Ghostly Triumphs and Robotic Stumbles – A Box Office Showdown Between Beetlejuice and Transformers

Optimus Prime and Megatron, the metal giants, locked in a battle that should have shattered the skies… but even their towering might was no match for a trickster from beyond the grave. It wasn’t just any contest—it was a showdown where Beetlejuice Beetlejuice came out victorious, holding tight to the box office crown for three weekends straight. Odd, isn’t it? That a quirky, spooky film would be the one to draw crowds over and over again? With $26 million more tucked into its strange little coffers, its domestic haul now glows at a solid $225 million. Globally? It has stacked up to $329.7 million, standing tall, still daring anything to knock it from the top spot.

“Transformers One” topped Friday’s #BoxOffice, earning $9.6 million. Meanwhile, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “Speak No Evil” grossed $6.6 million and $1.7 million, respectively.#Forbes pic.twitter.com/5LGnRi7EcQ

— Forbes Middle East (@Forbes_MENA_) September 22, 2024

Yet, on the other side of this cinematic coin, Transformers One stumbled where it should have soared. You’d think an animated return, led by voices like Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson, would ignite excitement… but, alas, it didn’t exactly land with the thunder fans were hoping for. It managed just $25 million on its opening weekend, a far cry from what many anticipated for such a beloved franchise. Even globally, the numbers didn’t promise much of a rescue—$39 million worldwide, a mere shadow of what the Transformers juggernaut used to rake in. Seems like the shift from live-action to animation didn’t translate into box office magic—perhaps not all things benefit from a cartoon facelift.

It’s no secret that this shift has been a tricky one to sell. Some folks, like industry veteran David A. Gross, saw this coming from miles away. You can’t simply glide from seven blockbuster films—ones that pulled in over $5 billion combined—and expect a cartoon rendition to pick up the same kind of audience. The mood, the tone, the whole spectacle… it’s just too big a jump for many to follow, and Transformers One found itself lost in translation.

But it wasn’t just the world of robots that faltered this weekend. The thriller realm wasn’t doing much better either. Take Never Let Go, for example. This survival drama, with Halle Berry at the helm, crept into theaters with little more than a whisper—$4.5 million across 2,600 venues. And that’s on the back of a whole series of disappointments from Lionsgate, like The Crow reboot and The Killer’s Game. Even the reviews for Never Let Go hung in that uncomfortable middle zone, with a 61% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. For a $20 million film, that’s a tough place to start.

‘TRANSFORMERS ONE’ opens with $25M domestically.

• Was #2 at the box office behind ‘Beetlejuice 2’

• Budget was $75M

Read our review: https://t.co/tQvLhyF3OL pic.twitter.com/FPWJP8JS7G

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 22, 2024

And then there’s Demi Moore, stepping into the surreal and grotesque with The Substance. This dark, almost biting satire about aging had Moore taking a leap into the bizarre, earning $3.1 million from nearly 2,000 screens. Critics have loved it—some calling it one of her best performances—but the general audience response? A bit quiet. The film, like many satires, might end up being more of a niche darling than a box office titan.

Meanwhile, the horror landscape held its ground with Speak No Evil, sliding down to third place but still pulling in $5.9 million. For a horror movie, a 48% drop isn’t too shabby, proving that thrill-seekers continue to support their genre, no matter how eerie or unnerving it gets. It’s now managed a domestic haul of $21.45 million, showing yet again that horror doesn’t fade away easily—it lingers, keeps breathing even in a crowded box office.

And, of course, still lurking in the top five, Deadpool & Wolverine remains an unstoppable force. After nine weeks, it raked in another $3.8 million, pushing its total global earnings to a jaw-dropping $1.317 billion. That’s not just impressive—it’s history in the making, especially for an R-rated superhero film.

Box office: ‘Transformers One’ fails to keep ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ from winning its 3rd weekend https://t.co/leaD6RHhaV pic.twitter.com/LXsIn19jhW

— Gold Derby (@GoldDerby) September 22, 2024

September may have been a slow month overall, with Beetlejuice carrying the weight of the box office on its ghostly shoulders. But with October around the corner, the cinema world waits, eager for new stories to step in and revive the screens—each hoping to breathe life into the next wave of box office hits.

Major Points:

• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice stays No. 1 for a third weekend, bringing in $225 million domestically.
• Transformers One opens to a lackluster $25 million, struggling to recapture its live-action magic.
• Never Let Go, starring Halle Berry, makes a weak debut with $4.5 million amidst mixed reviews.
• Demi Moore’s The Substance earns praise but sees only $3.1 million at the box office.
• Deadpool & Wolverine continues its blockbuster run, hitting $1.317 billion worldwide.

Fallon Jacobson – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News