The Transformers 4 box office reports might have proven Paramount to be a liar in the U.S., but in China, it really is winning. Could this be because of its having been partially filmed in Beijing or used some of their biggest acting talent or because Chinese audiences are more forgiving of Michael Bay’s past shenanigans?
Michael Bay , in general, doesn’t get a lot of praise in the United States due to his tendency to use explosions and female assets to sell movies.
The ridicule was born mostly after Revenge of the Fallen , a film marketed more toward young boys and riddled with drug, race, and sex jokes. The story didn’t make much sense either, making it the weakest of the series, so far, and a point of reference for self-proclaimed internet critics across the U.S..
Even the obvious removal of sexuality from Transformers 4 couldn’t save its U.S. box office in the midst of the ridicule surrounding its executive producer.
China loves it though, and with their relative population, Age of Extinction could still become one of the highest grossing films of the decade. It’s already at the top of the charts there within the span of two weeks and has been named the biggest film of all time.
This means that Transformers: Age of Extinction has sold more tickets in China than Iron Man 3 , which was also partially filmed there, as well as The Avengers , Avatar , and Pacific Rim . The latter is comparable, due to its use of giant mechs, if nothing else, but it seems Optimus Prime and Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) are a winning combination.
‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ has already earned $213 million in China: http://t.co/8GYtMOqOq5 pic.twitter.com/GEKvDQYGKZ
— Box Office Mojo (@boxofficemojo) July 6, 2014
It seems the company that demanded Paramount remove its buildings from the film might not be so eager to follow up.
Was it the teasing and final reveal of the Dinobots that made Chinese ticket sales skyrocket? Was it the casting of Li Bingbing and Han Geng , big name actors over there, which led to gross earnings of over $222 million ?
We can only say that Michael Bay’s decision to film in Beijing obviously paid off as the Transformers 4 box office has proven a roaring success in China.
[image via tfw2005 ]