FILM: Box Office Hustle – The Transformers Are At It Again

Welcome back to the summer of sequels, remakes, and re-imaginings! Last week, Cars 3 raced to the top of the box office standings, knocking Wonder Woman down a spot after two weeks at #1. Despite being enough to be the week’s top earner, the third entry in Pixar’s auto franchise had the weakest opening of the trio.

The Tupac biopic, All Eyez On Me, debuted in the third slot, and the rest of the top 5 shook out like this (with previous week earning ranks, if available):

1. (-) Cars 3: $53.7 m
2. (1) Wonder Woman: $41.3 m
3. (-) All Eyez On Me: $26.4 m
4. (2) The Mummy: $14.4 m
5. (-) 47 Meters Down: $11.2 m

Yet another sequel takes to the screens this week, and it will get big head start by opening today. For the fifth time, the Autobots and Decepticons bring their battle to the silver screen.

Weekend Blockbuster: Transformers – The Last Knight

Transformers – The Last Knight is the second Mark Wahlberg led movie in the franchise, and continues where Age of Extinction left off. There was much speculation that the series was done when Shia LaBeouf walked away after Dark of the Moon, but AOE managed to earn over $1 billion for the dying franchise and inject new life. TLK sees the return of several cast members from the first three movies, blending the old with the new.

In TLK, Optimus Prime is gone, searching for Cybertron and his creators. Back on Earth, humans and the Transformers are battling each other with no end in sight. Cade Yeager (Wahlberg) teams up with the Autobots, an astronomer (Anthony Hopkins), and an Oxford professor (Laura Haddock) to try and discover secrets hidden in the past to secure a safe future for humans and Transformers alike. Check out the official trailer released by Paramount:

What You Need To Know

TLK will be cut and paste Michael Bay Transformers movie. Action, robot destruction, overstuffed plot, a little bit of humor, and a pretty girl. This formula has been Bay’s bread and butter for four financially successful films, and you wouldn’t expect him to change now. These movies might never win critical acclaim or be revolutionary cinema, but they are consistent in their self-awareness.

TLK is true to its roots, and it will not disappoint moviegoers looking to turn off their brains and enjoy the two and a half hours that follow. It is big, loud, and the explosive third act (another Michael Bay classic) is the most ambitious yet. If you are a fan of the series, you should definitely go check this out during the matinee hours, but seeing it in IMAX or 3D would be worth the money as well for the visuals.

The general consensus sees this the extended 5-day take for this movie at around $70 million domestically. It could see a greater take based on how it performs during the days leading up to the weekend, but there are no real contenders to compete with. It will easily walk away as the box office king.

Power Rankings for June 23-25 (Domestic)

1. Transformers – The Last Knight *debut* – the 5 day champion. While other contenders won’t be able to keep up, the extra two days will distance this movie from the pack. Prediction: $70-75 M
2. Cars 3 – the kid’s pick. The stay at the top will be short lived for this movie, but it can enjoy the victory lap of knocking off Wonder Woman and still bringing in a decent amount in week two. Prediction: $30-35 M
3. Wonder Woman – a continuous earner. While it will slide down another spot this week, the money will continue to roll in for DC’s biggest hit to date. Prediction: $25-30 M
4. All Eyez On Me – a made-for-TV flop. The excitement for a Tupac movie saved the opening week, but bad reviews and word of mouth catch up with it now. Prediction: $10-12 M
5. The Mummy – the final wrap. As more movies pile in to the theaters, this movie will suffer. It will not make much money from here on out. Prediction: $4-6 M