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All semi-trucks should transform to giant robots, really

Kim Hollis: Transformers eviscerated the competition this week, earning $152.5 million over the extended holiday period, including $67.6 million over the weekend. What are your thoughts about this performance as well as its impact on summer box office?

Joel Corcoran: Autobots **ing rule.

Reagen Sulewski: Considering the struggle that the other recent "I Love the '80s" film has had in just limping its way to respectability, this is a pretty significant result. There's no reason this had to be a hit - look at that Master of the Universe movie with Dolph Lundgren they made. Of course, He-Man was never as popular as Optimus Prime and the timing is much better now - all the people that grew up on this are ready for some nostalgia, and Transformers are eternally cool to eight-year-olds (who this film is essentially pitched at).

Tim Briody: I didn't have this on my radar at all. Admittedly I tend to shun Michael ("Lights! Camera! Actio-CUT!!") Bay films in general, but I assumed this was a lame attempt at cashing in on the cartoon that was big when I was, like, six. To call it impressive is an understatement.

David Mumpower: We have just experienced one of the best seven day periods in the history of box office, and Transformers was the anchor release during that time frame. There was $336 million worth of revenue for the top ten films over the past seven days, and Michael Bay's movie comprised 45% of that. Studio execs are all looking at the July 4th holiday with new ideas now after the success of this project. It's been used in effectively the same manner as the Thanksgiving holiday has been in the past. The impact from that could be dramatic, but the changing calendar configuration for the July 4th holiday each year complicates the process a great deal. Under any circumstance, Transformers' box office is the best week ever for a non-sequel. What more needs to be said?





Kim Hollis: It always felt like an event film to me, though the Transformers and their ilk were pretty important to pop culture as I was growing up so they felt familiar to me, too. In the end, what it comes down to is this: You dig giant robots. I dig giant robots. We dig giant robots. Chicks dig giant robots.

Nice.

Michael Bentley: It's pretty big. My hats off to all those involved, including Michael Bay - keep in mind that he is coming off a career low in The Island, which was a certified bomb. The bad thing, though, is that with Hollywood and all its originality we will now see a glut of toy-based movies. Go-Bots, anyone? Another attempt at He-Man??

David Mumpower: Penny Arcade comics aside, I don't see Transformers' success being viewed as anything other than an anomaly for lower brow stuff such as Go-Bots. There isn't going to be a G.I. Joe movie any time soon, as an example. I guess that He-Man is a possibility, but I suspect that everyone evaluating this situation understands that Transformers' success is a unique combination of marketable idea (particularly in terms of special effects possibilities), a Steven Spielberg idea and Michael Bay's knack for desirable action sequences.

Jim Van Nest: I gotta hand it to Michael Bay, or rather, Michael Bay's trailer editors. Regardless of the quality of a Bay film, his trailers always kick ass. Don't believe me? Go watch the Pearl Harbor trailer and tell me it isn't brilliant. And we all know what a turd the film was.

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