‘Transformers’ Drew $37.3 Million in Ticket Sales Yesterday, Tracker Says

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” the third in the movie series from Viacom Inc. (VIA/B)’s Paramount Pictures, collected $37.3 million in box-office sales in the U.S. and Canada yesterday, the best opening-day tally this year.

The film’s revenue totals $42.8 million, including $5.5 million from 3-D previews held on June 28, Hollywood.com Box- Office said. Three-dimensional screenings accounted for 60 percent of yesterday’s sales, the industry tracker said.

The effects-heavy movie may be a fresh indicator of the public’s appetite for 3-D, Eric Wold, a New York-based analyst with Merriman Capital, said in a research note yesterday. Recent films, including “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “Cars 2,” have collected less than half of ticket sales from 3-D showings, he said.

Yesterday’s haul topped the $34.8 million generated by Walt Disney Co.’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” on May 20. “Transformers” is expected take in as much as $166 million through the July 4 holiday, the estimate of Box Office Guru editor Gitesh Pandya.

The first two “Transformers” films brought in $1.55 billion in worldwide ticket sales, according to researcher Box Office Mojo.

Viacom, based in New York, rose 41 cents to $51 at 4:02 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Class B shares of the company, also the owner of MTV and Nickelodeon, have advanced 29 percent this year. RealD Inc. (RLD), the largest maker of 3-D projection equipment, lost 2 cents to $23.39.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at mwhite8@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net