The DreamWorks/Paramount live-action/CG treatment of the ’80s cartoon sensation Transformers enjoyed the biggest Tuesday in cinema history with an estimated $27.4 million opening haul, beating previous record holder Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, which made nearly $16 million on a Tuesday last July. A number of advance Monday-night Transformers screenings collected close to $9 million, and the wheels kept rolling on Independence Day as the pic raked in another $27.9 million on Wednesday.
The unconventional Tuesday debut ranked at No. 20 on the list of top openings. A Friday bow would have brought in bigger numbers, but DreamWorks and Paramount obviously banked on a big holiday week to build to an even bigger weekend. To date, the CG-laden actioner has grossed approximately $64 million domestically and has crossed the $100 million mark worldwide.
The pic will continue to contend with Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille and 20th Century Fox’s Live Free or Die Hard, which have both been strong performers. Ratatouille earned an estimated $25.5 million over the past three days, providing the best weekday grosses for a Pixar film to date. Wednesday, July 11, will bring another major competitor to the mix when Warner Bros. releases the eagerly awaited Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
