Rise of the Beasts' Box Office Crashes in its Second Week-End and Might Make Less than Bumblebee

Domestic Box Office for June 16 week-end

Flash 55M
Elemental 29.5M
Spider-verse 27.8M
ROTB 20M

International Box Office numbers for the same films for June 16 week-end

Flash 75M
ROTB 37.2M
Spider-verse 27.6M
Elemental 15M

These numbers are weak, no matter how you look at them. Each one of these films had hundreds of millions sunk into their writing, production, marketing, and distribution. For Flash and Elemental especially, they were supposed to come roaring out of the gate and rake in cash by the truckloads. And it obviously isn't happening. And don't tell us it's because everyone is saving up to see "Dial of Destiny" instead.

People can argue all kinds of things as to the reasoning. But ultimately, it all boils down to 3 things: content, content, content. If the entertainment industry was making good films that people wanted to see, then people would be going to see them regardless of any external factors short of a war or a natural disaster. Streaming and Covid did not make movie theaters irrelevant. The content of the films has made movie theaters irrelevant.

Cheetron wrote:It's only week 2 with a crappy box office for everyone. But here's the kicker. I've read the plot and every single spoiler online. By just looking at article titles on yahoo. This turned me away from spending $50 at the theater for 2 people. I've seen every single transformers movie in theater but now theaters don't feel right. I'd rather sit in my chair and watch it. But since I know the entire plot in advance, I'll save the money and wait till it's free. Same with the flash. I love Keatons batman but I won't spend money since they didn't get Ezra in trouble

Yup, pretty much. Why see it in the theater? By mid-July it will (allegedly) be on streaming already. Why bother seeing it in theaters?

As for content, I do agree to an extent. The content, in regards to this site specifically, has ALWAYS been questionable to a vocal group because it isn't G1 or isn't what they remember or wanted. So judging by reactions on this site specifically, you can't make any assumptions. The fact is that the movie is almost to $200 million globally; yes that's less than normal but can we really judge normal anymore? How do you define a box office hit? Are "tent-pole movies" a thing of the past? It will probably beat out Flash and will likely crush Elemental (everything Disney touches right now is failing with GOTG3 being the only exception). Indy will be a big test, but I think the FINAL test will be the new Mission: Impossible movie. Note that FF10 also is flopping; this is not a good summer movie season start financially.

Does Father's Day weekend usually produce that big of a box office return in general?

First-Aid wrote:NO ONE did well at the box office this weekend. The Flash is a legitimate flat-out flop, worse than ROTB, and Elemental is even worse; looks like Pixar may be 'dead man walking' right now. But both DID detract and draw from the audience of ROTB.

This summer is going to be unique...the short transit time between theater and digital anymore as well as theater prices, which were already high, being affected by inflation is moving people away from theaters in general- especially for movies that they may be "on the fence" seeing. I'm in that group for Flash, honestly. I'm not seeing it in theater but I may see it once it hits streaming/DVD. ROTB I'm planning on seeing again this coming weekend because it was fun, but a lot of my friends- who also plan on repeating seeing it- chose to see FLash this weekend.

Is it time to move away from box office gross in order to truly measure a movie's success? Look at the success of "Mortal Kombat" and how it was released as the new standard?

You can't move away from the box office gross to define a success when every single other method has not resulted in making as much money. They tried having streaming replace the cineplex for high budget movies but had to fall back on that since it simply wasn't as profitable. So the plan right now is still to start with a cinema release and then fallback on streaming as added content for whatever platform. And that means that box office numbers still act as the main way to gauge success.

Also, while you say that all films did bad, yes that's true in general, and the flash just threw a wrench in the mix, hurting itself and the other films too.
BUT Spider-verse still did well. In its third week, it was just shy of beating a newly released animated film from Pixar, that's quite impressive.

Also, I chose to watch the flash (I've been to the the movies every week for the past 3 weeks) and I have to say, it was a great experience. I preferred it to Spiderverse and ROTB but thats because it hit a lot of notes that were very dear to me. It's also the one that my kids were the most invested in while watching.

DeathReviews wrote: And don't tell us it's because everyone is saving up to see "Dial of Destiny" instead.

Hahahaha, very funny. Though I am surprised to see that franchise escaped your grip, Death, I was sure it was a goner after the last one.

Brokebot wrote:Bingo. Hollywood just keeps churning out their "representation" schlock "for modern audiences" and the audiences aren't playing along anymore. A lot of people are tired of seeing our favorite characters deconstructed to push an agenda. And Geriatric Jones and the Condescending Sidekick is expected to leave a crater when it drops. Top Gun Maverick, Spiderman No Way Home, and Super Mario Brothers prove that you give people what they want to see rather than what you want to force on them, they'll show up.

Na, we have recent films that show the opposite can work just as well. Black Panther 2 had a female Black Panther and a race switch for Namor for latin american representation and it did very well.

And the biggest film right now is Spider-verse which is all about diversity (both the protagonist and antagonist are people of colour). Plus it has some very politically divissive messages, including a Protect Trans Kids message. That last bit had a lot of people claiming this film would go broke for being woke (like this article: https://citizengo.org/en-ca/fm/210776-s ... ider-verse) but the conversation and controversy has died down after the film was a huge box office success and didn't fit that go woke go broke narrative. Though it has come up again recently due to the film now being banned in UAE for that message: https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/ ... -man-movie

In the end, a film can be as woke as it wants to be and give as many messages as it wants to give as long as its popular and enjoyed by people.

First-Aid wrote:How do you define a box office hit?

Either nominal gross or budget multiplier, depending on the budget.

Note that FF10 also is flopping; this is not a good summer movie season start financially.

Final Fantasy 10 sold enough copies for the series to continue.




Just joking around

It still has yet to be released in a lot of countries but sure… let’s draw conclusions already.

Hahahaha, very funny. Though I am surprised to see that franchise escaped your grip, Death, I was sure it was a goner after the last one.

Oh I reaped that one all right . But Hollywood treats some franchises like zombies. They keep them shambling around long AFTER they're obviously dead, moaning for brains to eat. Sad, really.

We have recent films that show the opposite can work just as well. Black Panther 2 had a female Black Panther and a race switch for Namor for latin american representation and it did very well...

I'm not sure about the box office numbers - but as a merchandising vehicle, Wakanda Forever seems to have been a dismal failure. It's been a year since it came out, but the only thing that seems 'forever' about it are the figures and toys which are still lying in unsold, unwanted heaps on store shelves. That's another sad sight, even for me.

And the biggest film right now is Spider-verse which is all about diversity (both the protagonist and antagonist are people of colour).

I wouldn't say that makes the film "all about diversity". Though, I've often wondered how these films would have done if they weren't riding on the original Spider-Man's coattails. I find multiverses, time travel, alternate realities and diverging timelines to be an ever-increasingly tiresome gimmick that writers use to inject artificial popularity into stories which would otherwise go unnoticed. Many of today's writers plainly admit, they're not even trying to make their own original stories anymore, they 'just want to see what (insert franchise name here) would be like IF (insert minor plot tweak here)...'

Plus it has some very politically divisive messages, including a Protect Trans Kids message. But the conversation and controversy has died down after the film was a huge box office success and didn't fit that go woke go broke narrative.

Could be - though I'd quantify that more as 'subliminal advertising'. They flashed the poster for maybe a split second and certainly didn't dwell on it. A message would have been if Gwen or Miles (or both) had danced around in front of the poster, winking, nodding, and saying, "Hey kids! Ask your doctor about this!" I'd say Spiderverse escaped (in some measure) because they weren't gauchely brazen about it. They didn't make it a selling point, unlike other movies such as Lightyear, Strange World, or even Elemental. If they keep it subtle, then most people can watch the show and enjoy it for what it is. But if they do something like Earthspark did, and throw a press conference to announce, 'We're using this show as part of a crusade to re-define what it means to be a family', then I groan and leave it unwatched.

I don't think Transformers is performing badly so much as being lost in the glut of mediocre summer films ( except Spider Verse which is shining). Which unfortunately has the same result.

In years past, even in a crowded summer, every film would usually have 2 weeks to dominate before the next big one came along. Flash and Elemental are not great films, but they both arrived in a week and stole much of RotB box office take. Fortunately it is still doing well internationally,but it could be seen as a financial failure due to budget despite good word of mouth.

o.supreme wrote:I don't think Transformers is performing badly so much as being lost in the glut of mediocre summer films ( except Spider Verse which is shining). Which unfortunately has the same result.

In years past, even in a crowded summer, every film would usually have 2 weeks to dominate before the next big one came along. Flash and Elemental are not great films, but they both arrived in a week and stole much of RotB box office take. Fortunately it is still doing well internationally,but it could be seen as a financial failure due to budget despite good word of mouth.

Yeah, this is the ACTUAL lesson the studios should be taking. RotB isn't doing mediocre because of poor quality or because it went "woke" (that is provable nonsense based on what's beating it at the box office), it's because they released it in-between 3 other "blockbuster" movie releases in a narrow 3 week timeframe.

This is the same reason Bumblebee sunk, when they decided to release it between the first Spiderverse movie, Aquaman and Mary Poppins. Literally, THEY MADE THE EXACT SAME MISTAKE, and released a Transformers movie against Spider-Man, DC and Disney. Paramount is terrible at timing.

Kinda surprising just how lackluster the box office this weekend was in general.

...Next time don't do Wheeljack dirty