There have been some monster openings at the box office this summer, but “Transformers: Age of Extinction” looks like it might be the biggest debut of 2014. Just how big?
Michael Bay's fourth installment of the giant robot franchise is on track to open to more than $100 million over its first three days. In fact, some Hollywood insiders expect it to actually make $110-120 million. In either case, those figures trump the biggest opening of the year so far, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” which took in $95 million in April. The only other 2014 debuts to come within those heights are “Godzilla” ($93 million), “Amazing Spider-Man 2” ($91.6 million) and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” ($90.8 million). Moreover, the next movie which could even come close to a $100 million debut? Christopher Nolan's “Interstellar” on Nov. 7.
As for more records, it's hard to say if “Age of Extinction” will be the biggest “Transformers” debut ever because the franchise has never had a “traditional” opening weekend before. The previous three movies each hit theaters on a Tuesday or Wednesday (and that doesn't even reflect the early screenings the night before). That being said, 2009's “Revenge of the Fallen” took in a monster $127 million over its first three days. Can Mark Wahlberg's presence help “Age of Extinction” come close to that magic number? We'll find out when Optimus Prime returns to theaters on Friday.
Look for box office updates every Saturday and Sunday morning on HitFix.