DreamWorks/Paramount’s Transformers met the eye over the weekend, a lot of eyes in fact. Moviegoers in North America shelled out an estimated $67 million to see vehicles turning into CG robots, driving the movie’s first-week domestic take to approximately $152.5 million. It has also been a hot ticket overseas, with around $96 million in foreign receipts contributing to a worldwide gross of roughly $246 million.
Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille may be overshadowed by Optimus Prime, but is a strong performer, nonetheless. The animated family film cooked up a respectable $29 million (est.) stateside over the weekend to bring its two-week total to around $109 million. Unlike Transformers, which hit a number of foreign territories before opening in the U.S., Ratatouille is gradually rolling out overseas and has brought in close to $6 million from a select number of foreign venues. Worldwide gross for director Brad Bird’s latest stands at roughly $115.3 million. Given its Paris setting, the film is expected to do well in France, but may have problems elsewhere as comedy typically doesn’t translate as well as vfx-laden action.
Live Free or Die Hard from 20 Century Fox is beginning to cool off but managed just over $17 million in its second week for a third-place finish. Domestic gross stands somewhere around $84 million, with overseas business driving the worldwide tally to an estimated $119.6 million. Overall, the Die Hard series has been a bigger success overseas than it has here in the states. The first installment made just $55 million abroad, but Die Hard 2: Die Harder pulled in $122 million in foreign receipts to best its domestic draw of $117 million. The third film, Die Hard With a Vengeance, saw oversea revenues reach $261 million, eclipsing its $100 million North American performance.
Coming in fourth this weekend was newcomer License to Wed Warner Bros.’ Robin Williams comedy about a priest who puts a young couple through a rigorous program before marrying them. The pic drew approximately $10 million over the weekend and has managed an estimated $17.8 million since opening on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Universal’s Evan Almighty earned about $8.1 million this frame to finish in the No. 5 spot. With a worldwide gross at $82 million, the vfx-heavy comedy sequel still has a long way to go to recoup the $175 million producers spent on bringing the ambitious story to the screen.
The healthy box office should get another fortifying shot in the arm this Wednesday, July 11, as Warner Bros. releases Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The fifth installment in the series has been getting a luke warm reception from critics but a built-in audience will assure big numbers during this summer of sequels.
