The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Be sure to check back on Monday for final figures based on actual box office.
After making nearly $85 million in its first three-and-a-half days, DreamWorks' Transformers held well over the three-day weekend, grossing an estimated $67.6 million and becoming the second-highest opening movie for the 4th of July holiday frame behind Spider-Man 2. In just one week, the Michael Bay action flick has grossed approximately $152.5 million--just over its reported $150 million budget--and it's trailing just behind the original Spider-Man in terms of total gross for its first week. When it passes Spider-Man in terms of box office gross for seven days, it will make Transformers one of the most succcessful non-sequels since the webslinger's movie debut in 2002. Expect it to be the third movie this summer to gross $300 million or slightly less.
By comparison, Warner Bros.' romantic comedy License to Wed, starring Robin Williams, brought in an additional $10.4 million over the weekend after its $7.4 million over the holiday, ending up in fourth place in its first weekend.
Disney/Pixar's animated feature Ratatouille crossed the $100 million mark over the weekend, dropping to second place with a respectable $29 million and finishing the weekend with roughly $109.5 million after ten days. It's still trailing slightly behind Pixar's 2006 animated feature Cars, but it's quickly catching up thanks to positive reviews and word-of-mouth.
Bruce Willis' action sequel Live Free or Die Hard dropped 48% from its opening weekend, bringing in $17.4 million for third place and taking its total to $84.2 million.
At #5, Universal's comedy sequel Evan Almighty grossed roughly $8.1 million in its third weekend bringing its own total to $78.1 million, a far cry from its $175 million budget.
Dimension Films' thriller 1408 added another $7.1 million in its third weekend, a drop of 33% from last week, and it's sitting pretty in sixth place with $53 million so far.
Universal's other comedy Knocked Up is doing far better than Evan Almighty, having grossed $132 million in six weeks with an additional $5.2 million over the weekend. By comparison, it only cost $30 million to make, so it's already one of the summer's most profitable movies.
20th Century Fox's sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer lost more than 800 theatres on Friday and dropped another 55% in its fourth weekend to add $4.1 million to its cumulative gross of $123.7 million.
Michael Moore's documentary SiCKO added 261 more theatres on Friday and retained its placement at #9 with $3.6 million, bringing its total to $11.5 million.
Despite dropping out of the Top 10, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End finally crossed the $300 million mark over the weekend.
Last year, the Top 10 was bolstered by the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which set a new opening record of $135 million, pushing the Top 10 over the $200 million mark, while by comparison, this weekend's Top 10 grossed $155 million based on Sunday estimates.
