Independence Day is a time for fireworks, so it’s fitting that the number one movie at the box office this July 4th weekend was courtesy of the explosion-happy Michael Bay. Transformers: Dark of the Moon earned $97.4 million over the weekend, bringing its total gross since its release last Friday to $162 million. Last week’s number one, Cars 2 (weekend gross $25.1 million, total gross $116 million) was pushed down one spot, and last weekend’s runner-up,Bad Teacher (weekend gross $14.1 million, total gross $59.5 million), came in at number three. New releases Larry Crowne ($13 million) and Monte Carlo ($7.6 million) rounded out the top five.
The limited release Love Etc. earned $7,900 in its first weekend.
Out in wide release next weekend are Zookeeper and Horrible Bosses, with Rapt, Septien, La belle endormie, The Chameleon, Ironclad, The Ledge, Project Nim, Fading of the Cries, The Ward, Romeo and Juliet in Yiddish and Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest all coming out in limited release.