As seen in my previous post, Michael Bay's rendition of the robot action saga, Transformers: Age of Extinction, was the biggest box office hit of 2014, earning more than £720 million worldwide! This means that the film also managed to become the tenth highest-grossing film of all time, the second highest-grossing film in the Transformers series, and the nineteenth film to gross over $1 billion, ever!
In order to do this, Bay used these government restrictions to his advantage, playing to these preferences and expectations, in a campaign to woo Chinese filmgoers in the most "aggressive way ever seen by Hollywood" (Child, 2014). The film was partially shot in China (in which much of the action takes place), casting choices included Chinese actors (Li Bingbing), and a reality TV show was even launched in China to select four roles for the film. If that's not enough evidence to convince you about Bay's ways, it also helped that Bay managed to put references to Chinese culture anywhere and everywhere he could, including clumsy, unsubtle product placements throughout the film. These include "American characters clearly drinking the Chinese version of Red Bull during scenes set in Texas", Yili Mik being drank (a product only sold in China), and even Chinese Bank cards were used throughout American scenes.
So does all this money make the IP successful? Well, for one it means more Transformers! Paramount has announced the plans to make more Transformers films, with the 5th being scheduled for release sometime in 2016 (many childhood culture fans will also be happy to hear that Michael Bay isn't directing this one)!
But seriously, what does this mean for the future of IP success? Well, the incredible financial success of Transformers: The Age of Extinction is proof that China has the power to determine an film's box office success, especially with an estimated 1.34 billion cinemagoers, and counting. China is even predicted to overtake the US as the world's biggest box office by 2020, according to the Guardian, and so, Hollywood studios should be looking to expand their IPs to the east in an attempt to enter the Chinese market!
References:
That's not bad for a film that's been described by many as "loud, nonsensical and pandering" (Polygon, 2014). In fact, most of the ratings for this 4th Transformers film are pitifully low, scoring a mere 18% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 5.8 user rating on Imdb. For evidence and for your enjoyment, I've gathered a few of my favourite reviews of the film so far...
"The urine you discharge during the inevitable piss break is guaranteed to flow better than any dialogue in this near three-hour movie" by Ben Rawson-Jones at Digital Spy
"At the end I wished I could make a citizen's arrest for assault with intent to bore to death" by James Verniere at Bosten Herald
"I usually don't write reviews. But yesterday's disappointment in watching this had to be expressed either through punching an anvil, or writing this review" By Alvin Robles at Imdb
The number bad reviews go on, and on, and it's also worth mentioning that the small (almost insignificant) amount of positive reviews only really mentioned the film's special effects. But saying that, many negative reviews also touched upon issues with the special effects, saying they are overused and unnecessary, describing the film "as a bloated collection of big explosions" (Braun, 2014). There is no secret that Michael Bay is famous for the use of explosions in his films, and there are even websites dedicated to humorously editing 'Scenes in the style of Michael Bay', something definitely worth looking at if you have a minute to spare....
So what's going on here? Why is this film, which everyone seems to agree is terrible, such a box office success? These box figures aren't only puzzling for 2014, they are puzzling for the entire history of cinema as this film is one of the biggest releases of all time! A film everyone claims to dislike!
So what's Bay's secret?
So what's Bay's secret?
Well, it helps to look at the franchise in the context of its history. The Transformers franchise dates back to 1984, with the very popular Transformers toy line, produced by Hasbro and Takara Tomy, centred around some transforming alien robots and their endless struggle for dominance and peace! Since then, this IP stemmed into the lives of different generations, expanding into comic books, video games, television shows and eventually into this film saga. With this in mind, these box office figures could be explained through the idea that "some people watch transformers to reconnect with their childhood" (Plante, 2014), fuelled with a need to feel nostalgia and relive pleasant memories. But unfortunately, if this is the case, it appears that Michael Bay has failed this audience fuelled by "childhood culture" (Jenkins, 2014), as most reviewers claim that Bay has done a terrible job.
Additionally, scholar Derek Johnson explains a similar point, adding that the entire franchise is Trangerational Marketed, which is a "strategy whereby adults are encouraged to share their childhood culture with their own children" (as cited in Jenkins, 2014), and in doing so, they create a new generation of viewers from an original audience. In other words, parents, due to their love of the franchise, share their experience of these transforming alien robots with their children, in an attempt to transfer their tastes. The results of this is more tickets being bought, thus creating a bigger box office for Transformers: Age of Extinction!
There are other theories on financial success of this film, with some arguing that viewers go to watch a film for the pleasure of seeing a world plagued by evil, which is eventually overthrown by the good guys. In this sense, anxiety and fear is the route of popular mainstream action films, as they are created with a sense of "genuine fear of our current place in the world... Large, unknowable forces are hellbent on destroying our way of life." (Plante, 2014). A key example of this during 2013's Man of Steel (Zack Snyder), where Superman and Zod shared a 9/11 moment within Metropolis. The Avengers (2012) are equally guilty using this same strategy using Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to cause chaos throughout the streets of New York.
Although these theories could be applied to many box office hits, there are faults in these, as this would mean that every film that plays upon the audience's fear and anxiety would be as financially successful as Transformers: Age of Extinction, which certainly isn't the case. So, it still doesn't explain exactly how Transformers managed to secure it's place as the highest grossing film 2014, as many other films released that year have an established childhood culture, such as X-Men Days of Future Past (Bryan Singer) and The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (Peter Jackson). So again, why is this IP so financially successful? I decided to look deeper into the facts...
As previously mentioned, this film was incredibly successful worldwide, but what everyone doesn't know is that it did especially well in China. Making over $300 million and overtaking Avatar (James Cameron, 2009), it earned the title of the highest-earning film in the country's history. This revenue generated in China ultimately made Transformers: The Age of Extinction the highest earning film IP of 2014!
As previously mentioned, this film was incredibly successful worldwide, but what everyone doesn't know is that it did especially well in China. Making over $300 million and overtaking Avatar (James Cameron, 2009), it earned the title of the highest-earning film in the country's history. This revenue generated in China ultimately made Transformers: The Age of Extinction the highest earning film IP of 2014!
So how did this happen if the IP is considered to be so awful? Well, there are various reasons behind this, such as the fact that the film was released simultaneously in China and the US, which diminished the chances of pirated copies urgently being sought in both countries, making more people buy cinema tickets. But Levesley offers a further explanation, explaining that "in an effort to support its domestic film industry, China only allows 34 foreign movies to be shown in theatres every year, with a preference for those that fit Chinese ideology and use Chinese actors and locations" (as cited in Mic, 2014). Transformers: Age of Extinction was selected as one of these 34 films, and in this way, it was one of the few films to benefit from the release in a fast-expanding Chinese market that year...
In order to do this, Bay used these government restrictions to his advantage, playing to these preferences and expectations, in a campaign to woo Chinese filmgoers in the most "aggressive way ever seen by Hollywood" (Child, 2014). The film was partially shot in China (in which much of the action takes place), casting choices included Chinese actors (Li Bingbing), and a reality TV show was even launched in China to select four roles for the film. If that's not enough evidence to convince you about Bay's ways, it also helped that Bay managed to put references to Chinese culture anywhere and everywhere he could, including clumsy, unsubtle product placements throughout the film. These include "American characters clearly drinking the Chinese version of Red Bull during scenes set in Texas", Yili Mik being drank (a product only sold in China), and even Chinese Bank cards were used throughout American scenes.
All of these strategies allowed the film to generate much Chinese support, even before the release of the film!
So does all this money make the IP successful? Well, for one it means more Transformers! Paramount has announced the plans to make more Transformers films, with the 5th being scheduled for release sometime in 2016 (many childhood culture fans will also be happy to hear that Michael Bay isn't directing this one)!
But seriously, what does this mean for the future of IP success? Well, the incredible financial success of Transformers: The Age of Extinction is proof that China has the power to determine an film's box office success, especially with an estimated 1.34 billion cinemagoers, and counting. China is even predicted to overtake the US as the world's biggest box office by 2020, according to the Guardian, and so, Hollywood studios should be looking to expand their IPs to the east in an attempt to enter the Chinese market!
Personal Success rating: 7/10
References:
Answers.yahoo.com,. 'Transformers SUCKS,Then Why Is It So Successful?!!?'. N.p., 2015. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
Baird, Kirk. 'Transformers Hunky, Yet Junky'. Toledo Blade. N.p., 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
Berardinelli, James. 'Reelviews Movie Reviews'. Reelviews.net. N.p., 2015. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
Bernstein, Joseph. '21 Gifs Improved By Michael Bay-Style Explosions'. BuzzFeed. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Jan. 2014.
Braun, Liz, and Liz Braun. 'Success Of 'Transformers 4' Proves The Robots Have Won'. Edmonton Sun. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
Bricken, Rob. 'Transformers 4'S Chinese Cast Members Will Be Decided By Reality Show'. io9. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
Child, Ben. 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction Becomes Highest-Grossing Film Of All Time In China'.the Guardian. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
Cinemablend.com,. 'Transformers 4 Is The First Film To Make $1 Billion In 2014'. N.p., 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
Den of Geek,. '10 Reasons Why Michael Bay Got Transformers All Wrong'. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
He-man.org,. 'Why Transformers Movies Are So Successful?'. N.p., 2011. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
Hills, Matt. Fan Cultures. London: Routledge, 2002. Print.
IMDb,. 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2014)'. N.p., 2015. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
International Business Times UK,. 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction - Why Is Michael Bay Hated So Much?'. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
Jenkins, Henry. 'Search Results TRANSFORMERS'. Henryjenkins.org. N.p., 2014. Web. 17 Jan. 2015.
NewsComAu,. '‘Transformers: Age Of Extinction’ Is A Box Office Success But Critics Hate It'. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
Polygon,. 'How Does A 'Terrible' Movie Make $300 Million In Three Days?'. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
Rawson-Jones, Ben. 'Transformers Age Of Extinction Review: Can Wahlberg Save The Day?'. Digital Spy. N.p., 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
Reynolds, Simon. 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction Is The Highest-Grossing Movie Of 2014'. Digital Spy. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
Rottentomatoes.com,. 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction'. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
StopRemakingMovies,. 'Why Is Transformers So Popular?'. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
The Huffington Post,. 'The Secret Of 'Transformers' Success: Being Transformative'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
Verniere, James. 'Latest ‘Transformers’ Is A Mind-Numbing Bore'. Bostonherald.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
Vulture,. 'Is It Possible To Make A Hollywood Blockbuster Without Evoking 9/11?'. N.p., 2013. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
Wigler, Josh. 'Michael Bay Tells 'Transformers' Fans: 'Let Them Hate''. MTV News. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
All images taken from Google Image search:
Transformers Dancing Gif
Titanic Explosion Gif
Fry Meme Image
Michael Bay Money Image
Avengers Gif
Transformers China Image
Toy Story Meme Image
Cat Money Gif
All images taken from Google Image search:
Transformers Dancing Gif
Titanic Explosion Gif
Fry Meme Image
Michael Bay Money Image
Avengers Gif
Transformers China Image
Toy Story Meme Image
Cat Money Gif
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