Transformers One is set for a quiet debut at the weekend box office, although it should be able to beat Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has dominated the box office the last two weekends, emerging as one of the year’s biggest blockbusters. However, its reign at the top of the box office heap seems bound to (maybe) end this weekend with the release of Paramount’s Transformers One. This animated prequel has to overcome the fact that some degree of franchise fatigue has started to set in, with Bumblebee, Transformers: The Last Knight and Rise of the Beasts all struggling to break even at the domestic box office, even if internationally, the grosses remain strong.
What makes Transformers One different is that this is a departure from live-action, with it being the first animated movie in the franchise since 1986’s Transformers: The Movie. The estimates for the film are relatively weak, with only a $30 million (or so) weekend looking likely. I personally loved the film (check out my review) and even got quoted in the final trailer. Here’s the thing – it’s going to have a soft opening. It’s just a fact. But word of mouth is going to be great. When I attended a word-of-mouth screening here in Montreal, the audience cheered when it ended. The last time I remember that happening was at Black Panther. The CinemaScore is going to be great, so hopefully, word of this great little animated flick will spread. However, it also has big competition next week with The Wild Robot (which is apparently also great).
Transformers One should be able to eke out a victory over Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, with that one looking at about $25 million this weekend, although it’s not impossible the sequel could repeat at the top of the charts
Third place should go to Lionsgate’s Never Let Go, which is looking at a modest $6 million weekend. The studio is suffering one of the worst runs at the box office in recent memory, and while Halle Berry’s star power might bring in an audience, I think horror fans are waiting until October to really get in the spirit of the spooky season.
Fourth place is a total crapshoot. It could be Deadpool & Wolverine with about $3 million, but it could also go to Matt Walsh’s controversial Am I Racist, which made a surprising amount of money last weekend.
Here are my predictions:
- Transformers One: $30 million
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: $25 million
- Never Let Go: $6 million
- Deadpool & Wolverine: $3 million
- Am I Racist? : $2.5 million
Do you agree with our predictions? Let us know in the comments!
