“Transformers” Dominates Box Office
“Transformers” was expected to be a good movie, but no one believed that it would dominate box offices its first weekend at the theatres. “Transformers” made more then $151.6 million passing “Spider-Man”, which came out in 2002. Of course when you factor in today’s higher ticket prices, “Spider-Man” drew more people in its first week, about 26.1 million, compared to 22.5 million for “Transformers.”
The sci-fi saga “Transformers,” DreamWorks and Paramount’s big-screen take on the Hasbro toys, debuted with $67.6 million in ticket sales in its first weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. That gave it $152.5 million since opening with preview screenings Monday night.
“Transformers,” was directed by Michael Bay and features a cast led by Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, who are among the humans hurled into the action when two races of warring robots bring their feud to Earth. The movie’s striking visual effects and the Transformers brand which debuted in the 1980s with toys, a TV show and an animated movie proved irresistible for audiences, said Rob Moore, Paramount’s head of worldwide marketing and distribution.
“Michael Bay created something visually that people hadn’t seen before,” Moore said. “When you look at a jet plane flying under a bridge then flipping and turning into a robot, those kinds of images people found incredibly unique and compelling.” “Transformers” also took in $93.6 million in 23 other countries where it has opened since June 28.
However, the overall domestic box office plunged. The top 12 movies took in $161.5 million, down 23 percent from the same weekend last year, when “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” opened with what was then a record weekend of $135.6 million. “The good news is we’ve got another big one right around the corner with ‘Harry Potter,’” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. “We should be looking at a strong midsummer boost that’ll hopefully carry through to the end of summer.”
The weekend’s other new wide release, the Warner Bros. comedy “License to Wed,” took fourth place with $10.4 million, raising its total since debuting Tuesday to $17.8 million. It stars Robin Williams as a minister who forces an engaged couple (Mandy Moore and John Krasinski) through a tortuous marital boot camp.