Problems at Paramount Pictures? For the moment they feel like a distant memory.
Little more than a week after two of the studio's top three production executives were fired, Paramount scored one of the biggest movie openings of all time with "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
The live-action sequel based on Hasbro's Transformer toys earned $201.2 million Wednesday through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada, according to the studio's estimate. That's the biggest five-day performance ever for a film that debuted on a Wednesday, and the second-biggest starting any day of the week, behind the 2008 movie "The Dark Knight."
Grosses were nearly as impressive overseas, where "Transformers" earned $162 million in the same time frame and placed No. 1 in all 58 countries where it opened. Combined with $24 million from Britain and Japan for the previous Friday through Tuesday, the movie has made $387 million in worldwide ticket sales.
Among the film's high-water marks was the biggest opening for an English-language movie in China, where it earned $21.9 million.
In the U.S., "Revenge of the Fallen" benefited from an expanded audience of women, thanks in part to advertising aimed at teen girls that focused on the blossoming romance between the characters played by Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, and ads targeting adult women that emphasized a subplot involving LaBeouf's on-screen parents.
Audiences ignored the movie's critical drubbing and gave it an average grade of B-plus, according to market research firm CinemaScore.
"That tells me loud and clear it delivered what audiences want out of 'Transformers': a big, fun escape," said Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount.
The only other movie to open this weekend, Warner Bros.' tear jerker "My Sister's Keeper," started with a relatively soft $12 million but may hold on for a while if it gets good buzz from an audience that was 86% women.
A final worldwide gross of more than $800 million is all but certain for the "Transformers" sequel. Approximately half of that money will flow back to Paramount, with the rest going to theater owners.
A strong box-office performance is typically the springboard for other revenue streams such as DVD sales and television deals.
As a result, "Revenge of the Fallen," which cost about $200 million to produce and $150 million to $175 million to market and distribute, will prove a big moneymaker for Paramount. It also has now cemented its position as one of the industry's most valuable big-screen brands alongside "Harry Potter," "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Spider-Man."
