“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” opened with a strong — but not stellar — $13.5 million from screenings Monday night.
Approximately $5.5 million of that total was garnered from 9 p.m. showings on roughly 2,700 3D screens. The other $8 million came from midnight screenings (3D and 2D) at some 3,000 theaters.
2009’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” grossed $16.6 million just from midnight screenings on a Tuesday night.
The drop is actually bigger than it looks, as “Dark of the Moon” has the advantage of premium 3-D ticket prices.
Paramount expects the film to draw a robust $155 million by Independence Day.
The first “Transformers” film debuted to $8.8 million from evening and midnight showings.
“Dark of the Moon,” directed by Michael Bay, stars Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Tyrese Gibson, Frances McDormand and John Malkovich.
Read Drew McWeeny’s review here.