New Transformers movie flops as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice continues box office domination
Optimus Prime is no match for Michael Keaton
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, has claimed a narrow victory over the latest Transformers movie to retain its number one spot at the box office.
It’s the third straight week that the follow-up to Tim Burton’s 1988 classic has dominated the box office but Transformers One, a new animated feature in the sci-fi franchise, did come close to toppling it from the summit.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which features returning stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder as well as Jenna Ortega, earned an impressive $26m (£19,526,260) over the weekend while the newly released Transformers One racked in $25m (£18,775,250).
The animated prequel, featuring the voices of Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Brian Tyree Henry, tells the origin stories of the two main adversaries in the Transformers universe Optimus Prime and Megatron and has received positive reviews.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in comparison has defied expectations despite pallid reviews from critics largely unimpressed by the second instalment. Its runaway success at the box office has seen it make $329.7m (£247m) globally.
Although Transformers One almost matched Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s box office tally for the weekend, its earnings so far will be considered a disappointment.
The movie, which had a budget of $75m (£56,323,125) was projected to make between $30-40m and at the time of writing has only managed to bring in $14m (£10,513,650) internationally.
Despite Transformers having its origins as an animated series in the 1980s, Transformers One is only the second ever Transformers animated movie.
The Transformers: The Movie (1986), which is the last ever movie credit for the great Orson Welles, also underperformed at the box office making just $1,778,559m (£1,335,653) but has since become a cult favourite amongst fans. Overall, this is the eighth Transformers movie since 2007 and the first since 2023’s Rise of the Beasts.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
The rest of the box office saw James McAvoy’s new horror movie Speak No Evil claim third place with another horror movie Never Let Go securing fourth position. Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine hung in at five while Demi Moore’s critically acclaimed The Substance opened in sixth.
The full US box office can be seen below:
1. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice $26m
2. Transformers One $25m
3. Speak No Evil $5.9m
4. Never Let Go $4.5m
5. Deadpool & Wolverine $3.9m
6. The Substance $3.1m
7. Am I Racist? $2.5m
8. Reagan $1.7m
9. JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL $1.4m
10. Alien Romulus $1.3m
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments