A $200 Million Sci-Fi Bomb That Killed a Blockbuster Franchise Is Leaving Netflix

The once-indomitable Transformers franchise is stuck, neither here nor there, following the critical and commercial underperformance of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The movie bullishly teased a crossover with the similarly troubled G.I. Joe series, which remains in limbo as well. Rise of the Beasts was released theatrically in 2024, and emerged as the lowest-grossing installment of the franchise, which began in 2007 with Michael Bay‘s millennial classic, Transformers. Unlike its immediate predecessor, the well-received Bumblebee, Rise of the Beasts was given a standard tent pole budget which didn’t exactly translate into critical appreciation. The movie is currently available on Netflix, but not for much longer, as it’s set to leave the streaming platform soon.

Produced on a reported budget of $200 million — Bumblebee reportedly cost around half as much — Rise of the Beastsconcluded its run with $440 million at the worldwide box office. By comparison, Bay’s last film in the series, the critically reviled Transformers: The Last Knight, made over $600 million globally, against a reported budget of $260 million. It was clear that the franchise’s heyday, during which two installments cracked the coveted $1 billion mark, was over. Starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, Rise of the Beasts didn’t even excite critics like Bumblebee had some years prior. It’s now sitting at a 51% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Thanks to some genuine human drama between the set pieces and palpable affection for the title characters, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is one of the franchise’s more enjoyable outings.”

The Theatrical Landscape Has Changed Massively in the Last Five Years

If there’s one silver lining that the newly restructured Paramount can count on, it’s the film’s “verified hot” 91% audience score on RT, with a consensus that reads, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts takes the series in a new direction without skimping on the action that fans will be looking for.” It suggests that the series still has a loyal following, even if general audiences might be largely moved on. But this problem isn’t unique to the Transformers franchise; something similar is happening in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well. There’s probably no coincidence that the average global box office haul for the last few MCU movies has also been in the $450 million range.

You have until February 25 to watch Rise of the Beasts on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.