Chinese Box Office: ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Flexes with $40 Million Start

Chinese viewers constant love for the Transformers franchise was on full display over the weekend as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts opened to $40 million, the second-biggest start for a Hollywood film in the country this year.

Paramount’s new film, the seventh in Transformers series, he achieved solid social scores – 9.1 over Douban, 9.1 over Maoyan and 6.3 over Douban – setting him up for a respectable career. Current screenings in China see the film ending up with an estimated $85 million.

by Sony Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was pushed into second place and added $8.9 million in its second frame, according to data from Artisan Gateway. The film’s total in China is $34.1, with Maoyan expecting a final total of just over $45 million.

By Universal Fast X, which holds the crown for Hollywood’s biggest opening in China in 2023 ($51.1 million), added $3.4 million. After four weeks in theaters, the film grossed $131.8 million.

Both The rise of the beasts AND Fast X they’ve done very well for the current curtailed release environment for US films in China, but their earnings are meager compared to those generated by their franchises’ previous installments. The fate of the furious earned $392 million in China in 2017 and the Transformers spin-off Bumblebee grossed $171 million in 2019. Analysts in China say moviegoers have become much more discerning in recent years and US tentpoles need to bring something truly sensational to bring local audiences to theaters en masse, rather than just a “pretty good” franchise followed.

Chinese street comedy Godspeed, in theaters for 45 days, took fourth place in China over the weekend with $3.1 million, bringing the total to $157.6 million. It’s a re-release of Studio Ghibli’s classic anime Castles in the air rounded out the top five with a weekend haul of $2.5 million. The film has grossed $15.5 million in China to date, more than 35 years after its original international release.

Warner Bros.’ The flash and Disney/Pixar Elementary opened in China on Friday.

At the US domestic box office, The rise of the beasts opened to a promising $60.5 million. It also did sizable business in other international markets, earning $110 million offshore for a first global roar of $170.5 million