Spearheading a brand new trilogy and making a further departure from the Michael Bay era of Transformers films might not be enough to rocket Rise of the Beasts to its box office ambitions.
Per Box Office Pro, the Bumblebee sequel looks set to gross anywhere from $61 million to $90 million at the domestic box office, and while it has quite a bit going for it – including its tackling of a fan-favorite storyline and high expectations for its international pull – it’s still set to not only go up against some absolute juggernauts, but also feel the effects of being the seventh entry in a blockbuster franchise that was never much of a stranger to life support.
Indeed, 2018’s Bumblebee, the sixth and most recent chapter in the franchise at the time of writing, took just 32 percent of the money made by the franchise’s monetary peak in 2009’s Revenge of the Fallen (a tragedy in several parts, considering the inverse gulf in quality between the two), and one has to wonder if the audience is even there anymore.
Realistically, the answer is yes, but that brings us to Rise of the Beasts‘ other hurdle, or hurdles, plural; the release falls right between Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June 2) and The Flash (June 16), both of which are expected to not only make mincemeat of the box office, but also happen to overlap with Rise of the Beasts’ target audience.
In any case, it looks like it’s going to be an uphill battle for Optimus Prime and company, and even if Miles Morales and Barry Allen prove to be a bit too powerful, here’s hoping that Rise of the Beasts can nevertheless assist Bumblebee in breathing some life back into the franchise from a critical point of view.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will release to theaters on June 9.