The Wild Robot could pose competition, especially in the family-friendly market. (Wild Robot began its international rollout in eight markets, earning $6.9 million, including a modest $4 million from China.)
Directed by Pixar alum Josh Cooley, Transformers One is an origin story that explores how two iconic Transformers, Optimus Prime and Megatron, transitioned from best friends to bitter enemies. The voice cast includes Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry, alongside Keegan-Michael Key, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm.
“Consider this a franchise revitalized,” wrote Frank Scheck in his review for Reporter.
The weekend’s other new releases struggled even more. Lionsgate’s Never Let Go, starring Halle Berry, finished in fourth place with an estimated $4.5 million from 2,667 locations, while Mubi’s The Substance, featuring Demi Moore, debuted in sixth place with an estimated $3.1 million from 1,949 cinemas.
Beetlejuice continued to shine domestically, bringing its North American total to $226.8 million. However, the Tim Burton-directed film has underperformed overseas, where it has earned $103 million, for a global tally of $329.7 million.
In third place, behind the Beetlejuice sequel and Transformers One, was Blumhouse’s horror-thriller Speak No Evil, which earned $5.9 million from 3,375 theaters in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to $21.5 million.
Internationally, it has grossed $20.9 million, for a global total of $42.4 million against its modest $15 million budget.
Marvel and Disney’s Deadpool & Wolverine ranked fifth in North America, bringing in $7.3 million from 2,450 theaters during its ninth weekend, for a domestic total of $627.3 million and a global gross of $1.316 billion. This places the film at No. 23 on the list of the 25 top-grossing films of all time, unadjusted for inflation.
Conservative pundit Matt Walsh’s controversial documentary Am I Racist? finished seventh in its second weekend, earning $2.5 million from 1,600 theaters for a domestic total of $9 million, marking the strongest performance for a political documentary in two decades.
0 Comments