Worldwide box office September 20-22
| Rank | Film (distributor) | 3-day (world) | Cume (world) | 3-day (int’l) | Cume (int’l) | Territories |
| 1. | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros) | $43.2m | $329.8m | $17.2m | $103m | 77 |
| 2. | Transformers One (Paramount) | $39m | $39m | $14m | $14m | 51 |
| 3. | Speak No Evil (Universal) | $13.2m | $42.4m | $7.3m | $20.9m | 78 |
| 4. | Veteran 2: I, The Executioner (various) |
$8.6m | $23.8m | $8.6m | $23.8m | 1 |
| 5. | Deadpool & Wolverine (Disney) | $7.3m | $1.3bn | $3.4m | $689.4m | 53 |
| 6. | The Wild Robot (Universal) | $6.9m | $6.9m | $6.9m | $6.9m | 8 |
| 7. | The Substance (Mubi) | $5.7m | $5.8m | $2.6m | $2.7m | 31 |
| 8. | It Ends With Us (Sony) | $5.5m | $334.8m | $4.5m | $188m | 64 |
| 9. | Stand By Me (various) |
$5.3m | $28.9m | $5.3m | $28.9m | 1 |
| 10. | Despicable Me 4 (Universal) |
$4.8m | $948.1m | $4.2m | $587.8m | 85 |
Credit: Comscore. All figures are estimates.
Mexico leads international pack with ‘Transformers One’
Paramount released animated feature Transformers One at the weekend in North America and 50 international markets, launching respectively with an estimated $25.0m and $14.0m. The $39.0m worldwide debut saw the film land in second place in Comscore’s latest worldwide box office chart, behind reigning champ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Mexico leads international markets on Transformers One, beginning with an estimated $2.2m, ahead of Australia on $1.5m. Asia-Pacific accounted for half of the top 10 international markets (Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines, India), with Latin America (Mexico, Panama) and Europe (Spain, Netherlands) providing two apiece, and Middle East one (United Arab Emirates).
Transformers One has yet to land in the three biggest European markets (UK/Ireland, France and Germany) as well as in China, South Korea, Brazil and Italy – so has plenty of gas left in the tank internationally.
Directed by Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4), and with a voice cast led by Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry and Keegan-Michael Key, Transformers One is an origin story set on home planet Cybertron, showing how key characters Optimus Prime, Megatron and Bumblebee came to step into their roles in the unfolding saga.
The franchise began its screen life in animated form, both with TV series The Transformers (1984-7) and the 1986 film The Transformers: The Movie. The latter grossed $5.8m in North America according to available historical data. Seven live-action films (including spinoff Bumblebee) have followed, grossing a combined $5.3bn worldwide. All feature Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto as producers, as does Transformers One.
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ holds worldwide top spot, hits $330m total
UPDATE: Warner Bros’ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has resisted the box office challenge of Transformers One, narrowly holding the top spot in North America (with a confirmed $25.9m), as well as in international markets (where it has the advantage of almost-full release).
For international, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice fell 37% in holdover markets, with a confirmed $17.7m. The international total is $104.4m after three weekends of play – no match for the North American cumulative tally of $226.8m. The numbers combine to deliver a $331.2m global total.
UK/Ireland leads the international pack in terms of weekend box office ($3.2m) and cumulative total ($24m). In cumulative, Mexico ($15.0m) comes second, ahead of France ($8.8m – after just two weeks of release), Spain ($6.7m) and Australia ($6.3m).
This Friday (September 27) sees Tim Burton’s film land in its final key market, Japan.
With a production budget reported at $100m, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice looks on course for profitability – factoring in marketing costs, revenue splits with cinemas, but also ancillary revenues yet to accrue. Considering the 36-year gap between the two Beetlejuice films, the sequel represented a risk. The original Beetlejuice grossed $74.7m in North America in 1988.
‘The Wild Robot’ delivers $7m in early markets
UPDATE: Universal’s new DreamWorks animation The Wild Robot has landed in eight early international markets, generating a confirmed $6.5m – enough for sixth place in the worldwide weekend box office chart. The domestic North American release follows this Friday (September 27).
China leads on The Wild Robot so far, with $3.7m opening, landing in third place locally (behind Stand By Me and Like A Rolling Stone). Australia comes next with a chart-topping $2.0m, including $800,000 in previews. The other – relatively small – early markets are led by Malaysia (with a confirmed $372,000).
Universal reports that The Wild Robot achieved a 9.6 score in China at both Maoyan and TPP – a record for the studio. The film is written and directed by Chris Sanders (How To Train Your Dragon), adapted from the Peter Brown book series about a robot that adapts to life on an island inhabited only by wild animals.
Global rollout is staggered to take advantage of local holidays and competitive considerations, with Mexico receiving the film this Thursday (September 26), followed by South Korea (October 1) and Germany (October 3). France, Brazil, Italy, Spain and UK/Ireland all follow later next month, with Japan set for next February.
‘The Substance’ achieves $6m launch
Distributed by Mubi in North America and a suite of international markets, arthouse body-horror The Substance has landed in seventh place in the worldwide box office chart, with estimated debut takings of $5.8m. North America delivered an estimated $3.1m, and 30 international markets collectively yielded $2.7m.
Mubi is directly distributing the film in many key markets and holds worldwide rights via its subsidiary The Match Factory.
The Substance represents a box office breakthrough for director Coralie Fargeat, following her French-language 2017 debut Revenge, which achieved 36,000 admissions in France, according to local data gatherer CBO. North American box office was a mild $102,000, according to available data.
The Substance launched in Competition at Cannes this year, and stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid in the tale of a TV aerobics instructor rejuvenating herself via a black-market serum, ultimately with horrifying consequences.
International expansion boosts ‘Speak No Evil’
Universal’s release of Blumhouse’s Speak No Evil slipped by 48% from its opening weekend in North America and 37% in international holdover markets. New openings in France and Germany mean that international weekend takings (an estimated $7.3m) were just 23% lower than the opening session.
After two weekends of play, Speak No Evil stands at $21.5m in North America, $20.9m for international, and $42.4m worldwide.
France opened with an estimated $842,000, and Germany with an estimated $597,000. Cumulatively, UK/Ireland leads international markets with $3.7m, ahead of Mexico ($2.2m) and Spain ($1.7m). Future markets include Japan on December 13.
Speak No Evil ranks third in the worldwide weekend chart. Rounding out the top five are Korean hit I, The Executioner, aka Veteran 2 (now at a handy $23.8m total) and Disney/Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine (see chart above).
No comments yet