'Transformers 2' Has Massive Opening Night at Box Office

The robots have risen.

'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' opened with a Michael Bay-sized boom, earning $16 million from midnight showings in its opening night, according to Variety. (How many of those moviegoers turned up in voice-changing Optimus Prime helmets remains unknown.)

For those keeping score at home, that's the second biggest midnight opening ever, falling only after last year's 'The Dark Knight,' which opened with $18.5 mil. The big difference? 'Dark Knight' opened on a much audience-friendlier Friday AM.

That's huge news for 'Transformers' junkies. The sequel figures to enliven what's been a hit-or-miss summer at the box office, and cements the Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox-starring franchise as one of Hollywood's strongest.

So much for the purported robot rivalry between McG's 'Terminator Salvation' and Michael Bay's 'Transformers' sequel. While 'Terminator' has underperformed, earning only $120 million to date, 'Transformers' is on pace to hit that mark by the end of the weekend.

Did you make a rare Tuesday night appearance at the multiplex to support your favorite Autobots?

--By Kevin Polowy