Global Courant
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It was Miles Morales and the Spider-Verse versus the “Transformers” at the box office this weekend and the bots came out on top.
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“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” the seventh entry in the series, took the No. 1 spot its first weekend in North American theaters with $60.5 million according to studio estimates on Sunday. However, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” wasn’t far behind, grossing an estimated $55.4 million in its second weekend.
Paramount Pictures has released “Rise of the Beasts” in 3,678 locations, beginning Thursday previews. Set in 1994, it’s technically a sequel to the 1980s “Bumblebee” set and a prequel to the other movies. 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 reimagine and revive the $4.8 billion franchise.
Critics didn’t like the movie, but that’s part of this franchise. Overall, Rotten Tomatoes achieved a less-than-fresh rating of 52%.
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“The problem with ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ is the same problem that all episodes deal with – balancing humanity with the metal,” AP’s Mark Kennedy wrote in his review.
The only movie that did get a new rating was ‘Bumblebee’, which also grossed the least money of all. The audience was more positive and gave “Rise of the Beasts” an A-CinemaScore.
While a $60.5 million opening may not seem like enough to support a $200 million production budget, “Rise of the Beasts” is a film that will make most of its money overseas. Since 2011’s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” international ticket sales have accounted for at least 70% of global box office totals. Two of the seven films, 2014’s ‘Dark of the Moon’ and ‘Age of Extinction’, grossed more than $1 billion each.
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The sequel to Sony’s “Spider-Verse” fell about 54%. In just two weeks, it has already surpassed the first film’s total domestic box office with $225.4 million in ticket sales, becoming the highest-grossing Sony Pictures Animation release. With stellar reviews in its arsenal, “Spider-Verse” is also likely destined for a longer life at the box office.
Third place went to Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’, which earned $23 million in its third weekend, playing at 4,320 locations in the US and Canada. The live-action film has earned $414.2 million worldwide to date.
Two other Walt Disney Co. releases rounded out the top five, with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3″ in fourth place with $7 million in its sixth weekend and “The Boogeyman”, in weekend two, in fifth place with $6.9 million.
The summer movie season should continue to pick up heat with major new movies almost every week. Next weekend, the family audience will get Pixar’s “Elemental,” while the superhero audience can catch up on “The Flash.”
