The Riverside Press-Enterprise
`Transformers' edge out the `Spider-verse' for moviegoers
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 No. 1 spot in its first weekend in North American theaters with $60.5 million according to studio estimates Sunday. “Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse” wasn’t too far behind, however, with an estimated $55.4 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 $4.8 billion franchise.“rise of the Beasts” also earned $110 million from 68 international markets, giving it a $170.5 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 lessthan-fresh 52% rating.
“The problem with “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is the same problem faced by all
of the installments — balancing the humanity with the metal,” wrote AP’S Mark Kennedy in his review.
While a $60.5 million opening might not seem like enough to support a $200 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% of the global box office total. Two of the seven movies, “Dark of the Moon” and “Age of Extinction,” from 2014, made
over $1 billion each.
“To have a No. 1 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%. In just two weeks, it’s already surpassed the total domestic box office of the first film with $225.4 million in ticket sales and become
the highest grossing Sony Pictures Animation release.
Third place went to Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” which earned $23 million in its third weekend, where it’s playing in 4,320 locations in the U.S. and Canada. The live-action movie has made $414.2 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 $7 million in its sixth weekend and “The Boogeyman,” in weekend two, in fifth place with $6.9 million.