'Transformers' Passes $200 Million Domestic in Just Eight Days

Paramount’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon has crossed the $200 million mark at the domestic box office in only eight days, faster than any movie this year and one of the five fastest of all time.

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Through Wednesday, the tentpole’s total was $204.4 million. It’s been doing sizeable weekday business, thanks to kids and college students being out of school.

Warner Bros.' The Dark Knight and Paramount's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen both crossed $200 million in five days; Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: New Moon crossed in eight days, like Dark of the Moon.

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Overseas, Dark of the Moon has grossed roughly $281 million, bringing its worldwide cume to $484 million through Wednesday — already the fifth best showing of 2011.

By the end of this weekend, Dark of the Moon could become the top grossing pic of the year at the domestic box office. The current crownholder is The Hangover Part II, which has grossed $249 million in North America.

Dark of the Moon is pacing behind sequel Revenge of the Fallen, which grossed $239.4 million in its first eight days, but is ahead of Transformers, which grossed $173.6 million.

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Internationally, Dark of the Moon is pacing 50% ahead of the Revenge of the Fallen, and should end the weekend as the No. 3 top grossing film of the year, if not No. 2. Universal’s Fast Five is currently No. 2 at $389 million. Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is No. 1, sporting a massive international total of $774.7 million.

Dark of the Moon is playing almost everywhere around the globe, save for China and Japan. It opens in China on July 21, followed by Japan on July 29.