‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ Tops Melissa McCarthy’s ‘Tammy’ at U.S. Box Office

The giant robots of Michael Bay’s “Transformers: Age of Extinction” have won round 1 of the U.S. box office battle with Melissa McCarthy and her road comedy “Tammy,” earning $7.7 million on Wednesday.

The “Transformers” figure, achieved in its sixth day of domestic release by Paramount, came in 24% above the first-day “Tammy” gross at $6.2 million — which included $1.3 million from late-night showings on Tuesday.

Those numbers indicate that “Transformers: Age of Extinction” will dominate the five-day Fourth of July holiday weekend with around $55 million to $60 million, while “Tammy” looks likely to finish the holiday frame in the $35 million range.

The fourth “Transformers” posted the biggest U.S. opening weekend of 2014 with $100 million and has added $28 million in the following three days. By Sunday, the domestic gross should be near $180 million — making it the year’s seventh-highest domestic grosser after 10 days.