Transformers 3 Trounces Box Office Competition With $30-Million Take Friday

Transformers: Dark of the Moon the third installment in the action series by Michael Bay, pulled in $30 million Friday, putting its total domestic haul to-date at nearly $96 million.

Dark Moon, starring the new-to-the-trilogy Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and the series' star Shia LaBeouf, got a jump on the holiday weekend, opening Tuesday night in special 3D sneaks. The film's foreign box office is impressive as well, grossing $66 million through Thursday for an international total of at least $161.7 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The industry publication estimates the film could take in as much as $370 million, worldwide, by end-of-day Monday.

Meanwhile, the new Tom Hanks-Julia Roberts film Larry Crowne pulled in an older crowd, with 71% of the audience over 50!

On the flip side, Selena Gomez's Monte Carlo, grossed $3 million on Friday and 61% of its audience were under 25; 82% were female. The movie cost $30 million to make and is expected to bring in a low-teens figure by the end of the holiday weekend. Let's hope it will! Reviews, for the most part, have pitched it as a fluffy teen flick -- that said, it's that teenage disposable income so many marketers try to reach so maybe with Selena's name on it, the film can do just that!