Paramount remained judicious about disclosing its visions for the Transformers franchise’s future until Transformers: Rise of the Beasts‘ arrival on the big screen. The animated series, attempting to find its feet after the conclusion of the Michael Bay era and Bumblebee’s lukewarm performance in 2018, treads with caution. It turns out that this reserve was well-placed, as the box office performance of Rise of the Beasts has failed to meet the studio’s hopeful projections.
The film’s fifth weekend saw it collecting $5 million from the domestic market and a further $7.6 million from overseas. It had just hit what appears to be its last significant marker at the worldwide box office, gaining entry into the coveted $400 million club. Following a rather tepid debut in June, Rise of the Beasts has managed to amass $146 million domestically and $261 million from international markets, resulting in a cumulative worldwide total of $407 million. Despite this, it ranks as the lowest-earning installment in the franchise, falling behind Bumblebee’s lifetime global earnings of $465 million, a figure that now seems beyond its reach.
In contrast to its predecessor, which garnered the franchise’s best reviews, Rise of the Beasts comes with a hefty price tag and has been met with lukewarm response. Paramount prudently limited Bumblebee’s budget to a modest $102 million following the less than spectacular performance of Michael Bay’s final offering, Transformers: The Last Knight. Yet, they did not hold back with Rise of the Beasts, reportedly splurging nearly $200 million before considering marketing expenses. Going by the customary rule that films of this scale must earn double their production costs to break even, Rise of the Beasts appears to have navigated its way out of the red.
But did this result align with Paramount’s expectations for a film anticipated to ignite a new trilogy and potentially a crossover spinoff? Maybe not. China remained the biggest foreign market for Rise of the Beasts, surprisingly garnering nearly $90 million during a period when foreign films are not being received warmly. The film also demonstrated commendable performance in Mexico ($19 million) and Peru ($13 million). However, it failed to deliver in significant European markets such as the U.K. ($9.7 million), France ($9.3 million), and Germany ($4.7 million).
So, How Does Rise of the Beasts Fare Against Its Predecessors?
In comparison, Bay’s original Transformers film ended its global run with a substantial $708 million in 2007. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen raked in $836 million in 2009, and the underwhelming The Last Knight collected $602 million in 2017. Two entries in the series have broken the $1 billion worldwide threshold — Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($1.12 billion) and the soft-reboot Transformers: Age of Extinction ($1.1 billion). Directed by Steven Caple Jr., Rise of the Beasts delves into the Beast Wars storyline from the franchise, featuring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback in live-action roles.
