Months back, we knew that December 21 was a day that box office nerds (like myself) need to mark on the calendars. That’s the week that “Bumblebee,” “Aquaman,” “Welcome to Marwen” and “Mary Poppins Returns” all make their weekend debuts. Add to that the fact that the week before sees the debuts of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “Mortal Engines,” and you’re set up for an unprecedented box office deathmatch. And now, we’re starting to see films like “Aquaman” and “Bumblebee” attempt to outsmart each other, to become the victor.
Earlier this week, it was announced that “Aquaman” was going to get a leg up on the rest of the late-December films by premiering a full week early, in 1,000 screens, for Amazon Prime members. Not only was this a chance to promote the film a little early, but also to hopefully stoke word of mouth before the film’s massive debut. So, how does “Bumblebee” compete with that? Well, beat “Aquaman” to the proverbial punch and debut two weeks earlier.
That’s right, according to a report on Deadline, “Bumblebee” is now prepping for a special one-night screening event nationwide on December 8. Much like the “Aquaman” early screenings, Paramount is hoping that “Bumblebee” will earn strong word of mouth for two full weeks before the December 21 street date. And also like “Aquaman,” “Bumblebee” is trying to shake off a bit of franchise fatigue in the process.
READ MORE: ‘Aquaman’ Ticket Presales Are Outpacing ‘Venom’ But It Doesn’t Mean A Damn Thing
“Bumblebee” is the prequel to the popular “Transformers” series of films. However, with the last film, “Transformers: The Last Knight,” the franchise seemed to be on its last legs, turning in relatively low totals at the box office. Now, with a new filmmaker at the helm, a seemingly lighter, more fun story, and a new star (Hailee Steinfeld), “Bumblebee” wants to prove that the “Transformers” series still has life. And thus, early screenings.
The big question still remains — will all this actually work? Will people show up for early screenings of “Aquaman” and “Bumblebee?” And if so, will the plans backfire, with negative word of mouth? Clearly, both Warner Bros. and Paramount have faith in their respective films, so perhaps these early screenings are a genius move.
That being said, December 21 is still going to be a bloodbath. Should be fun.