By Lindsey Bahr
It was Miles Morales and the Spider-Verse versus the "Transformers" at the box office this weekend and the bots came out on top.
"Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," the seventh entry in the series, took the No. 1 spot in its first weekend in North American theaters with $60.5 million according to studio estimates Sunday. " Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse " wasn't too far behind, however, with an estimated $55.4 million in its second weekend.
Paramount Pictures released "Rise of the Beasts" in 3,678 locations starting with Thursday previews. Set in 1994, it's technically a sequel to the 1980s-set "Bumblebee" and a prequel to the other films. With a new cast led by Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback and a new director in Steven Caple Jr., it's also an attempt to reset and breathe fresh life into the $4.8 billion franchise.
"Rise of the Beasts" also earned $110 million from 68 international markets, giving it a $170.5 million global debut.
Critics didn't love the movie, but that's also par for the course for this franchise. Overall, Rotten Tomatoes aggregated a less-than-fresh 52% rating.
"The problem with "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" is the same problem faced by all of the installments — balancing the humanity with the metal," wrote AP's Mark Kennedy in his review.
In fact, the only movie that did get a fresh rating was "Bumblebee," which also made the least money of all of them. Audiences (62% male) were more positive, giving "Rise of the Beasts" an A- CinemaScore. According to PostTrak surveys, general audiences gave it 4.5 stars out of 5.
While a $60.5 million opening might not seem like enough to support a $200 million production budget, "Rise of the Beasts" is a movie that will make most of its money abroad. Since 2011's "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," international ticket sales have accounted for at least 70% of the global box office total. Two of the seven movies, "Dark of the Moon" and "Age of Extinction," from 2014, made over $1 billion each.
"To have a No. 1 debut is impressive given the formidable competition from 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,' which had a much stronger opening than anyone anticipated and in its second weekend is a really powerful player," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.
Sony's "Spider-Verse" sequel fell about 54%. In just two weeks, it's already surpassed the total domestic box office of the first film with $225.4 million in ticket sales and become the highest grossing Sony Pictures Animation release. With terrific reviews in its arsenal, "Spider-Verse" is likely destined for a longer life at the box office, too.
Third place went to Disney's "The Little Mermaid," which earned $23 million in its third weekend, where it's playing in 4,320 locations in the U.S. and Canada. The live-action movie has made $414.2 million globally to date.
Two other Walt Disney Co. releases rounded out the top five, with "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" in fourth with $7 million in its sixth weekend and "The Boogeyman," in weekend two, in fifth place with $6.9 million.
While many of the films in the top 10 are known brands or IP, one original property, A24's " Past Lives," is making waves in the specialty space. Playing on just 26 screens in its second weekend, Celine Song's romance made $520,772 for a stunning $20,030 per screen average. It expands nationwide on June 23.
The summer movie season should continue to pick up heat with major new films coming nearly every week. Next weekend family audiences get Pixar's "Elemental," while the superhero crowd can catch up with " The Flash."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," $60.5 million.
2. "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," $55.4 million.
3. "The Little Mermaid," $22.3 million.
4. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," $7 million.
5. "The Boogeyman," $6.9 million.
6. "Fast X," $5.2 million.
7. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," $2.1 million.
8. "About My Father," $845,000.
9. "The Machine," $575,000.
10. “Past Lives,” $520,772.
Lindsey Bahr is an AP film writer
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More