Despite crap reviews, ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ breaks records

Critics be damned. Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen made $112 million over this past weekend, making it the first $100 million weekend winner of 2009. This brings the action extravaganza to a staggering total of $203.8 million domestically, but love of giant fighting robots isn’t only held by Yanks. Globally Transformers 2 has made over $700 million, easily beating Bay’s $200 million budget.

The great critical divide.

Pundits expected the main event of the summer to win big and it accomplished that goal with ease, becoming the second highest-grossing film during a five-day debut behind The Dark Knight.

Though plagued with controversy over two of the robots and their supposed depictions of inner-city youth, Transformers 2 also gave its human star, Shia LaBeouf, the biggest opening of his blockbuster-intensive career.

The movie also marks the largest opening ever on IMAX, showing on 169 screens.

Disney/Pixar powerhouse, Up, has earned just over $250 million, edging out Star Trek as the year’s top-earning movie. The position will be short-lived as Transformers looks to leap the family-friendly film by this time next weekend despite solid competition from Michael Mann’s Public Enemies.