Transformers One Is Attacking The Box Office

By Matthew Swigonski | Published

In 1986, the animated film The Transformers: The Movie hit theaters looking to capitalize on the success of the famous toy line, but found nothing but struggles. That original movie managed to earn just under $6 million throughout its theatrical run, becoming the 99th highest-grossing film of the year. Nearly 40 years later, Transformers One appears to be ready to go from zero to 60.

Transformers One At The Box Office

Transformers One is attacking the box office for a projected $30 to $40 million opening weekend when it is released on September 20. With a stacked cast and a dedicated following of Transformers fans, the new animated film is ready to learn from the failures of its predecessor.

Transformers One Taking The Crown

Produced by Paramount Animation and Hasbro Entertainment, Transformers One will look to overtake Tim Burton’s Bettlejuice Beetlejuice, which has remained at the top of the box office for the past two weeks.

In its opening weekend, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice took home over $111 million before taking a scary tumble in its second week, slicing its box office haul in half.

According to box office projections, Transformers One may easily take the box office crown with an over-achieving opening weekend that could see the potential to earn more than $40 million for the animated film.

A Big Year At The Theater

As a whole, the domestic box office has seen an upward trend since the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on movie theaters and severely impacted the entire film industry.

However, the domestic box office in 2024 has been somewhat of a down year compared to 2023, which saw nearly $9 billion in ticket sales, anchored by the massive success of Barbie.

But with the financial success of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and positive projections for Transformers One box office performance, the year could end on a high note for the domestic box office.

A Transformers Prequel

transformers one

With a budget of $75 million, Transformers One will hope to not only lead the charge at the box office revival, but come out on top as one of the highest-grossing films of 2024.

The animated film is directed by director Josh Cooley, who has directed films such as Toy Story 4 and the short Riley’s First Date?, which features characters from Inside Out.

Screenwriters Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari wrote the Transformers prequel, which is based on a story by Barrer and Ferrari. 

Optimus Prime Origin Story

Transformers One tells the origin story of Optimus Prime (voiced by Chris Hemsworth) and Megatron (voiced by Bryan Tyree Henry), who were once close friends before becoming sworn enemies and leaders of their respective factions.

The film will follow the two on the planet of Cybertron, where they each work in the city of Iacon as miners until they each reach a crossroads in their lives.

As they learn about Cybertron’s shady and corrupt inner workings, Optimus Prime and Megatron must choose a side and fight for what they believe in.

All-Star Cast

Alongside Hemsworth and Henry in the ensemble cast are Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm. Transformers One currently holds a critic score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, paving the way for what should be a smooth ride at the box office.

Source: Variety