Transformers: Dark of the Moon Grosses Almost $40 Million Opening Day

Like the first two films, the box office for Transformers: Dark of the Moon is expected to more than wash out the taste of bad reviews. After all, Revenge of the Fallen made $400 million in America alone, despite being slammed by nearly every critic in the country.

As such, since reviews were just a little better for Dark of the Moon, it should probably make even more money. It got off to a good start on opening day, with what may be the biggest opening gross of 2011 -- although it would still be shy of the franchise's best first day.

Deadline Hollywood reports the third Transformers is on pace for $40 million Wednesday, while the Hollywood Reporter has it topping out at $38 million. Either way, it would be the biggest box office for a movie's opening day this year, topping the $34.8 million for Pirates of the Caribbean 4. Yet Revenge of the Fallen is in no danger of being challenged, since it made $62 million to start its run in 2009.

Nevertheless, Dark of the Moon could get halfway to Fallen's overall domestic gross in the first week, as it could make anywhere between $150-200 million by the Fourth of July. According to Deadline Hollywood, Paramount expects no more than $165 million, but it may wind up getting closer to $200 anyway.

However, the movie's chances to top Fallen in the long run are probably slim, although it could make more around the world. Dark of the Moon has about two weeks to dominate the multiplexes before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 comes along to challenge it.

As such, the film has to make as much as it can now to set too high a bar for the Harry Potter finale to cross over. Although there are still six months left in the year, these two summer blockbusters are likely to be first and second at the box office in some type of order.

Transformers fans have braved the rotten reviews and the 2 1/2 hour running time to see their favorite robots destroy Chicago. But will they pack the theaters more than Harry Potter fans who are braving their last goodbyes to Hogwarts?

The answer will come in two weeks, but since Deathly Hallows is opening during a normal three-day weekend July 15, not on an extended six-day Fourth of July weekend, its task will be quite harder. But for this long week, the Transformers have little to worry about at the box office, as word of mouth clearly isn't a problem so far.

Sources

Deadline Hollywood- "Transformers 3 Will Break 2011 Opening Day Record"

Hollywood Reporter- "Box Office Report: Michael Bay's Transformers 3 on Track to Gross $38 Million on Opening Day"