Paramount reported this morning that Transformers: Rise of the Beasts scored $8.8 million from domestic previews over Wednesday and Thursday combined, with Thursday showings alone generating $7.6 million.
Given the double viewing night, the comparisons are inaccurate, but only with Thursday’s earnings Rise of the Beasts exceeded X quickly$7.5 million in Thursday previews last month and Transformers: The Last Knight$5.5 million in summer 2017.
Long-term forecasts improved steadily until Animals‘ release, while the bullish pursuit of the industry found a balance point. Before this weekend, Paramount Pictures was expecting a debut in the $50 million range; our final forecasts predict a similar performance.
The big question – and the one that remains unanswered for now – is how far Rise of the Beasts may or may not be. With summer days and fan attendance at the game, weekend reports are likely to be lower than X quickly despite the latter film — which opened to $67 million — likely having a stronger opening weekend overall.
More updates will follow over the weekend.
