Box-Office Benjamin$: Transformers Pwns!

So I was waaaaaaaaayyyy off. I predicted last week that Transformers: Revenge of the fallen would gross a modest $115 million over its 5-day opening weekend. Looks like director Michael Bay and his robots Pwned me. Trans 2 absolutely destroyed the box-office and its competition in the process by taking in a WHOPPING $201.2 million over five days. It set a few records as well. It broke the weekday opening-day record by taking in over $60 million on Wednesday. It is also the second-biggest five day total of all-time. Second only to that little movie from last summer, The Dark Knight.

This defied industry predictions, as well as what would usually be a hamper on box-office performance, horrible reviews. Trans 2 was barely able to crack 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it seems as though pretentious critical analysis, which usually lowers expectations and ticket sales, was obsolete this time as Americans went to the cinaplexes in droves to watch huge robots kick the snot out of each other.

Last week’s box-office champ, The Proposal, came in second with a very respectable $18 million, bringing it’s two-week total to a solid $69 million. The comedy blockbuster of the summer, The Hangover, continues it’s impressive run coming in third with just over $17 million. It looks as though the blackout comedy will be able to easily crack the $200 million mark as it currently stands at a $183 million domestic total.

This week should be interesting in gauging the long-term success of Trans 2. The same young male crowd that helped Trans 2 accumulate all this money might forgo a second viewing to see Michael Mann’s gangster-action flick, Public Enemies. PE is of course the semi-biopic of legendary American bank-robber John Dillinger with the irresistible cast of Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotilliard. Another film that will challenge the boy-hood fun of Transformers is Ice Age 3, which the families should be flocking to, especially because it has the 3D label. I for one will be apart of the former group seeing Public Enemies, as it looks unbelieveably badass.

Because it is rated R and has much more adult subject-matter (violence, sex, language) I will predict that Public Enemies will come in second this weekend. Trans 2 will drop over 50% and come in 1st with $60 million. Public Enemies and Ice Age 3 will battle it out for #2, with PE taking the second spot with $48 million over 5 days and Ice Age 3 come in third with $45 million over five days. Challenge?

Here’s a breakdown of the rest of the Top 5 at the Box-Office this past weekend.

CHAMP: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $201 million
2) The Proposal $18.5 million
3) The Hangover $17.1 million
4) UP $13 million
5) My Sister’s Keeper $12.2 million

Source: Box-Office Mojo

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