'Transformers: Dark Of The Moon’ Collection Trails its Predecessor's

Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which began its assault Tuesday night enjoyed a solid Friday at U.S. and Canadian box offices.

The third Transformers film, which cost about $200 million to make, grossed $32.9 million Friday but it is 10 percent lower compared to Revenge of the Fallen‘s initial Friday $36.74 million.

For the first three days, the collection totaled $97.6 million in domestic markets since it premiered with sneak peeks at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Reuters reported.

But the numbers are well behind compared to Revenge of the Fallen was at this point two years ago. The second installment collected $127.9 million after its first three days in theaters.

On Wednesday, the movie released in a total of 4,000 theaters, including 2,800 3D sites. Roughly 60 percent of the ticket sales are coming from 3D theaters including Imax runs, a solid uptick for the format which has shown weakness at box offices in recent months.

Tracking suggests Dark of the Moon will gross $150 million to $160 million through July 4th, which falls on a Monday. But the number is far less than the $214 million Revenge of the Fallen earned in its five-day debut in summer 2009.

The third installment recorded the best opening-day gross of 2011. The film grossed $37.2 million on Wednesday in its first full day of play at U.S. and Canadian box offices compared to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Meanwhile, over the three-day Fourth of July weekend, distributor Paramount estimates that Dark of the Moon will take in $10 million above Spider-Man 2, which took in $88.2 million from Friday to Sunday in 2004, the Christian Post reported.

Transformers is Paramount's biggest franchise, with the first two films grossing $1.54 billion. The last movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was the second highest grossing movie in 2009 but it drew negative reviews, and Bay himself has said that it wasn't his best effort.