Box Office: ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Rolls Out With $25 Million Opening Day, ‘Spider-Verse’ Contends for No. 1

variety.com:

J. Kim Murphy The summer season has its first genuine battle for top of the heap, as “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” looks to fend off last week’s top release “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” “Rise of the Beasts” put its foot on the gas with $25 million on its opening day, a figure that includes $8.8 million in Thursday previews.

The film is projected to land near a $60 million opening through the three-day frame, which would land at the higher end of estimates heading into the weekend.

Once a box office juggernaut, Paramount has attempted to reengineer the “Transformers” franchise for future longevity. The first three entries, directed by Michael Bay, each crossed $300 million in North American grosses, while threequel “Dark of the Moon” and its follow-up “Age of Extinction” both surpassed $1 billion worldwide.

But Bay’s final production, 2017’s “Transformers: The Last Knight,” saw diminished returns, finishing with $130 million stateside and $605 million worldwide — almost half of the $1.1 billion in ticket sales earned by “Age of Extinction.” Paramount released the spinoff “Bumblebee” in 2018, produced on a comparatively smaller budget and met with $467 million worldwide. “Rise of the Beasts” is now expected to land a better opening than the $44 million earned by “The Last Knight” in its debut.