While it is enjoying strong critical and audience reception, Paramount/Hasbro Entertainment’s “Transformers One” is off to a somewhat slow start at the box office, grossing just $10 million on opening day — including $3.4 million from previews — as it heads for an opening weekend of $26.3 million.
That is below pre-release projections of a $30 million domestic start for the $75 million animated film, as well as the $28 million opening of Paramount’s 2023 animated release “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.” It also puts “Transformers One” in a tight race for the No. 1 spot against Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which is making an estimated $24.5 million in its third weekend as its domestic total reaches $225 million.
All is not lost for Optimus Prime. While the live-action/CGI “Transformers” films were known for getting rejected by critics even as they brought in the masses, “Transformers One” has won over reviewers and “Transformers” fans alike, earning a sterling A from CinemaScore polls and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 88% critics and 97% audience.
Those strong marks leave open hope that the film can draw interest from general audiences and leg out in the weeks ahead. But to do that, “Transformers One” will have to compete next weekend against another animated title: Universal/DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot,” which is also earning critical acclaim with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score at time of writing with 35 reviews logged. Like “Transformers One,” “The Wild Robot” will be looking to leg out as opening weekend projections are relatively low at $21-24 million.
Elsewhere, the horror film “Never Let Go” is continuing the deep slump for Lionsgate, earning an estimated opening weekend of just $4.2 million from 2,667 locations. That’s below the second weekend of Universal/Blumhouse’s “Speak No Evil,” which earned an estimated $5.8 million in this frame for a domestic total of $21.3 million.
Lionsgate’s recent releases “The Crow,” “Borderlands” and “The Killer’s Game” have all opened to less than $10 million and are falling short of even grossing $20 million domestic. “Never Let Go,” which carries a $20 million budget, is likely to do the same with a C+ grade on CinemaScore and a 55% Rotten Tomatoes audience score.
Outside the top 5 is Mubi’s “The Substance” with a muted opening weekend of $2.6 million from 1,949 screens. Coralie Fargeat’s gory body horror satire starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley is doing decently with moviegoers open to more challenging fright flicks, earning a B on CinemaScore to go with RT scores of 89% critics and 75% audience.
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