Optimus Prime and his fellow Transformers are not quite over the moon with their latest box-office count.
According to distributor Paramount Pictures, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" took in $37.3 million domestically in its first full day Wednesday.
Adding in $5 million from debut screenings Tuesday night, the sci-fi sequel raised its domestic haul to $42.3 million.
While that's a healthy start, its predecessor, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," did far better, pulling in $62 million two years ago on opening day, which also was a Wednesday.
The disparity between that movie and the new one is even deeper considering 60 percent of revenues for "Dark of the Moon" came from pricier 3-D tickets. That means the audience was even smaller than for the 2-D "Revenge of the Fallen."