'Transformers: Dark Of The Moon': More Sequels On The Way?

Box-office experts look into the franchise's future.
By Kara Warner

Shia LaBeouf in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Given the spectacular box-office grosses of "Transformers" and its sequel, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (despite being lambasted by critics and audiences), it is not all that surprising that the three-quel, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," has made box-office history and a ton of money in the first few days of its release.

Michael Bay's third robot-tastic installment hauled in an estimated $97.5 million over the holiday weekend, making it 2011's new biggest opening-weekend record holder, which was previously set by "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

So, what does this mean? In a nutshell, we'll be getting more "Transformers" movies, no matter what Bay and star Shia LaBeouf have said or decided about their "retirement" plans. "I guarantee that Paramount is currently thinking of ways to keep the franchise going," Boxoffice.com editor Phil Contrino told MTV News. "Unfortunately, making a deal for a property this big won't be easy," he added, speaking to moving forward with the franchise without Bay and LaBeouf. "I'm sure a bunch of directors and stars will be kicked around publicly before new hires are made."

Entertainment Weekly senior writer Anthony Breznican agreed that the robots will live on to rule future box offices. "We will definitely see another movie; how soon is a good question," he said. "I took Bay seriously when he said he was finished directing [the 'Transformers' films], and they can reboot them again with someone else. That's not something you say if it's a negotiating tactic. I believed him. I think Shia is serious," he added. "Three movies in this universe are a lot for an actor. Unless you want to be known only as the 'Transformers' guy, you have to move on and do something different.

" 'Harry Potter' will be gargantuan," Breznican said of "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" being the next big competition for "Dark of the Moon." "People are going to want to see it again and again, and that's a real tribute to the filmmakers and J.K. Rowling's storytelling. It's a story where you invest a lot in those characters and they invest a lot back. There is a lot of sacrifice and affection; that movie packs an emotional punch," he said. "It's going to blow 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' out of the water."

Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

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