The big Transformers film brought in $67.6 million in ticket sales this past weekend, according to studio estimates released today. Since Monday’s preview screenings of the film, it has brought in $152.5 million, giving it the biggest first-week revenues ever for a non-sequel, surpassing the web-slinger’s $151.6 million back in 2002.
Ratatouille, Live Free or Die Hard, License to Wed and Evan Almighty rounded out the top five for the weekend.
I was never really that big on Transformers; I think the only issue of the comic I bought was the one that featured Spider-Man, and I only watched the cartoon on rare occasions. But a lot of people are obviously nostalgic for the lovable robots that turn into cars and appliances, so here are a few links from the past few weeks, just for them …
–Michael Bay talks to Entertainment Weekly about GM’s role in the movie and the possibilities of a sequel.
–Chris from Movie Marketing Madness takes an in-depth look at the marketing of the film.
–Wired had a few pieces on Transformers over the past few weeks — Everything I Need to Know About (Real) Robots I Learned From Transformers, The Rebirth of Optimus Prime: Behind the Scenes with Director Michael Bay, Autobots and Decepticons: A Photo Gallery of Our Favorite Iron Giants, and How an Obscure Collection of Japanese Action Figures Changed the Way We Play.
–This is probably my favorite link … Cinematical reviews Transmorphers, which showed up in video stores recently and also just happens to be about giant robots that can change shape.
–Speaking of reviews, old-school Tranformers fan Josh Howard reviews the new Transformers film: “You know that guy you work with or that relative of yours that likes to take your action figures and put them all in sexually suggestive poses while you’re not looking? That’s what this movie felt like.”
–Peter David, and our own Lisa Fortuner also share their thoughts on the film. Meanwhile, Angry Black Woman and Odditycollector discuss the issue of race in the film, specifically in regards to Autobot Jazz.
–Pantagraph.com has an article up about Orsen Welles’ involvement with the Transformers animated movie from 1986, where he played “Unicron, an evil shape-shifting planet moon.”
July 8th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Pantagraph.com! That’s from my neck of the woods. Who’d a thunk?
July 9th, 2007 at 10:24 am
read the angry black woman article. especially the parts about jazz.
July 9th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
And in one week, it makes back its production budget. The rest of the way is all profit. Damn.
July 9th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Nope, it hasn’t made its production budget yet. Studio gets roughly 55% of the gross. And better believe both Bay and Spielberg are getting serious points.
July 10th, 2007 at 5:09 am
That’s too bad. Now we’ll be mocked by another Bay bastardization.
July 10th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
definately it will make budget. then when it goes worldwide…yow$$. and don’t forget the dvd sales…man!
July 11th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
Behold, you out there, that may have been in doubt, behold the power, the wondrous glory of the Allspark, the primordial program, the very Creation Matrix.
And be blinded.
I think anybody that was in doubt that this wasn’t going to be a world-wide hit was probably kidding themselves in a very bad way.
Here’s to a sequel or two. :thumbsup: