The latest installment in the Transformers franchise, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, opened to a promising $25.6 million at the Friday box office, including $8.8 million in previews. The movie, which hopes to revive the Hasbro toy-to-movie franchise after several fits and starts, is now on course to open in the $60 million range, which is on the high end of expectations. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and considered a direct sequel to 2018’s Bumblebee and a prequel to the first Transformers live-action film series, the movie follows Optimus Prime and the Autobots on their biggest challenge yet, when a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges. Together with the Maximals, they must save the world.
Younger adults made up the majority of Friday’s audience, while the film is playing to an ethnically diverse audience. Audience reviews have been positive, as the Paramount and Skydance pic earned an A- CinemaScore from audiences, despite some mixed reviews from critics.
The movie introduces the Maximals, which stem from Beast Wars, a syndicated animated television series that ran from 1996 to 1999, featuring Transformers who take animal shapes. In the movie, the fan-favorite robot beasts include Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman), a gorilla; Airazor (Michelle Yeoh), a peregrine falcon; Rhinox (David Sobolov); and Cheetor (Tongayi Chirisa). This new breed of Transformers who sport genuine-seeming fur, skin, and wings marks a contrast from the vehicular brand that fans have become accustomed to.
The human heroes of the story include Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, who portray new characters. The cast celebrated at the film’s premiere earlier this week in New York City, including Cristo Fernández, who voices Wheeljack, the first Latin Autobot in Transformers history. Liza Koshy voices the femme Autobot Arcee. Pete Davidson voices the new bot Mirage, while series stalwart Peter Cullen once again voices Optimus Prime.
Sony’s box office sensation Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which opened to more than $120 million last week, grossed an estimated $22 million to $23 million on Friday for a projected sophomore weekend in the $56 million-$58 million range for a 10-day domestic tally of roughly $226 million. Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid is coming in No. 3 in its third outing with a projected weekend of $24 million for a domestic tally of $230 million.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hopes to establish the long-lived franchise with a refreshed take on the characters, as it follows in the footsteps of the successful Bumblebee movie, which managed to overhaul the franchise’s tone, style, and storytelling. Time will tell if Rise of the Beasts can continue the franchise’s upward trajectory, but its strong opening box office numbers could indicate a promising future for the Transformers series.
