Paramount and Dreamworks' Transformers finished off a great opening week by easily taking the box office crown with an estimated $67.6 million total over the Friday-to-Sunday period.  The robot saga, which opened on Monday at 8 p.m., earned $152.5 million during its first week setting a new record for a non-sequel by topping the original Spider-Man (although Spidey's total would be more like $170 million adjusted for inflation). 

Transformers is certain to become the highest-grossing robot movie of all time surpassing Terminator 2's $204.8 million by this time next week.

Last week's winner, Pixar's Ratatouille, dropped only 38% earning an estimated $29 million and bringing its total to $109 million.  Ratatouille is closing the gap with Cars, Pixar's previous release, and should finish in the same neighborhood (around $242 million). 

Fox's Live Free or Die Hard dipped only 48% while earning an estimated $17.4 million -- a strong performance in the face of strong competition for the male action audience from Transformers.

Meanwhile Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer did suffer the wrath of the Transformers, falling to eighth with the worst per theater average in the top 10, a mere $1,585.  It appears that the new FF film will finish well below the $154 million earned by its predecessor.

Slipping out of the top ten was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World End, which has now earned over $300 million, but has virtually no chance of catching Spider-Man 3, and it also appears that Shrek the Third, which has now earned $316.5 million, won't be able to catch Spidey 3's cumulative total of $334.4 million either.

Satoshi Kon's anime feature Paprika is now showing in 33 theaters and has earned $650,000 total in seven weeks of limited release.