Transformers One did not do as well as Paramount Pictures hoped it would at the box office on its opening weekend. The film made $25 million domestically, and it was tracking to open with $35 million, so that is a pretty big blow.
So, what happened? Why didn’t people show up to theaters to watch the movie? Well, from my perspective, the marketing and the trailers did not do a good job selling the film, and people just weren’t excited to see it.
I initially wasn’t sold on this movie, but after watching the full film, I liked it! The movie actually ended up being a really good film that told a strong story! It’s funny, because after I saw the movie, a new trailer was released, and I was telling my friend, “I know this movie is good, because I’ve seen it, but this trailer makes me not want to see it.”
Some of the issues I saw people talking about were the comedic tone, the very new and different personalities of the characters, the cartoonish designs, and obviously the fact that Peter Cullen did not play Optimus Prime. But, there was also something in the marketing that was turning people off.
The marketing should’ve leaned more into the badassery of the Transformers instead of this whole new and different comedic tone that was never really a Transformers thing. Having seen the film, I get what they are trying to do, but it doesn’t translate well with the marketing.
So, no matter how great the reviews were, people were watching the trailers and saying, “No, thank you.” Even after I told some friends of mine how fun and good the movie was, they still have no desire to go out and watch the movie.
They just can’t get past what they’ve been shown in all the marketing. It’s really interesting, but I get it! I was in the same boat.
I still think there is life in the Transformers franchise, and that goes for G.I. Joe as well. But, the executives and producers attached to these brands at Paramount Pictures really need to understand their core audience, because they clearly don’t.
This movie tells the “origin story of how the most iconic characters in the Transformers universe, Orion Pax and D-16, went from brothers-in-arms to become sworn enemies, Optimus Prime and Megatron.”
The film stars Chris Hemsworth as Orion Pax / Optimus Prime, Brian Tyree Henry as D-16 / Megatron, Scarlett Johansson as Elita-1, and Keegan-Michael Key as B-127 / Bumblebee.
Transformers One is currently playing in theatres everywhere.
