So…that happened.
Really, it shouldn’t even have been a surprise, and were it not for overly optimistic tracking in Transformers One’s favor, perhaps things wouldn’t be feeling so meh for Optimus Prime and his friends right now. But the simple fact of the matter is the animated Autobot adventure fell $15 million below expectations, opening to a “fine” $25 million. Was it too soon for another Transformers movie after the release of Rise of the Beasts last year? Are audiences wanting these rock em’ sock ‘em’ features to be in live-action? Are humans really the secret sauce?
For clarification, Paramount was feeling confident about Transformers One. They knew they had a good movie and lifted the review embargo on it early. They marketed it during NFL Football games with the film’s cast members playing with Transformers toys. Yet for whatever reason, adults just aren’t showing up here despite a terrific critical reception and strong word-of-mouth. Was that teaser from last spring too jokey to get fanboys in seats? Who knows. It gets worse when you take into account that this take includes two days of sneak previews plus Thursday showings. Ouch. Next weekend, we get more animated robots in the form of The Wild Robot. That is expected to lead the box office, which doesn’t bode well for Transformers One going forward.
Our number one movie, for the third time in a row, is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. What can we say? Audiences are really enjoying this one, which doesn’t take itself too seriously and is primarily interested in having a good time. It currently has $226 million in the bank.
Elsewhere, we have yet another flop for Lionsgate—this is starting to become depressing—with Never Let Go. Far too late, some last minute “is this the next Longlegs?” social media chatter was done, but it came across as desperate. This simply wasn’t on anyone’s radar. I guess The Substance did slightly better given it’s from a first time distributor, but at the end of the day, we’re talking about two films that had empty theaters during their opening weekends. There’s really not much positive to say here.
Meanwhile, Deadpool and Wolverine is still in the top five after nearly two months in cinemas. It’s going to beat Barbie on the all-time chart. Also, Alien: Romulus passed the $100 million mark, so hey, it might get a sequel after all.
Anyway, the top ten, via Deadline
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (WB) 4,172 (-403) theaters, Fri $6.7M (-54%) Sat $11.8M Sun $7.5M 3-day $26M (-49%) Total $226.8M/Wk 3
- Transformers One (Par) 3,978 theaters, Fri $9.56M Sat $9.1M Sun $6.2M 3-day $25M/Wk 1
- Speak No Evil (Uni) 3,375 theaters Fri $1.74M (-64%) Sat $2.5M Sun $1.6M 3-day $5.9M (-48%), Total $21.4M/Wk 2
- Never Let Go (LG) 2,667 theaters, Fri $1.6M,Sat $1.7M Sun $1.1M 3-day $4.5M/Wk 1
- Deadpool & Wolverine (Dis) 2,450 theaters (-625) Fri $991KM (-30%) Sat $1.8M Sun $1.1M 3-day $3.9M (-26%) Total$627.2M/Wk 9
- The Substance (Mubi) 1,949 theaters, Fri $1.3M Sat $1M Sun $800K 3-day $3.1M/Wk 1
- Am I Racist? (SDG) 1,600 (+83) theaters, Fri $807K (-59%) Sat $1M Sun $712K 3-day $2.53M (-41%), Total $9M/Wk 2
- Reagan (Showbiz) 1,850 (-600) theaters, Fri $544M (-40%) Sat $641K Sun $480K 3-day $1.66M (-43%), Total $26.5M/Wk 4
- Jung Kook: I Am Still (Traf) 720 theaters, Wed $918K Thur $230K Fri $382K Sat $594K Sun $450K 3-day $1.42M, Total $2.57M/Wk 1
- Alien: Romulus (20th/Dis) 1,350 (-600) theaters, Fri $370K (-56%) Sat $585K Sun $371K 3-day $1.32M (-45%) Total $103.6M/Wk 6