Weekend Box Office: 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Beats 'Transformers One' in Surprise Upset

In an unexpected twist, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice squeezed out the bots at the weekend box office.

Transformers One, produced by Paramount and Hasbro Entertainment, was predicted to gross between $30 million and $35 million in North America, more than enough to top the box office chart. Instead, it earned an estimated $25 million from 3,978 theaters, compared to $26 million from 4,172 venues for Warner Bros.' Beetlejuice sequel, which is currently in its third weekend.

Transformers One.

Paramount Pictures

Transformers One had a modest lead as of Saturday AM, but the necessary traffic to secure a victory did not materialize.

The disappointing news comes despite glowing reviews, awards buzz, an A CinemaScore, and exceptional PostTrak exit scores, but Paramount and Hasbro knew they were taking a risk by returning to the franchise's roots and producing a CGI-animated film with a family-friendly PG rating rather than a PG-13 live-action extravaganza aimed at fans. The film sought to appeal to both demographics, akin to the successful Spider-Man: Spider-Verse series, but thus far, attendance has been low on both fronts. Social media chatter suggests that some franchise fans were perplexed about the film's animated status.

The film also debuted worldwide, grossing $14 million from 50 nations, accounting for 40% of the foreign market.

The film's ultimate fate remains uncertain. The modestly budgeted event film, co-financed by Habro, cost $75 million to produce before marketing, mitigating the impact of the disappointing domestic debut. The hope now is that it may find its footing and enjoy a long run in cinemas based on such great exits and reviews, but the arrival of DreamWorks Animation and Universal's The Wild Robot next weekend may complicate matters, at least for families. (Wild Robot began its international debut in eight nations over the weekend, generating $6.9 million, including a paltry $4 million from China.)

Transformers One, directed by Pixar graduate Josh Cooley, is an origin narrative about how two of the most recognizable Transformers, Optimus Prime and Megatron, evolved from best friends to archnemeses. The two characters are voiced by Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry, with Keegan-Michael Key, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm also appearing.

"Consider this a franchise revitalized," Frank Scheck stated in his review for The Hollywood Reporter.

The other two new releases this weekend are in far worse shape. Lionsgate's Halle Berry film Never Let Go premiered in fourth place with an estimated $4.5 million from 2,667 locations, while Mubi's The Substance, starring Demi Moore, debuted in sixth place with an estimated $3.1 million from 1,949 locations.

Beetlejuice continues to impress in North America, finishing Sunday with a domestic total of $226.8 million. The Tim Burton-directed film hasn't fared as well internationally, earning $103 million for a global total of $329.7 million.

Speak No Evil, a Blumhouse and horror-thriller, finished third after the Beetlejuice sequel and Transformers One, earning $5.9 million from 3,375 locations in its second weekend for a good domestic total of $21.5 million. It has earned a similarly strong $20.9 million at the overseas box office, for a global total of $42.4 million against a low $15 million production budget.

Marvel and Disney's Deadpool & Wolverine rounded out the top five in North America, grossing $7.3 million from 2,450 theaters in its ninth weekend for a domestic total of $627.3 million and $1.316 billion globally, ranking it 23rd among the 25 highest-grossing films of all time, not adjusted for inflation.

Am I Racist, the much-talked-about documentary by conservative pundit Matt Walsh. In its second trip, it finished seventh with $2.5 million from 1,600 venues for a domestic total of $9 million, the biggest performance for a political documentary in two decades.