‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ Disappoints At Home, But Soars Internationally [Box Office]

The rest of Hollywood steered clear of “Transformers: The Last Knight” this weekend, with no other major studio planning a big release as Paramount trotted out the latest entry in their blockbuster toy franchise, but they needn’t worried. In a summer where franchise fatigue is riding high, ‘Transformers’ suffered a considerable blow, at least domestically.

$45.3 million was more than enough for “Transformers: The Last Knight” to win the weekend, but the numbers are quite troubling. It’s the lowest opening figure in the series since the first film back in 2007. If you include the full $69 million tally the film has earned since Wednesday, it’s still below the original movie, which earned $70 million, and that’s not good news. However, as it always goes these days, the international picture is quite different. Abroad, ‘The Last Knight’ pulled in a total of $196 million, with $123 million coming from China alone, where the franchise remains incredibly healthy. That’s a robust $258 million opening globally.

READ MORE: Michael Bayhem Reigns In ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ [Review]

All that said, Paramount has a some serious thinking to do. They’ve sunk an incredible amount of money into building a writers room for a “Transformers” universe, which is supposed to continue with next summer’s “Bumblebee,” and followed by “Transformers 7” in 2019. However, it’ll be interesting to see if the studio continues with that plan given the rather bleak domestic picture for the series, or if they hit pause — even briefly — to reassess how they want to continue this franchise. Undoubtedly, the property still holds plenty of value, but it’s also a question of maximizing its potential. Do you continue to push the series even if its only playing for select international markets? Or do you find a way to make everybody excited again? It’ll be interesting to see things play out.

At the arthouse, things were quite busy. Sundance charmer “The Big Sick” was the most impressive performer, earning $435,000 from five screens for an $87,000 per screen average— the highest of 2017 so far.  Meanwhile, whatever film Twitter might be griping about regarding Sofia Coppola‘s Cannes Best Director winner “The Beguiled” didn’t affect audiences, as they turned out to the tune $240,545 on four screens, for a $60,136 per screen average (second highest of the year). Launching on thirty screens, Ana Lily Amirpour‘s weirdo post-apocalyptic flick “The Bad Batch” had trouble luring moviegoers, tallying $91,074 from 30 screens for a rather lackluster $3,036 per screen average.

READ MORE: ‘The Today Show’ Explores The Impact Of China’s Growing Movie Market On Hollywood

In box office milestones, “Wonder Woman” now stands at $652 million worldwide, and $750 million is not out of the question. After four weeks of release, it’s the third highest grossing film of the year domestically, surpassing both “Logan” and “Fate Of The Furious.” Meanwhile, “The Mummy,” a movie most believed had flopped, currently stands at $342 million worldwide and should be able to cross $400 million before all is said and done thanks to international audiences. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” is another film that didn’t perform well at home, but is already the fourth highest grossing film of the year globally with $677 million thanks to those same overseas viewers.

Lastly, any questions that “All Eyez On Me” might be a sleeper hit were answered, as the film took a huge tumble, losing nearly 78% of its audience from its opening weekend, and earning $5.8 million.

1. “Transformers: The Last Knight” — $45.3 million ($69 mil.)
2. “Cars 3” — $25.1 million ($99.8 mil.)
3. “Wonder Woman” — $25.1 million ($318.3 mil.)
4. “47 Meters Down” — $7.4 million ($24.2 mil.)
5. “All Eyez On Me” — $5.85 million ($38.6 mil.)
6. “The Mummy” — $5.83 million ($68.5 mil.)
7. “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” — $5.2 million ($160 mil.)
8. “Rough Night”— $4.7 million ($16.6 mil.)
9. “Captain Underpants” — $4.2 million ($65.7 mil.)
10. “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2” — $3 million ($380.2 mil.)