Box office update: 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' scores year's biggest opening day with $37.3 mil

It’s going to be a good week for Excedrin. On Wednesday, Transformers: Dark of the Moon blasted off with the year’s largest opening day so far. The $195 million action film, the third in the Michael Bay-directed series, grossed an estimated $37.3 million on Wednesday, including $8 million from midnight showings. (The movie earned an additional $5.5 million from “sneak preview” screenings Tuesday night, which aren’t being counted toward its Wednesday debut) This year’s previous opening-day record holder was Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which plundered $34.9 million its first day.

Dark of the Moon‘s opening-day figure falls in between its two predecessors. The 2007 Transformers generated $27.9 million its first day (excluding the $8.8 million it made from sneak previews the prior night), while the 2009 sequel, Revenge of the Fallen, collected a massive $62 million on opening day. Dark of the Moon should continue to split the difference between the two movies throughout the week. At this rate, look for it to earn just under $100 million during the four-day holiday weekend. By the time the fireworks start flying Monday night, Dark of the Moon should have grossed around $165 million in six days.

Check back here later today for the full box-office preview, and throughout the weekend for additional updates.

Read more:

EW’s ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ Review

‘Transformers 3’: In which Michael Bay turns Optimus Prime into a sociopathic idiot douchebag

Shia LaBeouf claims to have hooked up with Megan Fox, accurately criticizes ‘Wall Street 2′ and ‘Transformers 2,’ generally scorches the Earth