DISNEY - SUCCESS IS REVENGE 'S REVENGE AGAINST CRITICS

SUCCESS IS REVENGE 'S REVENGE AGAINST CRITICS

Ticket sales for Transformers Revenge of the Fallen on Sunday fell a whopping $3 million below Paramount's estimate. Nevertheless, the studio claimed that the movie earned $200.1 million over its first five days, only about 1 million below the original estimate. BoxOfficeMojo.com said that Paramount explained the apparent discrepancy by noting that it had not received complete reports from some theaters for the movie's midnight opening on Wednesday and from "institutional" IMAX locations in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Nevertheless, the total still left Revenge of the Fallen as the second-highest-grossing movie over a five-day start, behind last year's The Dark Knight , which raked in $203.8 million. Overseas, Fallen grossed $166.1 million in 58 countries, bringing its worldwide total to $390.3 million. The success, which came despite a critical drubbing, sent shares in theater chains soaring. Carmike Cinemas, the nation's largest exhibitor, was up 10 percent, closing at $8.38. Regal Theaters was up 7 percent to $13.47, and Cinemark, up 6 percent to $11.20. In addition, Viacom, the parent of Paramount, was up 4 percent to $24.71. But today's (Tuesday) Hollywood Reporter indicated that the biggest beneficiary of the movie's success may have been IMAX, whose stock has risen 19 percent since Wednesday's opening. IMAX theaters accounted for $14.4 million of the movie's gross over the five days.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Box Office Mojo (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date) 1. Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, Paramount/DreamWorks, $108,966,307, 1 Wks. ($200,077,255 -- From Wednesday); 2. The Proposal, Disney, $18,578,541, 2 Wks. ($69,162,471); 3. The Hangover , Warner Bros., $17,022,166, 4 Wks. ($183,054,267); 4. Up , Disney, $13,061,737, 5 Wks. ($250,234,554); 5. My Sister's Keeper, Warner Bros., $12,442,212, (New); 6. Year One, Sony, $6,022,444, 2 Wks. ($32,529,560); 7. Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 , Sony, $5,451,107, 3 Wks. ($53,456,827); 8. Star Trek , Paramount, $3,711,968, 8 Wks. ($246,331,182); 9. Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonia n, 20th Century Fox, $3,643,522, 6 Wks. ($163,391,192); 10. Away We Go , Focus, $1,709,313, 4 Wks. ($4,088,390).

30/06/2009