Seventh Installment of Franchise Earns $60.5 Million in Opening Weekend

n a weekend showdown at the box office, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” emerged victorious over “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” taking the No. 1 spot with an estimated $60.5 million in its opening weekend across North America. Meanwhile, “Spider-Verse” secured a strong second place with approximately $55.4 million in its second weekend.

Released by Paramount Pictures in 3,678 theaters, “Rise of the Beasts” is set in 1994 and serves as both a sequel to the 1980s-set “Bumblebee” and a prequel to previous films in the franchise. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and featuring a new cast led by Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film aims to revitalize the $4.8 billion franchise despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, holding a 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Critics pointed out the ongoing challenge of balancing human elements with the action-packed robot sequences. AP’s Mark Kennedy noted, “The problem with ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ is the same problem faced by all of the installments — balancing the humanity with the metal.” In contrast, audiences responded more favorably, giving the film an A- CinemaScore.

While the opening weekend figures may appear modest against a production budget of around $200 million, the “Transformers” series typically generates significant revenue from international markets. Since “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” in 2011, over 70% of the global box office has come from abroad, with both “Dark of the Moon” and “Age of Extinction” surpassing $1 billion in global earnings.

In the meantime, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” continues to perform well, having already surpassed the total domestic box office of its predecessor with $225.4 million in ticket sales in just two weeks. The film has become the highest-grossing release from Sony Pictures Animation and is expected to maintain strong performance due to its positive reviews.

“The Little Mermaid,” Disney’s live-action adaptation, claimed third place with $23 million in its third weekend, bringing its global total to $414.2 million. Rounding out the top five were “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” in fourth with $7 million and “The Boogeyman” in fifth with $6.9 million.

As the summer movie season heats up, audiences can look forward to upcoming releases, including Pixar’s “Elemental” and “The Flash.”