Transformers: Dark of the Moon record year's best weekend

Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which began its assault Tuesday night, recorded the biggest opening weekend so far this year.

The third Transformers film, which cost about $200 million to make, grossed $97.4 million over the weekend surpassing Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides's $90.2 million debut. However it is lower compared to Revenge of the Fallen‘s initial weekend $109 million.

For the first five days, the collection totaled $161 million in domestic markets since it premiered with sneak peeks at 9 p.m. Tuesday. But the numbers are well behind compared to Revenge of the Fallen was at this point two years ago. The second installment collected $200 million after its first five days in theaters.

Tracking suggests Dark of the Moon will gross around $180 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 six day debut in summer 2009.

The film also record the biggest Independence Day weekend, opening beating Spider-Man 2, which took in $88.2 million from Friday to Sunday in 2004, CNN reported

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.

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.

The movie also smashed rivals and delighted movie fans around the world, ringing up $372 million at global box offices since its Wednesday debut, Paramount Pictures said on Sunday, Reuters 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.

Also Read: Transformers Dark of the Moon Best Quotes [VIDEOS]