Why ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Was Such A Surprise Hit

Prior to its release, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles seemed to have the world against it. Heck, from the get-go, fans were up-in-arms (You may recall the whole Alien Turtles fiasco) over the Michael Bay-produced, Jonathan Liebesman-directed adaptation. From the “creepy” design of the turtles to the casting of Megan Fox, bloggers around the world seemed to love throwing this one under the bus. Many predictions, including one from Box Office Mojo, pegged it at a sub-$40 million opener. After pulling in $65 million in its first weekend, many have started to wonder where their predictions went so wrong? Why was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles not the disaster they had predicted?

Forbes believes it to be the result of tactical marketing, and part of its success may, in fact, be due to its troubled production. Because Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had so many re-shoots, there was only so much the marketing team had to work with. “But the end result is a campaign that was mostly quiet from late March to late June of this year,” Forbes stated. Throughout the year, Paramount released little tidbits. They revealed the turtle designs, then waited. They released a teaser and let the internet discuss it for months. The final nail in the coffins was the release of the full trailer along with Transformers 4–a similar film with the same demographic, and it so happens to be one of the most successful franchises in the world.

Paramount didn’t need to spend the entire 2014 calendar year papering the Internet with trailers and clips and viral videos that did little more than preach to the converted (or the righteously indignant) while spoiling swaths of the film. They trusted both that the property was popular enough to audiences young and old.

The “young” in that last sentence is key, for despite all the internet outcry and people claiming the film was going to “ruin their childhood,” one little thing was forgotten: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series. Many seem to forget that Ninja Turtles has, in some form or another, been a part of some kid’s childhood consistently for the past twenty-five years–including kids today, who don’t carry as immense amount of judgment that today’s adults do.

In the wake of the successful weekend, Paramount has announced the sequel for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, set for release on June 3, 2016, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Will the success of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle flick have staying power, or was this an act of curiosity from the consumer? Let us know your thoughts!