LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The critics may have blasted “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” but the robots in disguise could not be stopped at the box office. Fans saw the Michael Bay-directed movie, which stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, in record numbers on Wednesday.

“Transformers” pulled in a whopping $60.6 million in just one day, earning the sequel the bragging rights of best Wednesday gross of all-time and second biggest single-day gross in box office history.

The Autobot/Decepticon fest bested 2007′s “Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix’s” previous single day record Wednesday total of $44.2 million, which was followed by 2004′s “Spider-Man 2,” at $40.4 million, 2003′s “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” at $34.4 million and “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” which earned $28.5 million on a Wednesday in 1999.

“Transformers’” whopping Wednesday haul also earned the second biggest single-day gross behind 2008′s “The Dark Knight,” which earned $67.2 million on a Friday.

In addition to having the best Wednesday and the second best single-day under its robotic belt, Optimus Prime-loving fans packed theaters around the country for sellout midnight screenings, which raked in an impressive $16 million.

Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks hope to have another “Transformers” in theaters by summer 2011.