- Facebook's Biggest-Ever Holiday Shopping Season
- Facebook's New Dual Class Structure - Slow Steps to an IPO
- Can Murdoch Help Bing Challenge Google and Shift the Content Equation?
- Twilight, Inc., A Worldwide Craze
- Oprah to Leave Syndication in 2011
- Sony's E-Reader Shortage and the Digital Book Battle
- Salesforce.com Brings Facebook and Twitter's Social Capabilities to Businesses
- Sumner Redstone's Companies Face Off Yet Again
- Can YouTube Revolutionize Citizen Journalism?
- What MGM's Sale Could Say About Value of Content
- Facebook's Biggest-Ever Holiday Shopping Season
- Facebook's New Dual Class Structure - Slow Steps to an IPO
- Can Murdoch Help Bing Challenge Google and Shift the Content Equation?
- Twilight, Inc., A Worldwide Craze
- Oprah to Leave Syndication in 2011
- Sony's E-Reader Shortage and the Digital Book Battle
- Salesforce.com Brings Facebook and Twitter's Social Capabilities to Businesses
- Sumner Redstone's Companies Face Off Yet Again
- Can YouTube Revolutionize Citizen Journalism?
- What MGM's Sale Could Say About Value of Content
RSS FEED
MOST SHARED
- Kuoni CEO Sees Recovery in Travel Sector
- US Markets Bracing for Selloff On Worries About Dubai's Debt
- No Thanksgiving Rest for Retailers in Sales Race
- More Asia Executives Resigned to Economy Flights: Survey
- Attraction of Switzerland to Businesses
- UK's Darling to Downgrade 2009 Growth Forecast
- Oil Falls Toward $73 Amid Dubai Debt Jitters
- 4 Thanksgiving Week Buys For Your Portfolio: Market Pros
- There's a 'Great Chance' For a Double-Dip Recession: Strategist
- Revenge of the Gangsta Nerds
- Will TCU See The "Flutie Effect?"
- Retail Earnings and Sales to Improve in Q4: Analyst
- Consumers Catching the Holiday Spirit
- It's Beginning To Look A Lot More Riskless
- Crescenzi: Claims Level Suggests End to Job Losses
- Hedge Funds Take Early Lead in Warren Buffett's 'Big Bet'
- Dubai Debt Delays Revive Fear of Financial Crisis
- US Markets Bracing for Selloff on Dubai Debt Worries
- US Dollar Falls to 14-Year Low Against the Yen
- ING Prices Share Issue at Hefty Discount
- No Thanksgiving Rest for Retailers in Sales Race
- UK's Darling to Downgrade 2009 Growth Forecast
- Tommy Hilfiger's Estate in Conn. Sells for $20 Million
- Cheap Robotic Hamsters Are Holiday's Unlikely Craze
- Almunia Set to Take Neelie Kroes' EU Competition Job
Media Money

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" from Viacom's Paramount [VIA
Loading...
()
] and Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks Studio is already breaking some major records, making it likely to be the biggest film of the year.
It opened in over 4,200 U.S. theaters Wednesday, bringing in an estimated $55 million at the box office, $16 million of which was from post-midnight shows early Wednesday morning, the best opening day ever for a Wednesday release.
Those numbers put this highly-anticipated sequel on track to beat Spider-Man 2's $152.4 million record for a Wednesday to Friday opening.
If the film has similar staying power as the original film in the franchise, despite less positive reviews, we're looking at another $700 million global hit.
A blockbuster performance will benefit Paramount, which has the second-largest studio marketshare so far this year, and also its co-producer, Hasbro [HAS
Loading...
()
]. Yes, that's right, the movie is based on the toy franchise and the toy maker is a producer on the film -- you'll see it's logo before the title of the movie. After the first film Transformers-related toys generated $482 million for Hasbro; that's 12.6 percent of its 2007 net revenue. That's the first time in the past three years that just one product line has generated more than a tenth of Hasbro's net sales. Stifel Nicolas analyst Drew Crum projects that this new movie will generate more than $550 million in sales for the toymaker this year.
General Motors [GMGMQ
Loading...
()
] cars are the stars of the film. There's the classic Chevy Camaro, the fantasy concept Pontiac Solstice, giant GMC trucks, and the sporty compact Chevy Volts. It's these GM brands that transform into the good guy Autobots to fight the evil robots and save the world. That's some pretty good casting and exposure for General Motors, which could use all the help it can get as it goes through its bankruptcy restructuring process. GM reportedly didn't have to pay for the placement, though it did have to cover the cost the 67 vehicles that were used, 52 of which were special prototypes. Now GM is hoping to cash in on the buzz: it's running ads that promote its role in the film and its "Transform your Ride" incentive program. GM is also promoting its cars Autobot alter-egos online.
Paramount could use the good news. Just a week ago it was making headlines for firing some of its top brass and reorganizing its management team. It fired the number two and three executives at the studio and is making Adam Goodman, a former DreamWorks executive president of Paramount's film group. This is the latest impact of the separation of DreamWorks and Paramount, though of course this movie is one of their joint ventures. The now separate studios will continue to work together, and not just on Transformers sequels. Speaking of ongoing partnerships, Hasbro and Paramount have another big movie coming out later this summer: "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra."
Questions? Comments?








