Will Optimus Prime and Megatron be able to scare the ghost as hard as possible?
Paramount is targeting an opening weekend for the animated “Transformers 1,” which tells an original story about the feud between the Autobots and Decepticons. Based on those projections, the film could easily top the two-time winner “Beetlejuice.” The Warner Bros. horror film is looking to add about $25 million in its third weekend. “Beetlejuice 2” has grossed $188 million domestically and $264 million worldwide so far.
Directed by Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley, the $75 million Transformers One stars Chris Hemsworth (as Optimus Prime), Brian Tyree Henry (as Megatron), Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm. It is the first animated film in the series to hit theaters since 1986's The Transformers: The Movie. The film was a box office disappointment, though its fan rating has improved over the years. Transformers One received mostly positive reviews, with a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Varieties Todd Gilchrist described the film as “a fun, refreshing, and sophisticated retelling of the events that made enemies between Optimus Prime and Megatron.”
Among the new films opening this week is Lionsgate’s “Never Let Go,” a thriller starring Halle Berry. The film is expected to make $4 million to $6 million from 2,600 theaters in its opening weekend. If those estimates hold true, “Never Let Go” will be the latest single-digit opening for Lionsgate after last weekend’s crime thriller “The Killer’s Game,” which failed to make $2.6 million in its opening weekend.
Alexandre Aja’s “Piranha 3D” tells the story of a mother and her twin sons who are tormented by an evil spirit. When one of her sons begins to suspect the presence of the evil spirit, the family bond is shattered and it’s each member for themselves. Reviews have been mixed, with Varieties “Although all of his clever ideas don't come together efficiently in the end,” writes Courtney Howard, “his thematic meditations on grief, reason, rebellion, and redemption are intrinsically interwoven with apocalyptic, claustrophobic effect, heightening the hallucinatory terror and atmospheric, horror-filled appeal.”
