‘Transformers One’ Boots Up Theatrical Release with $39M Box Office

Paramount Animation and Hasbro Entertainment’s $75 million production Transformers One opened to $39M at the global box office. Audiences awarded the franchise’s first-ever fully CG-animated movie an A CinemaScore, five out of five stars on PostTrak, and a 98% Popcornmeteron Rotten Tomatoes. The film is Certified Fresh with an 89% critics’ score.

Transformers One grossed$2.7M on Saturday from 50 international markets with the full weekend grossing $14Mincluding previews. This represents 40% of the international footprint. Overall, on a like for like basis including previews, this result is 3% below The LEGO Batman Movie and 16% below Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse for the all markets in release.

Top new market openings included Mexico (opened at #4 grossing $2.2M at 890 locations including paid previews), Australia (opened at #3 grossing $1.5M at 294 locations including paid previews; school holidays start on Monday for two weeks), Japan (opened at #6 [#1 MPA] grossing $820K at 327 locations; Monday is a national holiday), Panama (opened at #2 grossing $625K at 132 locations including paid previews) and Spain (opened at #3 grossing $445K at 321 locations including paid previews).

Transformer One will open in 11 more international markets next week, including China, Korea, Brazil and Italy. The next major markets are Germany (October 10), U.K. (Oct. 11) and France (Oct. 23).

Universal continued its staggered international roll out for DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot this weekend, bringing its total up to $6.9M from eight markets, including $4M from China. Excluding the Middle Kingdom, the film’s overall international performance so far is on par with DWA’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Bad Guys as well s Elemental and Migration.

China was the biggest opening this frame, followed by Australia (at No. 1, $2M including $800K from previews) over the school holidays; Malaysia ($400K including previews) and Norway (No. 1, $200K). Uruguay & Venezuela both opened the pic at No. 1 and brought in a combined $122K. South Africa & Kenya delivers No. 1 openings in Africa and pooled $97K.

The Wild Robot will open in the U.S. on September 27, with other major markets coming in Sept./Oct. and Japan in February. Coming off of the film’s TIFF premiere, the book adaptation boasts a 98% Fresh critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

[Sources: Paramount, Box Office Mojo, Deadline]