Box Office Surprise: Debutante ‘Transformers One’ Can’t Capture Top Spot From ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’

Topline

The eccentric horror film “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was the U.S.’ highest-grossing film for a third consecutive weekend, multiple outlets reported Sunday, a surprising result as the animated action movie “Transformers One” reportedly failed to meet expectations in its opening weekend.

Key Facts

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” brought in an estimated $26 million in domestic theaters from Friday to Sunday, according to Deadline, narrowly exceeding the $25 million from “Transformers One,” according to estimates shared by its studio, Paramount Pictures.

“Transformers One” was looking for an opening weekend of $30 million to $40 million, Variety reported, while industry expectations were for a $30 million to $35 million first weekend, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is now the sixth film to book three or more weekends at the top of the weekend box office, according to Box Office Mojo.

Rounding out the top five grossing movies this weekend were thrillers “Speak No Evil” ($5.9 million) and “Never Let Go” ($4.5 million) and superhero comedy “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($3.9 million), Deadline reported.

Big Number

$226.8 million. That’s the domestic box office performance from “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” in its first three weeks, according to Deadline. The spooky sequel is the sixth highest-grossing movie of 2024 in the U.S., set to pull within $40 million of “Twisters” for the fifth position.

Key Background

“Transformers One” was made for $75 million, according to Paramount, and it’s the latest film entrant based on the Hasbro toy line. The movie, which features the voices of Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buscemi, is highly rated, with a critic approval score of 89% and audience score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a sequel to the 1988 film “Beetlejuice,” returning actors Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton to its cast.