Weekend Box Office: 'Transformers' Hits a Franchise Low
by EG
How the mighty bots have fallen.
Paramount and Michael Bay's Transformers: The Last Knight grossed $69.1 million from 4,069 theaters in its five-day debut at the North American box office, a franchise low and casting doubt on the future of the series. That figure includes a Friday-Sunday take of $45.3 million.
The Last Knight, which Paramount says cost $217 million to make before a major marketing spend, is the latest summer sequel to spring an oil leak, at least in the U.S., coming in 31 percent behind Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014). And it is the first Transformers movie not to open to $100 million or more.
The good news? Transformers 5 is wielding a sharper sword overseas, where it earned $196.2 million from its first 40 markets — including $123.4 million in China alone — for a global start of $265.3 million. The movie's performance continues the trend set by Age of Extinction, which did far more business internationally, becoming the first Transformers film to clear $1 billion worldwide upon grossing $858.6 million offshore, compared to a domestic take of $245.4 million. Imax theaters contributed $24.3 million.
Read the rest of this article at The Hollywood Reporter.
Wonder Woman and Cars 3 ended the weekend in a close battle for second place.