The weekend battle for boxoffice supremacy remains caught in a haze of holiday fireworks.
Paramount’s effects-driven actioner “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and Fox’s 3D animated family three-quel “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” each posted weekend grosses estimated at $42.5 million pending Monday’s final studio numbers. The “Transformers” sequel — produced by Par, DreamWorks and Hasbro — fell 61% in its second weekend for $293.5 million in cumulative boxoffice through 12 days of domestic release.
The “Transformers” sequel was filmed for a reported $200 million, and carries costly back-end commitments to director Michael Bay, not to mention hefty global marketing expenses. But with its worldwide boxoffice now approaching $600 million, Par and its co-producer partners may already be treading into profitability, and a potentially leggy theatrical run and deep ancillary revenue should help the rich get richer.
The Shia LaBeouf-Megan Fox starrer’s domestic haul this weekend included $4.6 million in boxoffice from Imax specialty venues, whose cume on the film totals an Imax-record $24 million. The “Transformers” sequel — shot with Imax cameras to maximize playability in that format — posted an impressive $27,000 million per location from its Imax runs this frame.
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