'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' arriving 2 days early

Paramount Pictures has decided to move the opening of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" up two days to Wed., June 29.  It was originally scheduled to open on Friday, July 1.

Michael Bay's 3D opus features the return of Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel and fan favorite Autobots Bumblebee and Optimus Prime.  John Malkovich, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and the evil Decepticon Shockwave are some of the new additions to the cast.  After seemingly betraying the Transformers, Earth finds themselves under a massive attack and Chicago, in particular, becomes a war zone.

The first "Transformers" technically debuted late Monday evening, June 2.  The first full day of release was July 3, a Tuesday before the July 4 holiday.  2009's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" opened on a Wednesday, July 1, and grossed $402 million domestically, approximately $80 million more than the original.  By moving "Dark of the Moon" to Wednesday, Paramount can five the 17 days in theaters before facing stiff competition from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2" on July 15.

One benefactor of this move could be Universal Picture's "Larry Crowe." That dramedy will now have July 1 pretty much to itself as a new release with "Monte Carlo" giving neither "Crowe" or "Dark of the Moon." much competition.

For more on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," check out HitFix's report from the James Cameron and Michael Bay presentation Wednesday evening.