Despite good reviews, both Transformers One and The Substance are opening way below industry estimates.
Despite excellent reviews and good word-of-mouth from fans, Transformers One is having a bad time at the box office this weekend. Deadline states the highly anticipated animated prequel is only on track for a $26 million weekend. That’s just a little less than the $30 million we predicted – which was way more than industry projections, which saw the film opening with $40 million (wishful thinking).
There’s a good chance Transformers One will be beaten at the box office by Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in its third weekend, with that movie on track for a terrific $25 million. And Transformers One isn’t the only good movie struggling to find an audience this weekend. The Substance, one of the best body horror movies since The Fly, only looks like it will make in the $2.5-3 million range. It’s being distributed by the streamer MUBI, who’ve opted to capitalize on the buzz and give it a big 2000-screen release, but those numbers are fairly anemic, which is a shame as it’s a great movie.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate continues its seemingly cursed run at the box office with Never Let Go, a Halle Berry-led horror flick that will only open in the $4 million range. The movie also earned a poor C+ CinemaScore rating. Next weekend won’t be any better for them, with Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis on track for another disastrous opening.
One of the strangest things about this weekend isn’t what’s opening in theaters but rather what’s not opening, with Apple opting to only give the George Clooney/ Brad Pitt action comedy Wolfs a 50-screen limited release. Had it gone wide, it would have likely performed decently, but after a bad run of movies in theatres, Apple is changing its release strategy in a big way.
What are you seeing in theatres this weekend? Let us know in the comments – and if Wolfs is playing near you, check it out!
