Box Office: ‘Transformers One’ Makes $3.4 Million in Previews

There’s more than meets the eye at the box office this weekend.

Paramount and Hasbro Entertainment’s “Transformers One,” the franchise’s first fully animated film since 1986, has made $3.36 million in Thursday previews at the box office.

The family-friendly film, directed by Josh Cooley (“Toy Story 4”), is expected to make between $30 million and $40 million in its opening weekend, enough to take down Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and claim the box office crown. Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” sequel, another follow-up to a beloved ’80s film, has been the top movie for the past two weeks and is on track to add $25 million in its third weekend.

With a $75 million budget, “Transformers One” should be able to roll out to a profit thanks to its positive reviews and well-received new take on the fan-favorite IP. Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry star in the film as younger versions of Optimus Prime and Megatron, before they became sworn enemies and the leaders of the Autobots and Decepticons. In this prequel and reboot of the “Transformers” world, the two are known as Orion Pax (Hemsworth) and D-16 (Henry), miners on their robotic home world of Cybertron. They’re joined by Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson) and B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key), later known as the popular hero Bumblebee. The cast also includes Steve Buscemi as Starscream, Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime and more.

Also opening this weekend is Lionsgate’s “Never Let Go,” a survival thriller starring Halle Berry. It’s aiming for $4 million to $6 million in its debut and made $360,000 in previews.