‘Transformers,’ ‘Zoey 102’ Fuel Big Streaming Week for Paramount+ | Chart

Two completely different movies just spurred a huge streaming weekend for Paramount+.

The first thing to know: “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” was the most-streamed movie in the U.S. last weekend, according to Whip Media’s weekly movie ranker. Whip Media’s ranker is based on viewership data from TV Time, its TV and movie tracking app with more than 26 million global registered users.

“Beasts” took the top spot immediately after making its Paramount+ debut on July 25. But its streaming success wasn’t necessarily a sure thing.

The new “Transformers” movie, directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, pulled in about $430 million at the box office. That’s a lot of money, to be sure, but it’s also the smallest amount made out of any of the franchise’s seven installments. Its finish atop Whip Media’s ranker marked the first time since early June that Paramount+ had the most-streamed movie in the U.S.

The service also grabbed the silver medal for the week, thanks to “Zoey 102.” The new rom-com is a spin-off of the popular ‘00s Nickelodeon series “Zoey 101” and once again stars Jamie Lynn Spears as Zoey Brooks, who’s now a TV producer in her early 30s.

When her best friend asks her to be the maid of honor at her wedding — which also happens to coincide with the season finale of the big reality show she works on — Zoey is forced to confront her former flame Chase (Sean Flynn), who is also a member of the wedding party. Hilarity and romance ensue — and “Zoey” fans were clearly intrigued, considering the movie was the second most-streamed flick of the week.

The big weekend for Paramount+ comes right before its parent company is set to report earnings Monday. Back in May, Paramount reported its linchpin streaming service had 60 million subscribers at the end of March. The streamer, which used to mostly draw viewers for series, has been steadily building its movie library to broaden its appeal.

From there, the weekly ranker was dominated by Netflix, which grabbed six of the top 10 spots. The best performer for Netflix last weekend was “They Cloned Tyrone,” the new sci-fi film starring John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx as an unlikely trio who stumble onto a shady government conspiracy. Boyega, who played multiple roles for the first time in his career, recently said the movie allowed him to get into his “serious Eddie Murphy bag” — something he enjoyed quite a bit.

Apple TV+ also cracked the top 10 thanks to “The Beanie Bubble,” its new movie looking at the Beanie Babies fluffy toy craze of the late ’90s. The comedy is based on writer Zac Bissonnette’s book on the topic and stars Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks and Geraldine Viswanathan, as well as Sarah Snook fresh off her run on “Succession.” The movie, which landed in the seventh spot for the week, comes as Apple looks to keep its recent streaming momentum rolling along.

Disney+ landed the eighth spot on the ranker with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which has been a consistent performer since it hit the service in May. Looking ahead, Disney+ may enjoy a superhero boost similar to Paramount+ next week, after “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” makes its streaming debut on August 3.

Sean Burch is a marketing insights analyst at Whip Media, a WrapPRO partner. Click here for more from Whip Media.

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