'TMNT: Mutant Mayhem' Global Box Office Slices Out Impressive Debut

Jeff Rowe directed the new animated film, set to breathe new life into the franchise.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem has finally been released in theaters, and its debut at the worldwide box office brings in a comfortable total against its modest budget. The animated project grossed around $51 million from movie theaters across the planet, giving a solid advantage as the summer movie season approaches its conclusion. $43 million out of that total came from the United States and Canada alone — though the animated feature has only opened in 30% of planned international territories. After plenty of attempts to establish a live-action franchise with the intellectual property, Paramount is looking to make younger audiences fall in love with the classic characters through an animated installment, as the team tries to prevent evil mutants from taking over the planet.

In Mutant Mayhem, the turtles are living their best lives, eating the best pizza in New York City, and trying to prevent crime from happening before it even begins. But even with all the teachings Splinter (Jackie Chan) has tried to give them over the course of their lives, nothing could've prepared them for the revolution that would be organized right outside their door. Superfly, the main antagonist of the story voiced by Ice Cube, is tired of the way humans have treated mutants. His ideology leads him to believe that the only way to solve the problem is by making the mutants take control of society, setting the stage for the main battles of the film.

Another win for the animated feature is its impressive, and extensive, voice cast bringing the characters of Mutant Mayhem to life. Some of the most iconic characters from the franchise, Bebop and Rocksteady, were portrayed by Seth Rogen and John Cena, respectively, while The Bear's Ayo Edebiri brought to life April O'Neil. On the other hand, the turtles themselves had four young actors behind them, bringing authenticity to the Teenage in TMNT. The journey of these versions of Raphael (Brady Noon), Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), and Michaelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) has just begun.

By comparison, the last time Paramount tried to bring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the big screen saw different results at the box office. While the 2014 live-action version that featured Megan Fox as April O'Neil scored $65.5 million at the domestic box office on its opening weekend, its sequel, Out of the Shadows, couldn't obtain such strong results, only grossing $35.3 million on its debut. The sequel's performance at the box office convinced the studio that perhaps it was time for a different approach. And with a moderate budget and not a lot of competition on the horizon, Mutant Mayhem has a big chance for success.

You can check out Collider's interview with Jeff Rowe, the filmmaker behind Mutant Mayhem, below:

Diego Peralta is a Senior News Writer and a Features Writer for Collider. He has also written for several other outlets, including BuzzFeed News. When he's not watching 'The Last Jedi' again, he's looking for the best burger in town and the next movie that will become a fixation for him.