"Transformers" sequels are like bad guys in most movies: You know they're coming, but you are powerless to stop them.
Easily taking the No. 1 spot this week is "Transformers: The Last Knight," bringing in an estimated $45 million in its first week out. This is the fifth film in the "Transformers" franchise and the lowest domestic debut for the series.
It's even lower than Shia Labeouf's first time out, which brought in over $70 million in 2007.
But in all honesty, the franchise's bread and butter isn't here in the states. Since the beginning, the "Transformers" films have brought in more money from the foreign box office than from U.S. theaters.
For example, with "Transformers: Age of Extinction" — you know, the one that has Optimus Prime battling it out with a dinosaur — the film's foreign box office total was triple what Michael Bay and company made here in the U.S. China's box office specifically accounted for $320 million.
And this latest "Transformers" film seems to be following suit. "Transformers 5" made $123 million in China in its first week.
As for the movie itself ... well, I don't think Michael Bay reads reviews.
"You know it's summer because there's a big dumb Michael Bay movie," Christy Lemire said on "What the Flick?!"
"It's just like blaghhhh," Alonso Duralde said.
"The alleged snappy banter is so numbing," Lemire said.
The "Transformers" franchise has never had a certified fresh film on Rotten Tomatoes despite the fact the series has managed more than $3.8 billion over 10 years. Point being: This isn't going to stop — Paramount Pictures has two more sequels scheduled to premiere before 2020.
And "Wonder Woman" continues to put "The Man of Steel" and the rest of DC to shame with another wonderful weekend at the box office, earning an estimated $25 million domestically in its fourth week out.
Aside from the critical accolades, director Patty Jenkins is now also a box office record-holder. "Wonder Woman" is the highest-grossing live-action movie directed by a woman ever, passing up "Mamma Mia" from 2008.
And at No. 3 is "Cars 3," bringing in about $25 million in its sophomore weekend.
As for next week, all I know about "Baby Driver" is it has 100 percent on the Tomatometer, and Jamie Foxx is in it. And that's enough for me.
