Paramount/Hasbro Entertainment’s “Transformers One” is looking to keep the September momentum going at the box office, earning $3.36 million from Thursday preview and advance fan screenings as it expands to 3,978 domestic locations today.
That result is just slightly below the $3.8 million preview total of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which opened in August 2023 to $28 million. But it does top the $1.75 million preview total of Paramount’s family film “IF,” which opened to $33 million last May. “Transformers One” is expected to do slightly better with a $30-34 million start.
Reviews for the film have been strong, carrying an 85% Rotten Tomatoes score that is second only to the 2018 film “Bumblebee” for the highest scoring “Transformers” film ever. Paramount is hoping that such strong word-of-mouth will bring in casual fans of the franchise over the coming weeks, even with competition from DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot” coming next week.
Elsewhere, Mubi’s “The Substance” opened for preview screenings on both Wednesday and Thursday and grossed approximately $839,000 over the two days. The gruesome body horror satire starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley has earned rave reviews from its screenings at Cannes and Toronto and is projected for a $3 million opening from 1,949 locations.
