Transformers: One - New Animated Prequel coming September 20th, 2024 - New Toy Official Images!

[Steevy Maximus]

Why was film delayed that first time? Was it just not done yet by July or was there any reason given at all?

July 19 was the release date for Twisters, one week before Deadpool and Wolverine. July 3 was Despicable Me 2, and I’m sure Paramount wanted some breathing room against that. While not “kids films”, I’m sure a lot of kids DID go to both Twisters and D&W (I know there were some at the screening I went to).

The delay didn’t bother me, but I question pushing it out AS FAR as they did. Again, mid-August was pretty damn lite on meaningful new releases, much less family/kids films.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

On the bright side, the international numbers have to be better than we know. There are places where it's been out for weeks but they just haven't reported anything yet. So unless it's making literally $0, we're missing part of the picture here.

 

[lastmaximal]

It seems to be doing okay in China (was released last week, outdid a bunch of other movies including The Wild Robot), and will hold some screens through this holiday weekend. I think it follows the trend of being the lowest debut for a Transformers film though.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

It seems to be doing okay in China (was released last week, outdid a bunch of other movies including The Wild Robot), and will hold some screens through this holiday weekend. I think it follows the trend of being the lowest debut for a Transformers film though.

Actually, Bumblebee opened with just $21 million back in 2018, not counting the extended holiday weekend. With FAR superior competition.

Not to sugar coat things, because this WAS a pretty terrible first couple weekends…but if you look at the theatrical returns as a whole? NOTHING released since August has done particularly well with the exceptions of Alien Romulus (currently about $105 million domestic against an $80 million budget), It Ends with Us (Damn near the only romantic film all summer, $25 million budget, up to domestic $148 million) and Beatlejuice 2 ($99 million budget, up to $255 million domestic).
I think a strong impression on the lackluster state of the movie business can be summed up by the fact that Howl’s Moving Castle (the 20th Anniversary release of the film) not only hit the Top 10 last weekend, but was just $2 million behind the release of Francis Ford Copula‘s Megalopolis. A rerelease of a 20 year old film (granted a VERY GOOD one) made $2.1 million for single weekend run with no meaningful marketing. And that was enough to crack the top 10 for the weekend.

Even The Wild Robot ($78 million budget) is tracking, as I check things right now, just $4 million or so ahead Transformers One ($75 million budget). And Wild Robot doesn’t have the merchandising back end up to prop up against weak theatrical performances.
Again, these are still TERRIBLE numbers, but at least Wild Robot is showing the issues aren’t completely oriented on Transformers One, itself, but indicative of broader malaise at the box office.

 

[lastmaximal]

The Variety article I saw the China opening news in clocked TF One as making $5 million -$8 million in China over the week.

I agree that the film industry as a whole is still struggling in this new post-pandemic climate. The concerns for infection are firmly in the rear-view mirror in most places, of course, but the years-or-so long pause kind of muted the inertia a lot of familiar practices had, including this. Between stiff competition from streaming and other more reaily-accessible entertainment, and prices for everything involved (the commute to the theater, the ticket prices, the other expenses like food and stuff attached to it) creeping up to ridiculous levels, there's a lot that's severely hampered movies-in-theaters' ability to reap back their revenue. (Sometimes this is complicated further by absurd production, but that's less an issue with TF One.) It says a lot that they had to bring in The Eras Tour to juice cinema attendance last year.

In general even outside of the whole "get them into cinemas" problem, the creative/production side is also struggling, as studios seem to be reluctant to produce anything anymore unless it's already a surefire BIG earner. Not even just something that'll wind up profitable; it has to be immense. I think Matt Damon discussed this very well on Hot Ones, of all places.

I'm just being cautious about falling back on that justification, as at least part of it is laced with copium.

I do think overall TF One will at least make its budget back (we'll know more after hearing from the other unreported venues), since they appear to have had pennies as the marketing budget. (I'm not counting the toyline here, although that feels a bit less sizeable than ROTB's.)

 

[Cybersnark]

An insightful and topical article (written for non-fans, so forgive the omission of the franchise's long history):

Transformers One Is the Pro-Labor Allegory the Animation Industry Needs Right Now - Reactor

The driving message of the new animated movie is both timely and surprising

reactormag.com

 

[Maruten]

I am shocked to hear that the movie hasn't done better financially. I've been kind of checked out of Transformers for a while and I don't know that I would have bothered seeing this in the cinema, but an endless explosion of overwhelmingly positive responses on social media got my attention and I saw it today. Down here it lined up pretty nicely with school holidays so hopefully some of the international results will be better than y'all have seen in the US.

It's not a perfect movie, I suppose. When they announced the cast I was not impressed, but they all did a great job. I still struggle with the idea of Hemsworth as Prime, but he did fine. I don't think he was one of the stand outs (add me to the chorus of "ScarJo can do that?") but he was decidedly on the right side of the "good enough" line.

Ultimately I kind of just can't believe that we got a TF movie this good. It's dripping with TF lore and references and treats the scope and history of the franchise with so much more respect than the live action movies. I think I'm going back tomorrow without the kids.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

You know what, I think I'm gonna go see it again tomorrow as well.

 

[msol]

No no, see, May 8 would have been Transformers Day, and the movie's release date would have been later in the month.

May 8th is also my 40th birthday so I would have preferred this as well

Loved the movie! Brought my 8yo son but not my 5yo daughter as a lot of the reviews made this sound extremely violent. I honestly think the Bay movies have created an expectation among parents that these movies are NOT for kids. Whoops!!

 

[Sabrblade]

I honestly think the Bay movies have created an expectation among parents that these movies are NOT for kids. Whoops!!

You know, that might have been a factor in why the first trailer was so joke-heavy. To show concerned parents that "This ain't your Bay's Transformers."

 

[Undead Scottsman]

The violence in the movie is kind of weird. Like, they'll cut away from some of the more violent kills

Spoiler

Like when Alpha Trion is taken out. I forget if they cut away from Megatronus' decapitation.

But also show Pax shredding a Death Tracker, and

Spoiler

The way Sentinel is taken out

It just seems incongruit with each other that. Almost like they had a limited amount of robot carnage they could show and had to pick their moments.

 

[Sabrblade]

Spoiler

I forget if they cut away from Megatronus' decapitation.

They did, yes.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

I may/may not have seen this on "teh internet's" the other day.

Apparently, the cam version is pretty good quality (no one coughing, no audience shadows, clear image, good sound, etc).

 

[LordGigaIce]

I may/may not have seen this on "teh internet's" the other day.

Apparently, the cam version is pretty good quality (no one coughing, no audience suggested l shadows, clear image, good sound, etc).

Just go pay for a ticket and support a good movie from the brand you enjoy ffs

 

[Sabrblade]

Just go pay for a ticket and support a good movie from the brand you enjoy ffs

I agree, but he can't atm. He's in Japan.

 

[lastmaximal]

Well then maybe don't brag about pirating it?

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

Well then maybe don't brag about pirating it?

I didn't brag. I just stated that it might be available for people who can't/won't access it at the cinema. Also, there's a rumour that it's coming to official streaming services quite soon.

Edit: - Apparently, it was released in Japan on 20/09/2024 (About a month ago), but I've not heard anything about this myself in local ads or anything. There's practically ZERO marketing wherever I've been over here.

 

[Superomegaprime]

Not long back from the Cinema and honestly, I loved this movie, its WAY better than ROTB & the BB movie, it felt like whoever wrote the script, actually gets it, the story is soild, Sentinal Prime, is definely a intersting take, about the only thing that could really been improved upon, is the soundtrack, it pretty lackluster, the end credits I could hear ques from the live action films but there wasn't a whole lot of interst in terms of music, the film story was pretty soild, thou I think the first trailer, didn't really do much justice for the film and the film openned in a manner, I didn't expect as I thought it would open with a major battle between OP & Megs, then flash back to see how things got that way! One thing I would complain about, is the placement of the End Credit scenes, the one with BB, that should of been cut, while the other one, that should of been where the BB one is, as I saw a couple of people walk out of the screen after that scene with BB, the reason I think that, is because the one at the end, brings Megatron's character arc for the film to a close, where's BB's is worthless as he wasn't the main focus of the film!

I give the film a 4 out of five stars, its good but has some poor choices with the end credits and the music as nothing stands out with the music and feels very generic!

 

[Undead Scottsman]

Yeah, you're always supposed to make the tease for the next thing the mid-credits stinger and then have the funny one be at the end.

 

[Sabrblade]

Ant-Man and the Wasp had the sequel teaser mid-credits and the jokey teaser post-credits.