‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ review: Another annoying robo-flop

Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts, released in UK cinemas last week, features an extended action sequence on Machu Picchu – and in an exclusive interview with NME, the cast revealed the strict guidelines they had to follow during filming on the sacred Inca mountain ridge.In the sixth film in the franchise, which is based on the successful Hasbro toy line of fighting robot aliens, Dominique Fishback (Swarm) and Anthony Ramos (In The Heights) play humans caught up in a war for space supremacy between the Autobots and their evil enemies the Terrorcons. The movie switches location half-way through to Machu Picchu, Peru, where production on the historic religious site dating back to the 1450s is closely controlled.“You definitely couldn’t eat or drink or anything on the mountain,” said Fishback. “And you had to hike back down in order to use the bathroom or anything.

EXCLUSIVE: After the Transformers was gearing down, filmmaker Steven Caple Jr. was able to put gas back into the tank of the storied Paramount Hasbro movie franchise with Rise of the Beasts this weekend which opened to $171M worldwide, stealing the crown from Sony Animation’s strong Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. On today’s episode of Crew Call, Caple Jr. tells us he’s in talks for another Transformers sequel — and much of that involves that cliffhanger scene between Anthony Ramos and Michael Kelly.

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” stormed into theatres worldwide this weekend, amassing a staggering $110 million at the international box office. 

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” kicked off at the international box office with $110 million from 68 markets, including a decent $40 million start in China. The seventh installment in Paramount’s action franchise also pulled in $60 million in its North American debut, bringing its worldwide tally to a solid $170 million. Overseas audiences will be key to the theatrical success of “Transformers,” which cost $200 million. Prior entries in the 16-year-old series have earned as much as 70% of overall box office returns outside of the U.S. and Canada. At the international box office, ticket sales for “Rise of the Beasts” are pacing 32% below “Bumblebee,” which is the most recent entry in the series. The newest chapter has managed to set franchise records in eight smaller markets, including Indonesia, Argentina and Peru. The Autobots will take the box office milestones where they can get them.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Spider-Man put up a good fight, but the Autobots came out on top. After an unusually close box office battle, Paramount’s “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” pulled ahead of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” debuting in first place to $60.5 million from 3,678 theaters. Sony’s animated “Spider-Verse sequel still managed a mighty second weekend, landing in second place with $55.4 million from 4,332 theaters. Initial ticket sales for “Rise of the Beasts,” which is the seventh installment in the “Transformers” franchise,” were notably better than the prior two entries, 2018’s “Bumblebee” ($21.6 million) and 2017’s “The Last Knight” ($44.68 million). It’s an encouraging sign that Paramount’s action series isn’t yet running on fumes. That’s been a concern because the more recent chapters brought back diminishing returns after softer starts. Reviews for “Rise of the Beasts” were mixed, but audiences embraced the film with an “A-” CinemaScore.

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.

Jordan Moreau SPOILER ALERT: This contains major spoilers about the ending of “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” now playing in theaters. Is this the beginning of the Hasbro Cinematic Universe? After rumors of a crossover between the “Transformers” and “G.I. Joe” franchises circulated online in recent months, it seems like the ultimate ’80s action-toy mash-up is officially happening. The ending of “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” has a direct callout to the Joes, and director Steven Caple Jr. and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura spoke to Variety at the film’s premiere about what to expect next from the series.

Jordan Moreau The Autobots are rolling out once again at the box office. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” picked up $8.8 million at the domestic box office in Thursday previews. It’s revving up to battle last week’s No. 1 movie, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” in its opening weekend. Paramount’s “Rise of the Beasts” is looking to bring in $50 million to $60 million this weekend, but its box office wheels may get caught in the web of “Across the Spider-Verse,” which is aiming for $45 million to $55 million in its sophomore outing. Last week, Sony’s Spidey sequel opened with a massive $120 million.

Anji White is a series regular in Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ limited series Ironheart Deadline has learned.

McKinley Franklin editor Netflix has released the official trailer for Season 3 of “The Witcher,” starring Henry Cavill as the monster-slaying Geralt of Rivia. The five-episode Volume 1 will release globally on June 29, with Volume 2 set for July 27. Along with Cavill, “The Witcher” stars Freya Allen as Ciri and Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg. Joey Batey, Mimi Ndiweni, Eamon Farren, MyAnna Buring, Wilson Mbomio and Tom Canton are also set to return in Season 3. “As monarchs, mages and beasts of the Continent compete to capture her, Geralt takes Ciri of Cintra into hiding, determined to protect his newly reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it,” reads Netflix’s plot summary of Season 3. “Entrusted with Ciri’s magical training, Yennefer leads them to the protected fortress of Aretuza, where she hopes to discover more about the girl’s untapped powers; instead, they discover they’ve landed in a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic and treachery. They must fight back, put everything on the line — or risk losing each other forever.”

Anthony Ramos hit the red carpet in a cool pink suit for the latest premiere of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts!

Actor Anthony Ramos has been planning for this next move for quite some time. With parts in films like “In The Heights” and the popular musical “Hamilton,” he’s poised to be more than simply a Latino action star, but an action star imbued with a little Brooklyn and Puerto Rican flavor, as he demonstrates in “Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts.” It is his second leading part but his first in such a large-scale franchise.

Transformers are on the rise once again.This time, however, the Autobots and Decepticons aren’t the only ones battling it out on Earth. Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts introduces not just one, but three new factions to the fray, with the Maximals, Terrorcons, and Predacons all joining the fight for this 1994-set prequel.The film, which will be released in cinemas on June 9, features an all-star voice cast, including Ron Perlman as Maximals leader Optimus Primal, Pete Davidson as the Autobot Mirage, and Peter Dinklage as the Terrorcon leader Scourge.Michelle Yeoh, Liza Koshy, Cristo Fernández, John DiMaggio, David Sobolov and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez all lend their voices to various Transformers as well.As for Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots will once again be brought to life by a legendary voice.The franchise’s most iconic character has been voiced by Peter Cullen since the classic 1980s cartoon series, and he reprises the role once again for Rise Of The Beasts.In a recent featurette for the film, Cullen shared his experience of voicing Prime for the very first time.“I was living with my brother Larry, who was a Marine,” he said.

Summer’s tentpole rumble continues this weekend with Paramount’s seventh Transformers movie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which is heat-seeking $155 million at the worldwide box office for its opening frame, $100M of that offshore.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic The departure of CNN’s Chris Licht, following his turbulent year atop the cable news network, places a pause on one of the great media stories of the decade so far. But even non-media-junkies can appreciate just how strange and how strenuously rocking had been Licht’s time at the network: It played out across screens. The trouble with being the place that invented the 24-hour news cycle is that those hours can come back to bite when you’re the story. There it was in politics, when Donald Trump’s “Town Hall,” with purported rising star Kaitlan Collins, gear-shifted into the first televised rally of the 2024 presidential cycle — with CNN’s air being used to depict an audience of Trump supporters cheering on his jibes. (No less an eminence than Christiane Amanpour, a CNN icon, registered her dissent in public.) There it was on the business pages, with Licht’s overseeing the dismantling of streaming product CNN+, on orders from Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav, setting the tone for his tenure. There it was at the Oscars, when Michelle Yeoh used her best actress acceptance speech to rebuke anchor Don Lemon’s bizarre on-air comments about a woman’s “prime” years. There it was in the gossip pages, after a Variety story about Lemon’s comportment toward his female co-anchors on the network’s flagship morning show, and then his ouster, leaked into the tabloids, and never seemed to be countered by any good news about the network. And, finally, there it was at length, with an all-access profile by the Atlantic’s Tim Alberta revealing Licht’s contempt for predecessor Jeff Zucker and the depths of his disdain for and, frankly, confusion about CNN’s mission.

With just four days until “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” hits theatres, Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback chat about filming the franchise’s seventh instalment, plus Ramos reveals what it was like to suit up in his own autobot costume.

EXCLUSIVE: Norwegian actor Rune Temte (Time Bandits) has signed with Artist International Group for management.

Peter Dinklage is more than familiar with the lands of Westeros and the political machinations of George R.R. Martin's fantasy universe — even if he hasn't gotten a chance to catch HBO's hit prequel series.Dinklage recently sat down with ET's Will Marfuggi, while promoting his new blockbuster epic, , and he opened up about taking some time before checking out .«I haven't seen it yet,» Dinklage shared, quickly adding that it has nothing to do with not wanting to see it, or having any negative feelings toward the show, but simply needing «a dragon break» after eight seasons of starring on «I just did that show for a really long time,» Dinklage explained, «And I watched some other stuff.

A cold open introducing how a Transformer ends up on earth. An extended introduction to a nifty, somewhat nerdy girl into gizmos and gadgets.

Anthony Ramos, the In the Heights star who’ll soon be seen on the big screen in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, revealed in a podcast today that he’s signed on to star as Mozart in a Broadway revival of Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play Amadeus.

In the world of action cinema, the Transformers series has always been a cinematic spectacle to behold. Transformers: Rise of the Beast, the latest in this high-octane franchise, doesn’t stand out amongst the previous films as anything more than a cash grab. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and written by a team that includes Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, and Josh Peters, the film boasts a stacked cast including Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, and Lauren Luna Velez, with voice acting by Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage, Peter Cullen, Ron Pearlman, Coleman Domingo, Pete Davidson, Liza Koshy, MJ Rodriguez, John DiMaggio, and Cristo Fernandez.