Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is currently leading its opening weekend at the box office, though Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which won last weekend, is close behind. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is on track for an opening weekend total of $60 million, building on the $25 million it earned on Friday alone. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse earned $16.5 million on its second Friday, heading toward a second-weekend total of $55.88 million. This is all despite Transformers: Rise of the Beasts having a rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes while Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has found nearly universal acclaim.
ComicBook.com's Liam Crowley gave Transformers: Rise of the Beasts a strong 4-out-of-5 review score. In his review, he writes, "Transformers has always been about spectacle, and Rise of the Beasts delivers on all accounts. The action is pulse-pounding. The relationships are heartfelt. The threat is palpable and, most importantly, it leaves the franchise in the most intriguing position it has been in in years. The summer movie season has been in full throttle for just over a month, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts sends that popcorn blockbuster momentum into full gear."
ComicBook.com's Kofi Outlaw awarded Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse a score of 4.5-out-of-5 in his review. He writes:
"[T]he scope and ambition of this larger Spider-Verse story – plus the clear indication that it could very well stick the landing (and then some) in Beyond the Spider-Verse – also makes it hard to criticize Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse too extensively. After all, the biggest drawback to the film is having to manage the eagerness to get to the next one. In a world where franchise universes rule, that's still a big win."
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which premieres on June 9th, is the seventh movie in the live-action Transformers franchise. Inspired by the fan-favorite reboot of the series, the iconic Beast Wars, the movie is a globetrotting adventure set in the 1990s complete with an era-specific soundtrack. Peter Cullen returns to voice Optimus Prime in the new movie, appearing alongside other Autobots and Decepticons including Bumblebee and Pete Davidson as Mirage. Other factions from the Transformers franchise like the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons will also appear, with Ron Perlman set to voice the gorilla-inspired Optimus Primal. Directed by Creed II's Steven Caple Jr. the film stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback on the human side with Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh voicing the Maximal Airazor.
Miles Morales returns to the big screen with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse now playing in theaters after premiering on June 2nd. Miles (Shamiek Moore) reunites with fellow heroes Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) for another web-swinging adventure through the multiverse, finding himself at odds with the Spider-Society led by Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). Other new heroes include Spider-Woman Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), and Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni), while new villain the Spot (Jason Schwartzman) also enters the fray. The sequel to Sony Pictures' hit 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, and written by the team of Chris Miller, Phil Lord, and Dave Callaham.
A full list of the top 10 films at the box office this weekend is in the works.