Rampaging 'Transformers' smashes box office records

LOS ANGELES: Robots made fireworks at the box office this long weekend as "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" scored the third-best worldwide debut ever with a $398-million take, according to industry figures.

In what was the biggest holiday blockbuster take on its opening weekend, the third Transformers movie in the Shia LaBeouf-starring action franchise made an estimated $181 million in North American receipts on its six-day debut, noted industry tracker The Hollywood Reporter.

In foreign receipts the blockbuster had taken some $217 million, according to the Reporter, citing the Paramount studio, bringing a worldwide total of $398 million.

The film's Friday-Monday take was some $116.4 million, said the Reporter, adding that feat eclipsed the previous July 4 weekend record holder of $115.8 million earned by "Spider-Man 2." With another sequel, Pixar's animated "Cars 2" finished in second place over the weekend with $31.6 million from Friday to Monday, bringing the film's overall earnings to $122.5 million to date, said box office Exhibitor Relations.

"Bad Teacher," starring Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz, brought in $17.2 million, just ahead of Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks romantic comedy "Larry Crowne," which came in fourth on its opening weekend with $16 million.

Action spectacular "Super 8" from J.J. Abrams landed in fifth with $9.5 million in projected sales Friday to Monday, and romantic comedy "Monte Carlo," starring teen sensation Selena Gomez, made $8.5 million on its debut weekend.

Super hero flick "Green Lantern" dimmed to seventh place and $7.9 million in receipts. Waddling into eighth place was Jim Carrey-starring "Mr. Popper's Penguins" with $6.7 million, raucous comedy "Bridesmaids" continued to hang in the top 10 with $4.38 million in ninth place and Woody Allen's romantic fantasy "Midnight in Paris" rounded out the top ten with an estimated $4.35 million take.