After its solid showing in Tuesday night sneak peeks and midnight shows, Transformers: Dark of the Moon went on to have the best opening day of 2011 thus far. Michael Bay's 3D sequel earned $37.2 million on Wednesday, beating out the $34.2 million Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides earned on its opening day last month.

The $37.2 million tally includes the $8 million Transformers: Dark of the Moon earned in midnight screenings, but not the $5.5 million it took in during Tuesday night sneak peeks, bringing the movie's two-day tally to $42.7 million. Despite the downturn in 3D ticket sales, it is said that over 60% of Transformers: Dark of the Moon's admissions were for 3D screenings. However, even with the bump in 3D sales, Transformers: Dark of the Moon couldn't outpace the whopping $62 million that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earned in 2009.

Paramount Pictures is expecting Transformers: Dark of the Moon to earn between $155 million and $170 million between now and the July 4 holiday on Monday. We'll be keeping you posted on Transformers: Dark of the Moon's box office performance throughout the weekend, so stay tuned.