BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE’s $26.0M box office this weekend edged out TRANSFORMERS ONE, which opened with lower-than-expected $25.0M. However, the one-two combination was solid enough to lift the total weekend domestic box office to $82.0M, which was 57% higher than the $52.1M earned last year on the same weekend.
One year ago, the top-earning movie was THE NUN II in its third weekend with $8.2M and THE EXPENDIBLES 4 in its opening with $8.0M. September 22-24, 2023 was the lowest-grossing weekend of the year.
The surge of 2024 compared with 2023 continues, with a third comparative win in a row for the current year. Here is a quick recap of the past three weekends.
RECENT WEEKEND COMPARISONS from 2024 vs. 2023
- 2024 – 9/20-9/22 $82.0M, 9/13-9/15 $93.9M, 9/6-9/8 $147.6M, 3-Week Total $323.5M
- 2023 – 9/22-9/24 $52.1M, 9/15-9/17 $62.8M, 9/8-9/10 $88.4M, 3-Week Total $203.3M
Before BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE opened on September 6, the 2024 total domestic box office stood at $5.7B, 85% of the 2023 total. Over the past three weekends, 2024 ticket sales have come in $120.2M higher than last year, a 59% year-over-year increase. As a result, the overall totals in 2024 have risen by 3% in comparison to 2023 amounts, which is very hard to do at this late point in the year.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE made it three weekends in a row in the top spot by adding $26.0M. After 17 days, the comedy horror sequel has brought in $226.8 domestic and $310.3M worldwide. The picture is in a battle with Stephen King’s IT from 2017 to become the highest-grossing domestic film of all time in September. Here is the current tale of the tape between these two movies.
IT (2017) VS. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (2024) – After 17 Days in Release
- IT (9/8/2017) – Opening Weekend $123.4M, 3rd Weekend $29.8M (-51%), 17-Day $266.1M, Total $327.5M, Budget $35M, RT Critics/Audience 85%/84%
- BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (9/6/2024) – Opening Weekend $111.0M, 3rd Weekend $26.0M (-49%), 17-Day $226.8M, Budget $100M, RT Critics/Audience 77%/81%
Even if BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE comes up short of IT’s September total, it has offered a welcome shot in the arm to the industry during the typically slow month of September.
TRANSFORMERS ONE finished a close second with $25.0M for its opening weekend. The film is the ninth movie in the Transformers series, which has earned $5.26B worldwide to date, making it the 14th highest-earning film franchise of all time. The movies bring to life the exploits and personalities of the Transformers toys created by Hasbro, the American toy manufacturer founded in 1923 and based in Providence, Rhode Island.
Hasbro introduced the Transformers action figures in 1982 and smartly added a children’s TV show that featured the toys in 1984. THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE arrived two years later on August 8, 1986. This original animated film was not much of a success, earning only $5.8M worldwide in a brief run.
It would take 21 years and transformational advances in special effects before the next movie arrived, a live-action movie titled TRANSFORMERS which opened on July 2, 2007. With Dreamworks investing a hefty $150M to make the film, it became a worldwide hit earning $709.7M in the global box office. Based on this success, the cinematic future for the franchise was guaranteed. Here is a recap of the TRANSFORMERS box office history.
TRANSFORMERS THEATRICAL HISTORY
- THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE (8/8/1986) – Animation – Opening Domestic $1.8M, Total Domestic $5.8M, Total Worldwide $5.8M, Budget $5M, RT Critics/Audience 62%/88%
- TRANSFORMERS (7/2/2007) – Live Action – Opening Domestic $70.5M, Total Domestic $319.2M, Total Worldwide $709.7M, Budget $150M, RT Critics/Audience 57%/85%
- TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (6/24/2009) – Live Action – Opening Domestic $109.9M, Total Domestic $402.1M, Total Worldwide $836.3M, Budget $200M, RT Critics/Audience 20%/57%
- TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (6/29/2011) – Live Action – Opening Domestic $97.8M, Total Domestic $352.4M, Total Worldwide $1.123B, Budget $195M, RT Critics/Audience 35%/55%
- TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (6/27/2014) – Live Action – Opening Domestic $100.0M, Total Domestic $245.4M, Total Worldwide $1.104B, Budget $210M, RT Critics/Audience 18%/50%
- TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT – 6/21/2017 – Live Action – Opening Domestic $44.7M, Total Domestic $130.2M, Total Worldwide $605.4M, Budget $217M, RT Critics/Audience 16%/43%
- BUMBLEBEE (12/21/2018) – Live Action – Opening Domestic $21.7M, Total Domestic $127.2M, Total Worldwide $468.0M, Budget $135M, RT Critics/Audience 90%/75%
- TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS (6/9/2023) – Live Action – Opening Domestic $61.4M, Total Domestic $157.1M, Total Worldwide $439.0M, Budget $195M, RT Critics/Audience 51%/91%
- TRANSFORMERS ONE (9/20/2024) – Animation – Opening Domestic $25.0M, Budget $75M, RT Critics/Audience 89%/98%
With TRANSFORMERS ONE, Paramount has returned to the animation roots of the series. The movie was directed by Josh Cooley (TOY STORY 4) and features an all-star cast of voice actors including Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburn, and Jon Hamm. The story focuses on the early relationship of the characters Optimus Prime and Megatron and how they changed the fate of the Transformer’s home planet Cybertron.
Critics have judged most of the earlier movies harshly but they have given this chapter a positive 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience is even more enthralled, handing out a stellar 98% score. After investing only $75M to make the movie, it needs to earn $188M in worldwide ticket sales to reach profitability. Despite its lower-than-expected $25.0M domestic opening, it’s worth remembering that the international grosses for earlier Transformers movies have been three to four times higher than the domestic totals. Paramount is counting on this to carry the film and should also be encouraged by positive reviews from both critics and audiences.
Universal and Blumhouse’s SPEAK NO EVIL finished in third in its second weekend by earning $5.9M, a decline of 48% from last week’s opening totals. After 10 days, this horror film has made $21.5M domestically and $33.3M worldwide. The modest drop from the first to the second weekend is encouraging, especially because it had to beat out direct competition from NEVER LET GO, a new horror movie that also opened this weekend. With a tight production budget of $15M, its studio backers are already assured of making a profit.
Lionsgate’s NEVER LET GO claimed fourth place by earning $4.5M. This was the fifth horror movie to be released in the past five weeks, which may be weighing down results. This film is directed by Alexander Aja (THE CRAWL) and relies on lead Halle Berry for its audience. The story revolves around a mother and her twin sons who have been tormented for years by a malicious spirit, driving them to hide out in a remote area. The mother is so concerned that she ties a rope to her sons so they can only wander away from her so far.
When one of the boys challenges this restriction, evil reveals itself. Reviewers have panned the picture with a 65% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences have given it an even lower 53% rating. With a production budget of $20M, the film will need to earn $50M in the worldwide box office to be profitable, and after its disappointing opening, this now seems out of reach.
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE came in fifth place with $3.9M, a skinny decline of 25% in its ninth weekend. While this will most likely be the last time that it finishes in the top five, D&W has enjoyed a remarkable 59-day run, earning $627.3M domestic and $1.315B worldwide. Among all films this year, it is only second to Pixar’s INSIDE OUT 2, which has earned slightly more with $652.7M to date.
D&W has a chance to pass BARBIE, last year’s top-grossing movie which wound up earning $636.2M domestic. Whether or not it gets there, the superheroes’ impact on the 2024 summer box office is undeniable, with results above and beyond all pre-release expectations.
Where Are We as of 9/19/24
After 37 weeks, the 2024 year-to-date box office has climbed to 87% of 2023 totals and 74% of 2019 totals at this same point in the year.