The first animated Transformers movie in close to four decades, Transformers One, from Paramount and Hasbro Entertainment grossed $3.36M from Wednesday fan shows (7 p.m.) and Thursday previews (5 p.m.).
That figure beats out a slew of family movie previews including that of Paramount’s IF ($1.75M), The Garfield Movie ($2.3M), Trolls Band Together and even the live-action spinoff Transformers movie Bumblebee, which did $2.15M in 2018.
Transformers One opens today on 3,978 domestic screens, including Imax and PLF, and the expectation was a start around $34M. Don’t be shocked if this hits $40M or more. Screen Engine/PostTrak exit polls are strong with 5 out of 5 stars and a 75% definite recommend. The Thursday night audience was made up of 72% general audience, 13% parents (mostly dads at 56%) and 15% kids under 12 (mostly boys at 73%). Transformers One cost $75M before P&A.
The industry does need a new theatrical distributor, and Mubi is making a splash with its acquisition of Universal/Working Title’s The Substance, which minted $512K in previews comprising Wednesday 7 p.m. showtimes in 785 theaters and another $327K in previews from 1,455 theaters Thursday night from 4 p.m. showtimes. The Substance is booked at 1,949 theaters and was projected at a $3M start. It could do more, especially with reviews at 88% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and audience scores of 83%, PostTrak of 80% and 4 stars, for the 2-hour, 21-minute body-swap genre movie starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. The Substance cost $17.5M when it was at Universal. Mubi bought worldwide on the movie for what Iknow hear is $12.5M. Thursday night’s audience was 62% male, with 64% between 18-34.
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Remember how Lionsgate had a dud last weekend in The Killer’s Game, which wound up being the lowest opening of Dave Bautista’s solo box office career? That movie did $300K previews last Thursday before posting a $2.68M 3-day (and $3.8M for the week). It looks like the Halle Berry horror film Never Let Go also is headed for the doldrums with $360K previews. The studio believes it has a $4M-$7M opening at 2,667 theaters. Not if you comp it to The Killer’s Game. Do note that before the weekend begins, Berry has the power to guarantee a certain sized opening: Now very-defunct little distributor Aviron saved her movie Kidnap and opened it to $10M in August 2017, which the industry commended at the time. The movie ended its run at close to $31M stateside. Never Let Go, from The Crawl filmmaker Alexandra Aja, was made for $20M, I understand. Reviews are at 56% Rotten. PostTrak on Thursday night was 3 stars and 67%. Yikes. Mostly men attended at 58%, with 18-34 audience at 42%.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has crossed the two-century mark with $200.8M after a $2.48M Thursday (-14% from Wednesday) for a second week of $64.4M, -53%, at 4,575 theaters.
Blumhouse/Universal’s Speak No Evil wraps Week 1 with $15.6M after a $791K Thursday, -12%, at 3,375 theaters.
Disney/Marvel Studio’s Deadpool & Wolverine ends Week 8 with $7.1M at 3,075 after a $420K Thursday, -6% from Wednesday and a running cume of $622.8M.
Am I Racist?, the Matt Walsh documentary from The Daily Wire, ends Week 1 with $6.3M at 1,517 theaters after a $405K Thursday, +8% from Wednesday.
Showbiz Direct’s Reagan rages on with a $24.8M domestic cume and a Thursday of $315K, and third week of $4.5M at 2,450 theaters.