One of the fun aspects of the comic book conventions is the costumes and the San Diego Comic Con 2009 is no exception. As you can see below, Jalopnik found one of the best with a detailed movie version Bumblebee costume that is quite awesome. Below are a few pictures with the full gallery here.
The Rusting Carcass has posted a long interview with Bob Budiansky, an editor and writer for Marvel Comics back in the 80s. His name probably doesn't mean much too many but he is essentially the "father" of the Generation One Transformers that we know and love and helped create the foundation for all that has followed these 25 years. With a few exceptions, fan favorites such as Megatron, the Dinobots, Sideswipe, Shockwave and more all were named and defined under his pen as he created the initial Tech Specs on the boxes and devised their back-story and personalities that were used in the cartoon series and US Transformers comics from then on (but not always exactly followed of course).
Click here to read the full interview as he attempts to recount how he became involved with Transformers, how some of the names were created (Megaton + Tron = Megatron), and more. (via TFormers)
Update: Actuals are in for Transformers 2. Nothing really budged much. Domestic weekend gross was $8.1M ($379.2M total), international $6.3M ($412.3M total) bringing worldwide gross to date total to $791.5. Chart below updated accordingly. HP6's worldwide total is $625.3M, at this rate it will surpass TF2's total by end of this weekend.
The weekend estimates are in and while Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen continues its inevitable drop down the box office top 10, it did manage to meet a new milestone by surpassing The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kings and Spider-Man 2 to enter the top 10 in the All Time Domestic Box Office with a US estimated total of $379.1 million. Next on that list is Star Wars Episode III ($380.3M) which it will likely pass either when the actuals come in or Monday. After that is Spider-Man ($403.7M). Sadly I doubt the movie will track higher then 8th as 7th place belongs to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($423.3M).
As for the weekend estimates, G-Force took first ($32.2M), Harry Potter 6 was second ($30.0M), The Ugly Truth was third ($27.0M), Orphan fourth ($12.8M), Ice Age 3 fifth ($8.2M) and Transformers 2 was sixth with $8 million. Harry Potter's huge 61.5% drop pretty much seals the deal that Transformers 2 will remain the top movie of the year in the United States but its international totals are simply outstanding at $405.3 million (which doesn't even include this weekend yet), which took only 12 days to reach versus TF2's 33 days. This brings HP6's worldwide total to $627.1 million so still on track for a billion dollar total. Revenge of the Fallen's worldwide total is $785.1 million and may cross the $800 million threshold by Tuesday.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24-6/28 | $200.2 | $166.2 | $366.4 |
| 6/29-7/02 | $50.9 | $52.7 | $103.6 |
| 7/03-7/05 | $42.3 | $55.0 | $97.3 |
| 7/06-7/09 | $21.6 | $35.1 | $56.7 |
| 7/10-7/12 | $24.2 | $31.4 | $55.6 |
| 7/13-7/16 | $10.9 | $18.6 | $29.5 |
| 7/17-7/19 | $13.7 | $13.5 | $27.2 |
| 7/20-7/23 | $7.3 | $7.7 | $15.0 |
| 7/24-7/26 | $8.1 | $6.3 | $14.4 |
| 7/27-7/30 | $4.3 | $5.6 | $9.9 |
| Totals | $383.5 | $417.9 | $801.4 |
At the San Diego Comic-Con Sideshow Collectibles showed of its upcoming projects and news that they acquired the license to create products from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. As part of that they are creating a highly detailed 20'' Optimus Prime maquette based off the CGI model created for the movie. A video showing some of their early work on the project can be found here. No release date or pricing released.
Sideshow popped up on my radar years ago with their fantastic Lord of the Rings products. They have since then expanded to a wide range of stuff that is amazing to look at but expensive to buy as they are geared to the high end collector. It wouldn't surprise me if this one lands in the $300 plus price range. Thanks to Luis for the link.
Below is a video review of EZ Collection aka Legends Devastator that is currently a Japan exclusive. Amazingly enough this isn't a Peaugh review. It shows off the seven Constructions individual vehicle and robot modes and the combined Devastator mode. Fantastic review that shows off what appears to be a fantastic addition to the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toy line. Thanks to RY for the link.
Despite being months away, new hints are coming out about plans for the Blu-ray release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen according to Home Media Magazine.
In addition, Best Buy has already posted a pre-order page for a ROTF Blu-ray Gift set that appears to include an Optimus Prime bust for $49.99. If not interested in that, Amazon has their pre-order page for the Blu-ray edition and two-disc DVD edition up.
“It will have a lot of additional things,” [ROTF producer Lorenzo] di Bonaventura said. “There are a lot of scenes we weren’t able to fully incorporate, and we’re going to make it as exciting as we can for the fans.” Some of that extra footage did find its way into theaters, in the IMAX cut.This is something the Blu-ray Edition of the Dark Knight did. I am guessing that during IMAX scenes the screen will essentially switch (but smoothly) from a widescreen like aspect ratio to a full screen view like was done in the IMAX theatres.
Bay admits the process of putting together a big budget special effects movie leaves little time to consider the film’s home video afterlife. In fact, he says he didn’t even bother watching any of the major robot battle sequences as they were being created. “I didn’t want to see it during the process because I wanted to be surprised in the theater,” Bay says.
We’re going to do a special IMAX skew where it’ll open up for those scenes,” Bay says. “You can see top to bottom.”
TakaraTomy has released official images of the alternate version of Revenge of the Fallen Leader class Optimus Prime that is currently being released in Japan only. The images, from TFW2005, show a modified paint job with outlines on the flames, metallic silver instead of gray, chromed bumper and new gun. Personally I would be really surprised if this isn't released as an exclusive to Target or Wal-Mart by the end of the year. Overall this is a pretty sweet looking figure.
The second full day of the San Diego Comic-con has ended and bit more Transformers related information here and there.
IDW Publishing Panel
Discussion of upcoming plans for the GI Joe and Transformers comic books. I hope that includes ending the excessive story decompression writing style.
- GI Joe and Transformers available digitally and on iTunes (appears to be 99 cent iPhone app for each issue)
- Rise of Cobra: Snake Eyes written by actor Ray Park who plays him in the movie (also was Darth Maul and Toad in X-Men).
- Revenge of the Fallen stories will continue with Tales of the Fallen miniseries with issue 3 and 4 involving a fight between Jetfire and The Fallen (I am guessing both survive the confrontation).
- All Hail Megatron continues with issue 15 (focused on Perceptor and Kup) and issue 16 (Bumblebee and Spike). Why they just don't call them Spotlight issues or better yet just start a "Tales of the Autobots" and "Tales of the Decepticons" series to make it simple for readers (and trade collecting) is beyond me.
- The Transformers: first ongoing series (before was really a series of mini-series) in a while written by Mike Costa and art by Don Figueroa. Starts in November.
- Transformers: Bumblebee: four issue mini-series focused on the character "between a rock and a hard place with his own friends." Starts in December.
- Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers: Another mini-series that takes place in space and "foreshadows upcoming events in the ongoing series". Written by Nick Roche. Starts in January.
- No GI Joe/Transformers crossover planned.
- Transformers: The 13, announced last year, has been shelved but might return as a different version (probably result of the Primes shrinking down to about 7 total in the movie).
Transformers: Nefarious
Six issue miniseries written by Simon Furman, art by Carlos Magno. Takes place in movie universe and focuses on "a new organization with ‘nefarious’ designs on the robots in disguise. Their technology gives them a tactical advantage not yet seen in the films.” Will be released in early 2010.
Marvel Crossovers
Click link for images of new toys for the line, sadly most are repaints. Hulk (bulldozer), Punisher (Hummer, Cap America repaint), Human Torch (repaint of previous figure), X-Force Wolverine (repaint of original figure).
Star Wars Crossovers
Click the link for images of new toys for the line, mostly repaints. Includes Battle Droid Commander (Armored Assault Tank), Clone Pilot (V-Wing Starfighter), Anakin Skywalker (The Twilight), Wit Fisto (Jedi Starfighter), Plo Koon (Jedi Starfighter), and the Y-Wing Pilot (Y-Wing). This line has had so many repaints it’s hard to even remember what the originals were.
Last, just because I like it, the test footage shown at SDCC from Tron Legacy that keeps the Tron look but makes it more realistic looking.
On Adam Carolla's podcast show for Tuesday, he discussed the recent controversy regarding the Twins and their "racist" behavior. Not really interested in re-hashing that regardless of what size you fall on but did find Adam and Kevin's Hench take amusing.
To hear that segment of the podcast, click here. Then click "Listen Now", in the list choose "Adam and Kevin Hench". Once the podcast starts, use the scrollbar below the football field to go to the 27:43 mark. It goes for about three minutes. Thanks to Ian for the heads-up.
From Tech Radar, another article that gets into the technical challenges of creating the visual effects in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen by Industrial Light & Magic and Digitial Domain. Few snippets below, the full article is here.
With animators often facing complicated 500-frame shots with three robots, Benza cast his staff according to their skill sets. "Some animators were interested in animating particular scenes, so I'd shift things around to give them a chance to do those shots," he says. "Specialists in animal behaviour would get the Ravage shots because he was a cat-based Decepticon. Others were specialists in dialogue and acting performances."
To create these performances, team members were aided by a rigging system developed by ILM for the previous movie, through which they could choose what parts of the model to connect. "An animator can animate any individual part or any groups of parts," Benza says. In addition, a new system provided the animators with a little procedural help on the more complex shots.
To make matters more complex, Devastator is so big and has so many parts that the animation crew couldn't treat him as a single asset. "When we tried to load the entire model in high res, it would grind the machines to a halt," Benza says. "We had two machines fail trying to work with him. One literally smoked. We don't know for sure if it was a direct result of working with this character, but it certainly did get overloaded – and fried."
"We designed the first version of the fight not knowing how it would be used in the movie, with Bumblebee and the cop car robot from the first movie, Barricade," says Benza. "Michael Bay liked how tight the edit was and the brutality when Bumblebee tears the limbs off, so he found a place for the fight in the movie and substituted a different robot [Rampage]."
The first full day of the San Diego Comic Con has ended and as expected it brought news of Hasbro's Transformer plans but sadly nothing about Transformers 3. Probably the "biggest" news for movie fans is the third Arcee vehicle officially has a name Flare-up which will be released eventually but the three do not combine. Below is a link to galleries and info from the day.
Encore #16 and #17 Gallery
This refers to Japan exclusive re-release of Generation One toys which for collectors is conveniently numbered (something Hasbro needs to do). Encore #16 is release of Bruticus, a combiner comprised of five Decepticons. Encore #17 is Cassettes Big Mission Volume 2 which is second volume of three that re-releases all of Soundwave's and Blaster's cassette figures. Notice another aspect of Japan Transformers releases that Hasbro should copy - fantastic packaging that can be re-used for easy displaying.
SDCC Preview Night and More
Two large galleries that shows off Hasbro's booth. Includes Bumblebee vehicle from the movie, Masterpiece Skywarp (future Wal-Mart exclusive), most of the Revenge of the Fallen toy line, and more.
Hasbro's Transformers Panel
During its panel on Thursday, Hasbro revealed some of its plans with Transformers through to 2010 involving Transformers Animated, new Revenge of the Fallen toys and exclusives. 142 picture gallery for below toys here.
Revenge of the Fallen- Legends class: Arcee, Jolt, Soundwave, Wheelie
- Scout class: Skystalker (Drone Jet), Scattershot (Rocket Launcher?)
- Deluxe class: Ratchet (new toy for same character), Lockdown (based on Animated toy, redesigned for ROTF look), Dirge (Breakaway repaint with new head), Brawn (a NEST vehicle)
- Voyager class: Ironhide (more weapons, altered paintjob), Bludgeon (tank, look based on the G1 comic character), Mindwipe (jet, Skystalker may be able to attach to him)
- Human Alliance: Barricade with Frenzy, Mudflap with Chromia and Simmons
Exclusives
- Titanium: Thrust, Hot Zone. Target exclusives.
- Commemorative: Reissue of the G1 Insecticons Shrapnel, Bombshell and Kickback. Also reissue of G1 Perceptor whose alt mode is a microscope. Both Toys R Us exclusives.
- Masterpiece Skywarp: First released in Japan, now coming to the states, repaint of MP Starscream. Wal-Mart exclusive.
- Gathering of the Nemesis: Revealed before but noted that Megatron is based on the first movie mold, not ROTF and has silver highlights for his previous frozen condition.
- Fiery The Fallen: Target exclusive
Transformers Animated
Apparently the line isn't dead yet as they have several toys planned, some actually new and not just repaints.
- Deluxe class: Soundwave with Ratbat (repaint with new guitar bud), Arcee with swords, Rodimus Minor, Cybertronian Ratchet (how looked on the planet minus beer belly), Cybertronian Ironhide, Fugitive Waspinator (BB repaint)
- Voyager class: Grimlock (repaint), Bumblebee (believe new since usually a Deluxe toy), Blackout (based on movie version), Wingblade Prime (Deluxe prime with part for jet pack), Thundercracker (Starscream repaint)
Q&A Session
- Flare-up name of third Arcee vehicle, toy to come later
- No Animated Omega Supreme release
- Considering releasing Devastator with G1 colors but no firm plans
- No Masterpiece Grimlock (yet) to release the toy stateside.
- No Overload in Supreme Devastator because would increase price of toy, difficulty in adding to design (he is the "spine" of the character) and because wasn't visible when combined in the movie.
- Forth Leader class toy confirmed to be Starscream (crappy pic here)
- Classic and Universe line will continue at a later date
- No definite plans for EZ Devastator in the states
- Early stages for a new animated series, no specifics provided
For those wondering, the "Masterpiece" line is a Japan exclusive from Takara that re-creates classic Generation One characters at a larger size and a great deal more detail with often very complex transformations. The two released stateside were Optimus Prime and Starscream as Wal-Mart exclusives.
Earlier this year MP-08 Grimlock was released (Peaugh's video review below) and came with apron, necktie, tray, glasses and transfer device (based on the cartoon moments). Now TakaraTomy has announced they are re-releasing the toy and replacing the accessories and calling it MP-08x King Grimlock as he will come with a crown and new packaging. Takara uses a numbering scheme for all their various Transformers lines, something Hasbro should copy as it encourages a collector's mentality which is only good for business and makes it easier for fans to track what they have or need. As the picture shows, the result is pretty cool looking. For those that already purchased the toy, an unofficial "Upgrade Kit" is in the works. King Grimlock is apparently a Toy Hobby exclusive so the cost will be $150 or more.
Related to Masterpiece line is a "mini" Masterpiece Optimus Prime that isn't painted but looks identical to the large version only scaled to about Deluxe size (the other toy is Classic line Ultra Magnus), so nearly 2/3 as small as the original toy. What I am not clear on is if this is a prototype for a future toy or a fan project. Click here to view the entire gallery on ACToys.net. (via TFW2005)
Below are links to more concept art created for Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to go with previous posts. Found by Waveride.
Production Illustration - few ideas for the Nemesis and a Constructicon
Storyboards - Several sketches for Ratchet, Sideswipe and more.
Paul Ozzimo - Unable to enter the site but the slideshow on the home page shows some images.
James Clyne - Art from the first movie, might have posted before but can't hurt to see again.
Tim Flattery - 15 images from the artist that I believe are for the first movie.
A few months ago it was revealed that Chevrolet was going to release a special edition Camaro style like Bumblebee from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Chevy has now made that official with a press release that describes some of the Transformer specific flourishes they have added to the car. Sadly the one most probably want, large Autobot symbol in middle of the steering column, does not seem to be one of them. For more pictures of the special edition Camaro click here.
Chevrolet announces the 2010 Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special EditionRead more...
DETROIT - Fans of the new Camaro and the blockbuster TRANSFORMERS movies can now combine their love of the car and the films with the Chevrolet Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition announced today at Comic-Con in San Diego.
"When the first TRANSFORMERS movie was setting box office records, we had countless customers asking to purchase the 'BUMBLEBEE' Camaro," said Karen Rafferty, product marketing director, Chevrolet. "Now, they can buy one with the new Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition. Streets all over North America will be buzzing in no time."
Features such as an EPA-rated 29 highway mpg on the V6-powered Camaro, Bluetooth phone connectivity, USB connectivity, XM Satellite Radio and OnStar combined with TRANSFORMERS design cues add to the car's status as a 21st century sports car.
"Hasbro is thrilled to team up with Chevrolet and excited to see the Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition come to market for our fans to enjoy," said Samantha Lomow, Global Brand Leader for TRANSFORMERS at Hasbro. "The yellow Camaro with the black stripes has become so iconic and closely associated with the BUMBLEBEE character that this edition was a natural fit for both companies."
While the aggressive styling of the Camaro is unmistakable, true TRANSFORMERS fans will notice some of the unique, but subtle features of the Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition.
The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition includes the following:
* AUTOBOT® shield on the driver and passenger side panels
* AUTOBOT® shield on each of the four wheel's center cap
* AUTOBOT® shield embroidered on interior center console
* "TRANSFORMERS" logo on driver and passenger doors' sill plates
* "TRANSFORMERS" logo embedded into the hood rally stripes
* High-gloss black center rally stripe package
* Manufacturer's suggested retail price of package: $995
Dealers are now taking orders for this car. Customers can order the TRANSFORMERS Special Edition as either a Rally Yellow LT or SS model. The optional RS appearance package can also be added.
The V6-powered Camaro uses a 3.6L engine with variable valve timing to optimize performance and fuel economy. It is SAE-certified at 304 horsepower (227 kW) and 273 lb.-ft. of torque (370 Nm). A six-speed manual transmission is standard with the 3.6L engine; a Hydra-Matic 6L50 electronically controlled six-speed automatic, with TAPshift control, is available.The high-performance Camaro SS is equipped with a powerful 6.2L V-8, with a choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Manual transmission-equipped models receive the LS3 engine, SAE-certified at 426 horsepower (318 kW) and 420 lb.-ft. of torque (569 Nm). It is paired with a TR6060 six-speed transmission.
A new, L99 V-8 engine is used on automatic transmission-equipped SS models. It is based on the LS3, but also includes GM's fuel-saving Active Fuel Management feature. It is SAE-certified at 400 horsepower (298 kW) and 410 lb.-ft. of torque (556 Nm). It is matched with a Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed transmission that helps delivers an EPA-estimated 25 mpg on the highway.
In an interview with Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (who is promoting G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra) he discussed some of the possibilities for Transformers 3 with Rotten Tomatoes including Paramount possibly moving forward without Michael Bay, criticism for the movie and Unicron.
So based on the box office returns, are you guys already talking about Transformers 3?Read more...
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: We've started talking about it now. We're debating the right time for it.
Did the harsh critical reception for Transformers 2 surprise you?
LdB: The first one took a pretty big drubbing too -- that's what people forget. There's something about [director] Michael [Bay] that the critics just want to have at him. I think in a funny way it worked for the movie. I think people are fed up with critics. I think in a way it's making people contrarian. I think it was in this case, because a lot of people came up to us and said, "fuck the critics." I don't normally get that - you don't normally get people coming up to you and talking about the reviews - they normally just want to talk about the movie. But that was a point for a lot of those fans. It was fascinating - there's a major disconnect going on between the fans and the audience.
How do you feel about the criticism levelled against Skids and Mudflap being racist stereotypes?
LdB: Everybody has to put their own lens on these things. The intention was certainly not how some people perceived it... I'll put it that way. We didn't think of it that way, and we certainly didn't set out to offend anybody. I've been involved in a lot of movies that people have seen things in them that we didn't intend. I did a movie called Executive Decision a long time ago, and we were picketed by the Arab Americans and American Muslims saying we portrayed Islam incorrectly. And we were sort of like 'Well we don't see a lot of African-Americans or White people or Chinese people taking over airplanes in the sky', but we got into that conversation, and then you start to see their point. But they have a prism that they are looking at it through.
There's been talk of Michael Bay not returning for Transformers 3, so would you be prepared to make one of these movies without him?
LdB: As the producer I'd certainly love to see him back. I can't imagine Transformers without him. I guess the studio will see it sometime as such a big asset that they are forced to do it, but Michael has never intimated anything like that - the timing is the big question for him, not whether he is going to do it or not.
There was a poll on IGN asking the audience which Transformers they'd most like to see in part three, and the big winner was Unicron, so what are the chances of his making it into the next film?
LdB: Unicron worries me because it's so big that it dwarfs emotion. It's so hard, because when you're working to that scale, it sort of becomes outside any kind of human reality you have. It's obviously a great character, and one that we're definitely going to talk about, but for me personally - and I'm not the only vote here - that one scares me. Because of its size, it becomes sort of impersonal when it gets to that scale. I remember seeing the second Fantastic Four and Galactcus, and suddenly I was in another world and it took it away from the human characters. One of the tricky parts about Transformers is you've got these five-to-six foot things called humans, then you've got the 32-foot Transformers, then you come to Devastator and you've got 125-feet. You become increasingly small on a physical level, and I think that's true on a story level. I think if you go to Unicron, you're going to end up sacrificing your human characters. And for me that worries me because I like the human characters.
Is he not the kind of character IMAX was designed for?
LdB: Well Devastator covered it from foot to top so I don't know what the hell else you'd do to tell you the truth. Don't get me wrong - Unicron is an obvious and great character, I just worry about it from the experience of the movie.
Are there any Transformers you'd like to see that?
LdB: I love the Mini-Cons actually -- I think they're very cool. I love the lore -- every time we approach one of these movies, we go back and read everything we can about it -- that's how we came across the Fallen. I thought that was such an interesting idea -- that there's sort of a Judas within the mythology. For me, I like the surprise of that. Each time I sit down to give my vote, I like to re-read it and discover what I think. But I think the Mini-Cons are really cool.
Yesterday Ryan Church's Revenge of the Fallen concept art was found online and now Josh Nizzi's is up for our enjoyment on his website. Josh Nizzi has done covers for IDW's Transformers comics and first popped up on our radars with his concept art for Long Haul that got the attention of Michael Bay. He has posted many images he did as part of the prep work for Transformers 2 that includes designs for Megatron, Jetfire, Power Up Optimus Prime, head designs and much more. Below are a few of the images but it’s worth checking out the full gallery here.
Concept artist for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Ryan Church has posted some of his art work for the movie on his website that is truly beautiful to look at. The images depict moments from the desert battle (Palm Dale Quarry), the aircraft carrier sinking, interior of the Harvester, images of the Nemesis and more. It shows how much the art can inform on the final work as some of the images match the movie almost exactly while others show what was planned versus what the final product became through the many months of production. Below are a few images with the full gallery here. (via io9.com)
A "Burning" repaint of Voyager class The Fallen may be in the works for release later in the year. First introduced at Botcon last year, the toy is a homage to Generation One version of the character that was introduced in the Dreamwave comics five or so years ago and noted for always being on fire. It is assumed that the G1 is what planted the seeds for the movie version even though the two have little in common beyond their names. Exactly details on the release of the toy is unknown.
Thanks to the movies, Transformers is growing ever more popular in China as the characters are being more frequently used to promote various products. Revenge of the Fallen is highest grossing movie ever in the country surpassing Titanic. To the right is a homemade VW Jetta used by a Beijing mall to promote a new movie theatre. The full gallery can be found here. Thanks to Robert for the link.
From the article:
The Chinese fascination, perhaps better called an obsession, with all things Transformers has not yet reached its peak. The release of the second Transformers movie in China has only served to make the Transformers stronger than before in the PRC, which has resulted in various Autobots doing lucrative product sponsorship on various products from male skin care products to kids cereal. Some companies have run with the Transformers success to push their own business, Citroen for example used a dancing robot to push its new Citroen C4, and then there’s the Beijing mall that used their own home made VW Jetta bot to garner publicity for their own recently opened movie theatre.
The actual numbers are in and sadly Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs has taking Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as the top movie of the year internationally with an overseas total of $430.9 million to TF2's $396.6 million. However, this position will not hold as it appears that Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince is well on its way to reaching a billion dollars.
HP6's first five days of release in the states came to $158.0 million and overseas was a record breaking $236 million making it the highest grossing foreign opening ever beating Spider-Man 3's $230.5 million. As I indicated before, if the movie maintains its popularity overseas, odds are very high it could become the fifth movie to surpass the billion dollar mark, something that Transformers 2 is not going to achieve.
Speaking of Revenge of the Fallen, the final weekend numbers is third place with $13.7 million estimate was accurate bringing its domestic total to $363.8 million and ranking it 13th in the all time top grossing movies chart (88th if adjust for inflation). Overseas sales came to $13.5 for an overseas total of $396.6 bringing its worldwide total to $760.4 million. At this rate the movie should pass the $800 million mark by the end of the week.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24-6/28 | $200.2 | $166.2 | $366.4 |
| 6/29-7/02 | $50.9 | $52.7 | $103.6 |
| 7/03-7/05 | $42.3 | $55.0 | $97.3 |
| 7/06-7/09 | $21.6 | $35.1 | $56.7 |
| 7/10-7/12 | $24.2 | $31.4 | $55.6 |
| 7/13-7/16 | $10.9 | $18.6 | $29.5 |
| 7/17-7/19 | $13.7 | $13.5 | $27.2 |
| 7/20-7/23 | $7.3 | $7.7 | $15.0 |
| Totals | $371.1 | $404.3 | $775.4 |
The EZ Collection Devastator gallery for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has popped up online that provides close-up look at the seven vehicles and their alt modes. Each individual robot is similar in size and detail as the other Legends class line and currently limited to a Japan only release or at least nothing for the States or Europe has been announced. The combined Devastator mode is about the size of Deluxe Skids and actually looks surprising good. Below are select images with the full gallery here.
Despite a huge advertising blitz, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince failed to catch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in first five nor first weekend of release in the US based on early estimates. HP6 weekend is first weekend is looking to be around $79 million bringing its five day total to $159 million. Transformers 2 first weekend was $108.9 million, five day was near record breaking $200.1 million.
Having said that, the numbers are not in for the international gross which is important as the film is likely to do very well overseas. Where TF2's totals are split evenly between US and international sales, the Harry Potter series traditionally does 3 times as well overseas. That proportion resulted in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to earn a worldwide gross of $938.2 million, 68.9% of that total from overseas sales. If that pattern holds then the five day international totals could be as high as $230 bringing the worldwide gross to $389.7 million, easily surpassing Transformers 2's $366.2 million.
The net result of all this estimated number crunching (assuming they closely match Monday's actuals) is it is pretty much a lock that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will remain the top movie of the year in the States but Harry Potter 6 will be the top movie in worldwide totals and could possibly become only the fifth movie in the world to pass the billion dollar mark (not adjusting for inflation). Just something to keep in mind if planning on any "I told you so" fun with friends.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24-6/28 | $200.2 | $166.2 | $366.4 |
| 6/29-7/02 | $50.9 | $52.7 | $103.6 |
| 7/03-7/05 | $42.3 | $55.0 | $97.3 |
| 7/06-7/09 | $21.6 | $35.1 | $56.7 |
| 7/10-7/12 | $24.2 | $31.4 | $55.6 |
| 7/13-7/16 | $10.9 | $18.6 | $29.5 |
| 7/17-7/19 | $13.7* | ||
| Totals | $363.8 | $383.1 | $746.8 |
Thanks to TFG2; here is an image that compares the size of Devastator with its component parts to give you an idea of the scale for each. Sadly High Tower was not "cloned" in the movie so no robot mode exists. Of note is it appears that Long Haul may get a toy release.
From the recent Tokyo Toy Show (that technically was "no photography allowed") are a few images that show off Buster Optimus Prime, the Alternity Bumblebee mold, Human Alliance Bumblebee and Skids, and the Device Label line. Below are few pictures but the full gallery that includes images of the Supreme Devastator and other ROTF toys can be found here. (via TFW2005)
In the States our Transformers options essentially consist of Transformers: ROTF toys and left over Animated toys. In Japan, they get to purchase all that and more, often called "Labels" based on various grouping choices. I have posted previously of Disney Label, Alternate and others. A few months ago "Device Label" joined the line and it’s pretty darn cool but also expensive.
The line is essentially a transforming "computer" package of a laptop, mouse and a working USB thumb drive. The line will be five characters total, two of them repaints. The laptop is Blaster, the thumb drives Ravage and Tigatron and the Mouse will be Grimlock and Trypticon. Each toy will cost you around $50 to $60 to purchase with an estimated release date in September. Below are a few images with the full gallery here.
More Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen galleries has popped up online for toys from the line that have not yet been released.
The first is a new gallery of Human Alliance Sideswipe that is looking pretty slick. I think the Deluxe toy is the best of the line and this one looks like a keeper to. No idea when it’s coming out, have not even seen HA Bumblebee on shelves yet. The full gallery with lots of close-ups is here. Thanks to Chris for the link.
Next is another gallery of images of Toys R Us exclusive Gathering at the Nemesis set with Deluxe Soundwave repainted in Generation One colors. As the picture shows, the look suits him. No info on cost or release date. The full gallery can be found here.
Last is another exclusive set, this time for Wal-Mart called "The Fury of Fearswoop". Sadly the one image is all we have so no bio, price or release date info. The set appears to include Legends class Sideswipe and Mudflap and Deluxe Fearswoop. Fearswoop is a repaint of Dreadwing figure from the first movie line and the according to TFW2005, the color scheme is a nod to Generation Two character Hooligan. I am guessing the reason for "Fearswoop" rather than Hooligan has something to do with inability to get the copyright for the name.
America held its annual Transformers convention with Botcon and now it appears the United Kingdom is planning their own with AutoAssembly Transformers Convention. AA09 will be held from the 15th to 16th in Birmingham, England. The guests so far are Greg Berger voice of Grimlock and Jetfire in the Generation One cartoons and Ian James Corlett who voice Cheetor for Beast Wars and Beast Machines. Based on level of pre-registrants they also might be able to get Neil Kaplan who was Optimus Prime for the Robots in Disguise cartoons.
For all the details include cost, attendee packages and non-attendee packages go to the official Auto Assembly website here.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen remains king of the Wednesday opening as Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince just fell short with a $58.4 million opening day compared to TF2's $62 million first day. This is despite a record breaking $22.2 million in midnight screenings that easily surpassed Revenge's $16 million and The Dark Knight's $18 million.
It seems that Transformers 2 $201 million five day opening may just hold up which would indicate that race for box office king for the year is going to much closer than expected. Overall the reviews for the film have been very good but this movie doesn't have as much effects or action as the previous films as it’s essentially a setup for the final two movies. Still worth seeing but not really full of moments that might lead to repeat business (to me anyway). Thanks to Darin for the link.
If you live in the land of the rising sun you already know that you get the best Transformers made on the planet. In non-movie related news, Takara has released a bunch of new toys it’s releasing for its various lines for Transformers that are exclusive to Japan.
A new Alternity vehicle to join Optimus Prime and Megatron. The new figure will be Bumblebee which will come in "champion yellow or "red pearl" (aka Cliffjumper). The Alternity line is 1/32 scale Transformers (so about Deluxe sized) with a license from Japanese companies for the alt mode that has die-cast parts. The tentative release date is November 2009 and costs around $50 each.
The Disney Label has two new additions with Donald Duck as Bumblebee with a white paint job and VW Bug alt mode and Mickey Mouse as Optimus Prime with Halloween paint job. The first release with Mickey Mouse is now hard to come by, costs $50 and seems big but is really about Scout sized.
Next up is Encore Re-issue #19, Cassette Big Mission 3 Set. This is a continuation of the re-release of the entire cassette Generation 1 Transformers. This set includes Frenzy, Rumble, Overkill and Laserbeak, costs about $50 and estimated release date is November 2009.
In movie related news, Generation One character Hoist gets homage with a repaint of Longarm from the first movie's toy line. Longarm was released as part of the Human Alliance set and later as a Deluxe figure. Full gallery here. 
Finally, it appears the Transformers will get the bobble-head treatment based on the image provided by Brian and his sister (thanks!) that was found in Hawaii. I am not sure what others are involved but safe to assume it includes at least Megatron and Bumblebee.
If you are interested in getting most of these toys, especially the Japan only releases, you are going to have to order online. Most websites do have pre-orders and yes in most cases the cost is higher than your use to but that is the price of buying imports. The release date is just estimates, I have waited sometimes up to a year to get items I have pre-ordered (due to delays of the manufacturer) so patience is a requirement. Sites I have used in the past without problems and can recommend is tfsource.com, bigbadtoystore.com, and digital-toys.com.
The giant Gundam robot replica I reported about last year is now up and running and the result is pretty spectacular. Apparently this is a first of a series of replicas. The next one is Tetsukin (Gigantor) which is already under construction. I just want to know when it will be Transformers turn. Any case below is a video of the completed robot/statue doing its thing.
Activision has announced that a downloadable expansion pack for Playstation 3 and XBox 360 version of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Game will be released later this summer that will include 10 new characters, three new maps and a new difficulty mode. The price and exact date has not been released. Thanks to Lady Owl for the link.
The highlights:
- New characters include Generation 1 Starscream and Sideswipe.
- New characters are for multi and single player mode.
- "Expert" difficulty mode will have new leader boards
- New Achievements and Trophies will become available.
According to TFW2005, a variant version of Leader class Optimus Prime may be released in November (currently Japan only) that has modified gas tanks that combine to form the big gun Prime wielded against Megatron in the movie. He will also have a modified head sculpt that removed the faceplate. Hopefully this will also get released on the states.
After the release of Monday's box office numbers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has passed its predecessor in worldwide gross total with $711.6 million to Transformers $708.3 million and did it in only 20 days. At this rate it does appear the movie will cross the $800 million worldwide total threshold but not get much further than that. What impact Harry Potter 6 will have should be interesting since both movies are after essentially the same audience on HP6 is getting much better reviews over all (95% rating).
TF1 vs. TF2 (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| TF1 | $319,246,193 (45.1%) | $389,026,399 (54.9%) | $708,272,592 |
| TF2 | $342,305,825 (48.1%) | $369,314,131 (51.9%) | $711,619,956 |
It has been a few months since checked the Don Murphy and TFW2005 Ask Orci (writer of Transformer films) and did a summary. Main reason is because he took a break for the Star Trek world tour. This could be the last edition but hopefully not, time will tell. Orci covers topics from the Twins language, why no vocoder for Soundwave, more Prime action, and more. My comments in brackets [].
Wankertron: Who's idea was it to include questionable language in the robot's dialogue? I refer to Wheelie calling people "bitch", and the twins coming out with "pussy". It's one thing for a kid to repeat bad language after watching, for instance, a Schwarzenegger movie. Because then one can say "Well, what were they doing watching that?", and the blame can be laid elsewhere. But In Transformers? A movie designed for kids? I felt it was inappropriate. What's your take?Read more...
Those examples were improvised or added by Michael. We actually arm wrestled about it. I think it's appropriate barely as you approach 13. If we had final cut, those lines would not be in the movie. But I'm not going to cry that Michael left them in, or condemn him. Can't argue with results, right? Certainly the first movie walked the line, and there's been no false advertising, or at least not MUCH!
[The Twins were specifically created and marketed for the kids and then preceeded to use frequent adult language. The PG-13 rating is Bay's excuse for bad behavior but at the end of the day he screwed up, plain and simple. If he wanted to use adult language, he shouldn't have created characters designed for kids. Its not rocket science.]
Master Fwiffo: what exactly was the intent with Arcee? Is she supposed to be one bot in three bodies, or three separate bots, or what?
Wrote her as one who made up of three. Bay kept them as individuals.
[On the bright side, even with one of the three dead, they were never named or directly implied to be seperate so the third film could go with the writer's orginial concept with ease.]
BRAWN1228: Can you tell us what scene it was that Bay put in the movie where he said "The fans are gonna love this."
He said that about a few things, I think. Certainly, Megs abusing Starscream.
butz: which fandom was crazier; the Transformers fans or the Star Trek fans?
too close to call
neospark1: ...not vocoding Soundwave's voice is an incredible injustice/mistake. How hard did you go to bat for this? Soundwave's "look," personality, and his voice are the three top iconics on him.
We hassled him about it many times, but we can't be there every second to make sure he behaves! We got day jobs!
Chris B: How did you come to decided the alien satellite alt. mode for Soundwave? What other alt. modes did you consider for Soundwave? Were there any particular Autobots and Decepticons that you had planned on including but were cut?
On Soundwave we recall that as a Boom Box, he was one of the true SPY Decepticons who could blend in anywhere and record things. So a SPY SATELLITE who can see everything seemed like an interesting update. We considered a super rigged up audio kind car and, of course, it's original boom box form. I wanted every Autobot in there!
The Mad Artist: 1. Was Barricade ever meant to be in the movie? 2. Do you see Devastator as being made up of individual robots, or just separate pieces? 3. Was there ever thought of him having more of a role on the battlefield, or was he always meant to be the eye in the sky? 4. Was that Blackout? Was he just revived off camera along with Megatron? 5. ...was there any roadblocks to getting Prime so much hero time? 6. Speaking of BB, were there ever plans for him to speak?
1. Considered it. Honestly can't remember reasons for decision!
2. I suppose since we didn't commit either way, I wouldn't want to tie the hands of future writers with my non-canon opinion.
3. Fought to have him come down, but so many robots to service and he had his moments -- his main draw is as a spy.
4. Could explain it that way, but I can't remember if he's ever called Blackout in the movie. Is there a Revenge of the Fallen Blackout Toy?
5. We knew we had to do A LOT more with Prime this time, and if we could do it again we would have EVEN MORE time with Prime.
6. We discussed it, but we all loved the musical ability so much, and Bay wanted to focus more on the twins because, as he said, he thought kids would like them
mattjy: 1. There were five new Autobots (Sideswipe, Arcee, Jolt and the Twins), yet only the twins had a large degree of screentime. What was the reasoning behid this choice? 2. Was the fact that the Autobots spent so much time in vehical mode, even when they were beign transported an artistic decision or a practical one?
1. Michael loved the idea of the twins and wanted to feature them to make the movie, as he said, kid friendly.
2. I don't disagree. Money can be tight!
Based on current estimates Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's weekend run at the box office has come to an end as Bruno took the top spot with $30.4 million. The news gets a little worse as Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs took the second spot with $28.5 million. Revenge came in third with $24.2 million raising its domestic total to $339.2 million and now has passed the first movie's domestic total of $319 million with ease.
I found some international estimates which shows TF2 made an additional $31.4 million for an overseas total of $364.5 for a worldwide total of $703.7. This is just $4.6 million short of the first movies worldwide take of $708.3M which took months and the sequel only 20 days to surpass. Harry Potter 6 is about to land in three days so whatever momentum TF2 has is about to come to a screeching halt. Transformers 2 currently holds the top spot for the year but will HP6 grab it away?
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24-6/28 | $200.2 | $166.2 | $366.4 |
| 6/29-7/02 | $50.9 | $52.7 | $103.6 |
| 7/03-7/05 | $42.3 | $55.0 | $97.3 |
| 7/06-7/09 | $21.6 | $35.1 | $56.7 |
| 7/10-7/12 | $24.2 | $31.4 | $55.6 |
| 7/13-7/16 | $10.9 | $18.6 | $29.5 |
| Totals | $350.1 | $383.1 | $733.1 |
One of the things I have noticed in recent interviews with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman is a small degree of distancing from the more crass humor in the movie, especially from the Twins and "testicles" on Devastator. The duo spoke with Film School Rejects about The Twins and completed the "don't look at me" transition.
Cole: I heard that the gold tooth was Michael Bay’s idea, but do you have any response to those who found The Twins offensive?From what I have read, pretty much the source of most of the humor that people have groaned about and found offensive came from the mind of third ROTF writer of Ehren Kruger and director Michael Bay. I am sure there is some mix and match from all four but based on the duos previous writing efforts the rumor has validity. I guess depending on your view of the movie's humor, this makes Kruger a new writer to watch or one to avoid. (via TFW2005)
Orci: Number one, we sympathize. Yes, the gold tooth was not in the script, that’s true.
Kurtzman: It’s really hard for us to sit here and try to justify it. I think that would be very foolish, and if someone wants to be offended by it, it’s their right. We were very surprised when we saw it, too, and it’s a choice that was made. If anything, it just shows you that we don’t control every aspect of the movie.
Cole: Were you offended by them?
Kurtzman: I wasn’t thrilled. I certainly wasn’t thrilled.
Orci: Yeah, same reaction. I’m not easily offended, but when I saw it, I thought, ‘Someone’s gonna write about that.’”
Previously it was indicated that the DVD and Blu-ray release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen might be in October 24th. Now a new page on Amazon for the Special Edition version indicates a September 2009 date. The page is for a comic book store and the most recent issue of Previews (for September sales) did have Revenge listed so might be related to that. Also TFAW.com indicates September 30th as the date. The first movie was released on October 16th, 2007 and the window between theatrical run to home video keeps getting smaller so the date is plausible. Hopefully something will be released soon to verify Paramount's home video plans for the movie. I would hold off ordering anything until a date is officially confirmed, besides the prices will be better and might include exclusive stuff depending on store. Thanks to MovieMakerKid14 for the links.
Product Description:
From Paramount Home Video! The battle for Earth has ended - but the battle for the universe has just begun! Returning to Cybertron after bitter defeat at the hands of the Autobots, Starscream assumes command of the Decepticons with a singular purpose - to return to Earth in force! Meanwhile, the Autobots, believing peace possible, discover that Megatron's remains have been stolen from the US Military by Skorpinox, who revives him using his own spark. Now reenergized, Megatron seeks revenge, and with Starscream and his Decepticon reinforcements on the way, the Autobots may have more to deal with than meets the eye! Director Michael Bay returns to helm this super-charged sequel to the highly successful, big-screen adaptation of everyone's favorite 'Robots in Disguise' for DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures, starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro. Scheduled to ship in September 2009.
The debate seems to continue as to whether Paramount will push for Transformers 3 to be released on July 1st, 2011 or if they will concede to director Michael Bay's preference of a break and push it back to June 2012. Associated Content revisits the debate and seems to indicate that while Paramount would prefer 2011 the decision on Michael Bay returning for TF3 will ultimately decide things. Thanks to Hanna for the link.
Though it is debatable whether a new Transformers movie could be made by 2011, but is looking to be a certainty is two of the main players coming back for a third installment. Director Michael Bay has stated that he wants to come back to the third chapter after a small break from "fighting robots", and star Shia LaBeouf has also stated that he would come back at least one more time. It's a smart decision, as this is a franchise that could continue to make both parties very wealthy over the long term.
The Arker has revealed two exclusive Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen box sets that will hit stores soon for Target and Toys R Us. The Target set is called "Straightaway Shootout" features in Legends class figures of Ironhide, Mudflap, Runamuck, Sparkcrusher, and Swerve. The Toys R Us exclusive called "Gathering at the Nemesis" is a bit larger with Voyager class Megatron, The Fallen and Deluxe Soundwave repainted in Generation One colors. No idea on price but I am guessing around $25 for Targets and $50 for TRU.
Gathering at the Nemesis bio
On the surface of an old world lost in the deep black of space lies the wreckage of an ancient, powerful battleship. Long views as a sacred place by Decepticons, it represents the height of their powers and it is there that three of the evil robots meet to discuss their plans for final victory over the ? Autobots. For the first time, The Fallen reveals himself, and opening explains the plan that will not only allow the Decepticons command over the Earth, but over the entire galaxy.
Straightaway Shootout bio
An Autobot hunter squad has found more Decepticons hiding among the vehicles of Earth. Both are famous among the Autobots - Sparkcrusher for the near-invulnerability of his armor and the destructive power of his cannon, and Runamuck for his insane speed. Even in a three on two fight, the Autobots will have to use every bit of Firepower at their command to bring Sparkcrusher down and stop Runamuck before he escapes.
In an event in Hong Kong for Transformers that showed the toys from G1 days to present, there was a life sized statue of Optimus Prime on display along with a silver statue of the Prime M&M. Few pictures below, rest of the gallery is here. As for the bronze M&M Prime statue, that can be yours for $100 shipping and whatever the winning bid is on eBay. (via TFW2005, TFormers)
The Wall Street Journal reporting that even though not even half of the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toy line is at retail, already Hasbro is expecting "merchandise sales topping the 2007 product lineup by as much as 25%" as a result "merchandise sales topping the 2007 product lineup by as much as 25%, analysts say."
As io9.com points out, the more than $600 million in ticket sales plus $600 million in toys sales plus probably same ballpark for DVD sales is going to result in boffo cash for Paramount/DreamWorks, Hasbro and Michael Bay thanks to the "incestuous relationship" between everyone. Paramount/DreamWorks has to pay a license free for Transformers (which probably includes portion of the profits) but in turn Hasbro has to pay them a portion of the toy profits.
In addition, Michael Bay has a profit sharing deal with Paramount that netted him an estimated $75 million on the first movie and has a deal with Hasbro for 8% of their profits. Before the dust settles it wouldn't surprise me if he clears $150 million off the movie. Considering the money involved, do you really think he would turn down doing Transformers 3? I don't.
Peaugh has posted a video review of Deluxe Jolt who has a blink or you miss it moment in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (helped provide the electrical power for Prime/Jetfire merge). Speaking of the merge, he has also provides an update to his Power-Up Prime review that suggests an alternate configuration for the Prime/Jetfire combo.
Chances are all the extra features for the DVD/Blu-ray edition of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are locked down and more or less complete. However, for the sake of argument let’s say there is still time to add more.
Things I know I don't want include the extended advertisements that are HBO First Look type features that are focused on selling the movie while the stars, directors and producers taking turns kissing each other’s rears. If people are watching the extra features then it’s safe to assume the sales pitch is already successful and it is no longer needs to continue. Instead they should focus on the who, what, when, where and how.
With that in mind here are some features I want to see, starting with the commentaries. I wouldn't mind a director and a full cast commentary. Yeah I know the cast feels too important to bother but consider it good PR with your fan base. By full “cast” I mean the voice cast too as they deserve some attention. In addition give the spotlight to those folks that really carried the film - those magicians at ILM and Digital Domain. Let them explain how they do what they do. A final commentary would be a fan commentary. Get two or three knowledgeable (and fair) fans that will breakdown all the eye candy, point out the G1 references, provide the back story and of course occasionally nitpick.
The next group is the "How they do that?" part. Do an anatomy of a scene (say The Forest Fight or Desert Battle) from words on page, to discussion, sketches, design, storyboard, to film, to CGI creations, to edit, sound mix and the final cut. Show the huge effort that went into what was on screen. A separate feature should be on the Transformers creations again from the tossing of ideas all the way up to the final CGI creation in the computer. The writer’s deserve some attention to so let them follow the process from tossing around ideas to treatment, the effect of the writers’ strike and then the race to deadline. Also Bay likes to brag how he keeps films on time and on budget. I say prove it. Show the many decisions, big and small that led to what show up on screen and $4 million under budget. Basically, consider it a crash course in how to be a director and manager, the Bay way. Another behind the scenes should be "Bay-hem" that focuses on that love of pyrotechnics, how the explosions are done and how Bay gets that look, camera angles and so forth that is his signature. Final feature I would love to see is how a Transformers toy is created. What is the process from an idea to sketch to prototype to factory construction to package on store shelf?
With Blu-ray, all these features could be tied together in an amazing way. Watchmen's Maximum Movie mode is the perfect model to tie all this together and something that Transformers 2 should seriously consider emulating.
I know I am not thinking of everything, so what extra features would you like to see for the DVD/Blu-ray edition of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen?
Monday Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen cross the worldwide $600 million mark in 13 days and now on the 14th day of release it has passed the $300 million threshold in the United States. A press release from Paramount provides the details.
$300 Million in 14-Days for Transformers SequelAt the rate the movie is going it should easily reach the $400 threshold ahead of Shrek 2 (43 days) for the second spot. The Dark Knight will remain the undisputed number 1 by crossing that mark in only 18 days.
After only 14-days in release, the worldwide hit "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" became the 2nd fastest film in movie history to earn $300 million in U.S. ticket sales, eclipsing the previous record-holder "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," by 2-days. From director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, the Paramount Pictures release trails only "The Dark Knight" in this record-setting achievement.
"Moviegoers everywhere propelled the film to this great success, paving the way for a phenomenal run," said Paramount Pictures Vice Chairman Rob Moore.
2007's "Transformers" earned $319.2 million in its theatrical run, and more than $700 million worldwide. The sequel has already taken in over $600 million worldwide to date, conquering several records including:
-- Biggest Wednesday-Sunday opening of all time.
-- Biggest Wednesday opening of all time.
-- Paramount's biggest international opening of all time.
-- 3rd biggest worldwide opening weekend of all time.
-- 4th biggest international opening of all time.
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24-6/28 | $200.2 | $166.2 | $366.4 |
| 6/29-7/02 | $50.9 | $52.7 | $103.6 |
| 7/03-7/05 | $42.3 | $55.0 | $97.3 |
| 7/06-7/10 | $21.6 | $35.1 | $56.7 |
| Totals | $315.0 | $333.1 | $648.1 |
Nike has been on the Transformers bandwagon for a while making TF related shoes every now and then for years but now they have kicked it up a notch with a packaging design that mimics the toy box design from the 80s complete with back of the box artwork and tech specs. The limited edition shoes will come in three versions - Megatron, Bumblebee and Soundwave. They are expected to hit select retails in July and will run you $100-$120 assuming you can even find them at retails. More details and pictures here. (via Gizmodo)
I have posted a few times about ILM's efforts for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but now its Digital Domain's turn with two articles.
The first article from Gizmodo covers how Alice (Isabel Lucas) was transformed into a dangerous robot by the company. The process involved "advanced particle simulation to tear 10,000 pieces of skin away" that Bay found lacking so 40 frames were added of a close-up with 50 pieces being removed that was done by and by five guys over three months for those two seconds of action. The full details with pictures is here.
The second article from CGSociety also covers the Alice sequence but also touches on four others that Digital Domain worked on - the kitchen bots (8 in total), Wheelie, Soundwave and Reed Man. The total shots were about 130. Reed Man is razor thin robot that forms from the combined nano-bugs that Ravage spit out in the movie. The article covers some of the technical hurdles necessary to create the scenes and Bay's creative input on putting the scenes together. The full two page article is here.
After 13 days of release, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen crossed the $600 million threshold in worldwide sales of $607,683,781. Monday sales took the movie over the top with $6.4M from the US and $9.9M ($299.8M total) from international sales ($307.9M total). For comparison it appears it took an estimated 40 days for the first Transformers movie to reach that mark. The first movies worldwide total was $708.2M ($319.2M US, $389.0 International). It appears that at this rate the movie might cross that value by the end of weekend.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24-6/28 | $200.2 | $166.2 | $366.4 |
| 6/29-7/02 | $50.9 | $52.7 | $103.6 |
| 7/03-7/05 | $42.3 | $55.0 | $97.3 |
| 7/06 | $6.4 | $9.9 | $16.3 |
| Totals | $299.8 | $307.9 | $607.7 |
Last night Optimus Prime (CGI version) with Peter Cullen doing the voice appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to read "Top Ten Things That Sound Cool When Spoken By a Giant Robot." Cullen does the best he can with weak material but the CGI wasn't bad for something put together for a comedy segment. Thanks to Feris for the link.
Robert Ebert is one of many critics that disliked the movie but his review was one of the most vicious. He hated the movie on a fundamental level, liking nothing about it. His review is essentially a series of insults that comes down to a crappy plot with stupid characters and loud confusing visuals that lasted too long. Only he didn't put it in such simple terms. Personally I just thought he clearly isn't the audience for this movie (much older males) and his review very clearly reflected that. I think my review more accurately reflects the audience this movie was aimed. He is a good example of why I read more than one opinion to get a wider viewpoint as often most mainstream critics have a set of expectations that I don't.
His review apparently led to outrage from Transfan that loved the movie and they let him know what they thought of his write-up. His response to that is a blog post entitled "I'm a proud Brainiac" (found via MB.com). At the heart of this, he basically believes that those that like Transformers 2 are idiots. In turn those that liked the movie think Ebert is an idiot. His response, essentially comes down to "no I am not stupid, you are!" What I have a problem isn’t that he disliked the movie, so what many people did. My problem is I think he (and many others) fail to do their jobs as a movie reviewer.
He says "it's not a critic's job to reflect box office taste. The job is to describe my reaction to a film, to account for it, and evoke it for others. The job of the reader is not to find his opinion applauded or seconded, but to evaluate another opinion against his own." Except this is bulls#@t. If this was true, reviews would come after the movie reaches theatres not before. How can I evaluate my opinion against his when he has seen the movie and I have not?
A critics job, in reality, is to provide an opinion (i.e. a "review") and "account for it" to assist their readers in making an informed decision on how they will spend their time and money. If a job of a movie critic is only to watch out for the next great piece of cinematic art then he wouldn't have a whole lot to write about. His job is to inform with his opinion and arm people with the information they need to commit to a choice. That he doesn’t seem to know this after all these years disturbs me.
A primary problem is Ebert seems to think his job is to judge a movie on its artistic merit only. If his audience was other critics, that measurement would be sufficient. However, he is speaking to more than just fellow critics. He is speaking to the average movie goers and their criteria tend to extend to entertainment value. As a result, a critic should judge a movie not just artistic value but by its entertainment value and provide readers with the proper set of expectations for a particular movie. All three should be a core to any review. Often only one is. The result is you get artistic films that gets loud accolades from reviewers but lacks in any entertainment value or vice versa. Often films may achieve both but still fall short for the average audience because the critic fails to set the proper expectations for a film. The thing is this disconnect between what the critic says about a movie versus what the audience ultimately decides on entertainment value occurs after the money and time has been spent and when this occurs the reviewer has ultimately failed at their job.
He felt the movie had no meaningful artistic value as his snarky review and blog post makes clear. What about entertainment value? Will it entertain me and why or why not. He was focused on how loud and poorly developed it was. I don't really argue that but I still found it to be highly entertaining. His review never indicated if that event could occur because it probably never crossed his mind because his expectations are set to a far different set of criteria then mine were.
I went into Transformers 2 expecting a loud, CGI fest with great action scenes with minimal story and character development and that is what I got. Can I demand more? Sure. The movie is made though and you should go in to any movie with a certain mindset appropriate to what is coming and what you want. If you wanted just a fun two hours of entertainment, then Transformers 2 probably met those expectations nicely. If you wanted something with more story and character development you were probably very disappointed. A properly written review would have prepared you for either scenario so you could decide if it was worth your money to view the movie.
Does this mean a critic can't demand more? Of course not. Most of the reviews that measured the film on more than just artistic merit (even the overwhelmingly positive ones) were quick to point its flaws but they also made sure to inform you of its entertainment value and set your expectations accordingly so if you spent your money and time you were less likely to be disappointed.
Ebert can feel like a "Brainiac" all he wants, his bruised ego isn't important to me. I just want him to actually help me in making an informed decision on my movie choices. Instead he has become the opposite of that. When he likes a movie, I become concerned as he consistently fails to measure a film on entertainment value and that is my (and many others) primary consideration when choosing what films to see.
The primary lesson here isn’t so much about Ebert but to try and figure out what information is important to you when reading reviews and find critics that consistently meet them. Equally important is to read more than one review to make a truly informed decision. Use Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic to try to find a set of reviewers that tend to meet your taste in movies and when they reach a consensus, you know what to do and when they don’t maybe more research is needed. Better yet, just let your friends are the guinea pigs.
If you have been holding out on buying Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Album because of Amazon's Special Edition listing, you no longer need to wait as it has been cancelled according to an email TFormers received from the company. Considering no details were ever released about the edition I can't say I am surprised.
All week long since Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs came out last Wednesday the two movies have been battling it out at the domestic box office trading number one spots pretty much every other day of the week. The weekend ended with an estimated $42.5 tie between the two movies, the last time this occurred was 11 years ago between The Man in the Iron Mask versus Titanic.
Now the final numbers are in an Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen can claim itself as the number 1 movie for the second weekend in a row with a $42.3 million take to Ice Age 3's $41.7 million. The victory could either be credited to the additional 233 theatres TF2 is in or $4.6 million from IMAX sales. Take your pick. This increases TF2 domestic total to $293.4 million. The international take has not been reported and remains at the estimated $55 million for a total of $298 million bringing the worldwide total to $591.4.
With these new totals, ROTF moves up in rank on a few major listings:
- #31 on the All-Time Domestic
- #46 on the All-Time Worldwisde
- #10 on the Best Independence Day weekend
Overall, Revenge took a 61.2% nosedive from last weekend’s near record breaking high so the longevity of this film is still too tough to call as next weekend will provide some usable numbers but the following week Harry Potter 6 lands and all films are going to be shoved to the side in favor of that blockbuster.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24-6/28 | $200.2 | $166.2 | $366.4 |
| 6/29-7/02 | $50.9 | $52.7 | $103.6 |
| 7/03-7/05 | $42.3 | $55.0* | $97.3 |
| Totals | $293.4 | $298.0 | $591.4 |
RetroSBK, the creators of the Arcee bikes used in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, has posted a few images (below) of the bikes. In a seperate post they provide some additional information about the base models of the bikes before they added they worked their magic. (via Seibertron)
I wanted to take a minute to end the speculation about what really makes up Arcee…
No buell… never was. Quite frankly, I never thought of Arcee as overweight and under powered! Svlete and sexy or muscular and ready to rock, but not loud and slow!
The Pink bike is a Ducati 848, The Blue is a Suzki B-king. The purple is another bike, but she gets.. well see the movie, and you know what happens…
A new article from VFX World talks about how Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen raised the bar in visual effects for movies. The challenge for Industrial Light & Magic was creating the more complicated effects of 46 robots rather than the first movie's 16 while making them bigger, more complicated and at the scale IMAX requires all in the about the same amount of time it took to do the first film. Below are the highlights from the three page article that is worth the read as its amazing the details that have to be considered when creating a CGI sequence. Thanks to a site fan for the link.
- 46 robots in sequel, 14 robots in first
- ILM had about same amount of time to do the increased demands of the second movie as did for the first.
- Takes around 12 weeks to build the model and then another 12-15 weeks to do the rigging and painting for each robot in the computer.
- ILM created 60 builds for ROTF, Digital Domain also designed a few including Alice.
- Disc storage went from 20TB for first film to 150TB.
- Crew size maxxed out to 350 to reach deadline.
- Devastator, if in the real world, would be 150 feet high and Jetfire would be 50 feet tall.
- "both Michael Bay and Scott Farrar wanted to introduce the fact that these characters are alive. Drooling and spitting and bleeding and breathing. Rather than mechanical beasts standing around."
- "[Jetfire] has a sneer at one point, so we had to redesign the face and the eye area so he could wince," Farrar explains.
- "We utilized a lot of martial arts influences and spent about two months doing previs for forest fight sequence and did a full three-minute animatic (in Maya) before the plates were shot for that sequence. "
- "It took 72 hours per frame to render Devastator. We tried a little bit of everything for the forest fight. It's still an action sequence but the hard part was shooting thematically. We know the IMAX people tell you to slow the camera down and lock it off. Well, that's not how Michael shoots. We have pause moments, where you see the characters slow down, but then we have high speed and go back and forth that way."
- "People in computer graphics don't want to reduce motion blur, but the problem with the robots is that they have so many little pieces that they become artifacts with so many sharp things moving through the frame. I found it's better to reduce motion blur in certain moments, like when Bumblebee comes close or Starscream has moments in the forest fight and Optimus and Megatron, where we reduce motion blur to half, a third and an eighth."
- ...the breaking apart of a pyramid top was eight times bigger than the previous ILM rigid simulation record. It only required four or five shots but that took seven months just to create the simulation of the blocks tumbling and being torn apart by Devastator.
In an attempt to cover more about Transformers then just the movie here are two more reviews from Peaugh for two Alternity line toys. This line is essentially replaces the Binal-Tech (Alternators in US) from a few years ago. However, like Binal-Tech (but not Alternators) these have some die-cast parts that makes for a heavy toy despite its Deluxe class size, they also seem to cost around $50 and up from toy sites that I used in the past like BigBadToyStore.com, TFSource.com, and Digital Toys.
The first review is for the upcoming release of Alternity Megatron and the second is for Optimus Prime. I have the Optimus Prime toy and while expensive found it to very cool and looking forward to getting Megatron.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was recently crowned the top movie of the year worldwide and in the US but it also has a more notorious "award" according to MovieMistakes.com. Currently it is considered the most error prone movie of the year with more than 40 mistakes. Some of them seem to be nitpicks but the second closest movie is Angels & Demons with 19 mistakes so even if half of them removed Transformers 2 will retain the title of most movie mistakes (so far) for 2009. To read the full list, click here (via Seibertron)
Peaugh has posted two more video reviews of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toys. The first one is Scout class Scalpel, aka The Doctor that turns from microscope to spider-thing. The other is Superion which is the Transformers: Energon toy with a new paint job and packaging. There is a reason the classic combiners remain a favorite for many as Hasbro has not quite figured out how to re-crack that nut as their combiner attempts have been weak.
Wth the Sunday estimates indicating a horse race for weekend box office king with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the estimates are enough to officially crown the movie "Number One Movie in the World" 2009 due to its domestic and worldwide totals, as the official website is happy to brag about (thanks NHLfan).
However, the Sunday night "we are number 1" from the studios will have to wait as the estimates continue to indicate a too close to call race for US weekend box office king with both three-day totals at an estimated $42.5 million. Currently Ice Age is estimated to take in $14.3 million to Transformers 2 $14 million, causing the tie. For the five-day opening (Wednesday to Sunday), Ice Age will probably claim the win with an estimated $67.5M to TF2's $64.9M and with international total of $148M has a five day worldwide total of $215 million, the most for a cartoon so plenty to crow about for the studio.
Internationally for Transformers 2 took it an estimated $55 million. The net result is Transformers 2 will probably cross the $600 million threshold tomorrow with a US total of around $292.8M, overseas total of 298.0M, for a worldwide total of $590.8 million. Hopefully the actuals tomorrow will solidify these numbers.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24 | $62.2 | $60.0 | $120.7 |
| 6/25 | $29.1 | $20.0 | $48.6 |
| 6/26 | $36.7 | ||
| 6/27 | $40.2 | ||
| 6/28 | $32.0 | $86.2** | |
| 6/29 | $14.8 | $14.1 | $28.9 |
| 6/30 | $13.5 | $16.8 | $30.3 |
| 7/01 | $11.0 | $14.2 | $25.2 |
| 7/02 | $11.5* | $7.6* | $25.5 |
| 7/03 | $17.8* | ||
| 7/04 | $10.0* | ||
| 7/05 | $14.0* | $55.0*,** | |
| Totals | $292.8 | $298.0 | $590.8 |
The weekend estimates are in (yep they do that even with another full day to go) and it appears to be a pretty good weekend for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but is expected to take an estimated 60% drop compared to last weekend. It could just be a blip because of the holiday weekend but not something Paramount wants to see occur every weekend. The drop is in part because its first weekend numbers were simply unsustainable, partly due to new competition in the form of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Public Enemies (which did fine but non-started compared to TF2's numbers) and probably because word of mouth wasn't as strong as hoped.
Transformers 2 was already the top grossing movie worldwide but as of Friday July 3rd, it passed Up as the top grossing movie of the year in the US by taking in an estimated domestic gross $17.8 million for a US total of $268.7 million compared to Up's domestic gross of $261.0 million. Up's total took 36 days to achieve, Transformers 2 took only 10 days.
In addition it just eeked out a win for Friday versus Ice Age 3 with $17.8M to $17.0M. So far Transformers has been number one two out of the first three days of Ice Age's release.
As for Saturday and Sunday, both are expected to make an estimated $43 million for the three day weekend but exactly which will be crowned #1 at the box office is too close to call. Saturday numbers put Ice Age 3 back on top with an estimated take of $11.0 million to $10.0 million (for a 2-2 tie). As for Sunday, Transformers 2 is estimated at $15.2M to Ice Age's 3 $15.0 million but the day has barely started so consider those numbers just placeholders until more solid numbers come in by the late afternoon. I was unable to find any numbers for the international box office so that remains blank on the chart below.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24 | $62.2 | $60.0 | $120.7 |
| 6/25 | $29.1 | $20.0 | $48.6 |
| 6/26 | $36.7 | ||
| 6/27 | $40.2 | ||
| 6/28 | $32.0 | $86.2** | |
| 6/29 | $14.8 | $14.1 | $28.9 |
| 6/30 | $13.5 | $16.8 | $30.3 |
| 7/01 | $11.0 | $14.2 | $25.2 |
| 7/02 | $11.5* | $14.0* | $25.5 |
| 7/03 | $17.8* | $17.8 | |
| 7/04 | $10.0* | $10.0 | |
| 7/05 | $15.2* | $15.2 | |
| Totals | $293.9 | $249.4 | $543.3 |
Blu-ray.com has a listing for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that seems to indicate an October 24th release date for the Blu-ray and DVD disc release of the movie. This has not been officially confirmed by Paramount but the first movie was released on October 16th, 2007 so there is precedent for the quick turnaround. Thanks to Mauricio for the link.
I was watching the Boston 4th of July celebration and there was a commercial for the Late Show with David Letterman saying that Optimus Prime will be reading off the Top 10 list Monday night. I am not sure if they mean some CGI thing with Prime (and probably using the first or second movies scenes) or if Peter Cullen is stopping by and reading the list in Prime's voice. I guess we will have to watch Monday night find out.
Turns out there is a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Bumblebee Nintendo DS Lite Armor case with stylus as found on Engadget (which has a contest for it) and thought it was goofy enough to post about. There is also a Megatron version. The cases look kind of cool but isn't the whole point of the Nintendo DS its portability and doesn't a rather large case with huge stylus defeat that purpose?
For some reason a Wall Street Article from two weeks ago is gaining traction on various gossip sites about a supposed feud between Megan Fox and Michael Bay.
All that occured is Megan Fox told Entertainment Weekly:
I mean, I can't s--- on this movie because it did give me a career and open all these doors for me. But I don't want to blow smoke up people's a--. People are well aware that this is not a movie about acting."Here is Bay's response (and my comments at the time):
It’s interesting that you want to focus on acting. Megan Fox, one of the leads in “Transformers” has criticized your films for being special-effects-driven and not offering so many acting opportunities. Do you agree?That is the extent of the feud. What do you expect Bay to say "Yeah she is right, my films require no acting skill whatsoever." Closer to the truth but part of his job is to sell himself and his films and that wouldn't help.
Well, that’s Megan Fox for you. She says some very ridiculous things because she’s 23 years old and she still has a lot of growing to do. You roll your eyes when you see statements like that and think, “Okay Megan, you can do whatever you want. I got it.” But I 100% disagree with her. Nick Cage wasn’t a big actor when I cast him, nor was Ben Affleck before I put him in “Armageddon.” Shia LaBeouf wasn’t a big movie star before he did “Transformers”—and then he exploded. Not to mention Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, from “Bad Boys.” Nobody in the world knew about Megan Fox until I found her and put her in “Transformers.” I like to think that I’ve had some luck in building actors’ careers with my films.
(Bay didn't actually counter Fox's comments. He has an eye for talent and definitly builds careers but his movies are not studies in acting. - TFLive)
It appears this weekend is going to be a horse race between Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen if Thursday's box office is any indication. Transformers 2 took in another estimated $11.5 million to Ice Ages $11.1 bringing the movies' US gross $250.9M. Overseas the numbers are not but I estimate another $14 million. If that proves true, then Revenge will just cross over the $500 million threshold. No idea when final numbers will be released.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24 | $62.2 | $60.0 | $120.7 |
| 6/25 | $29.1 | $20.0 | $48.6 |
| 6/26 | $36.7 | ||
| 6/27 | $40.2 | ||
| 6/28 | $32.0 | $86.2** | |
| 6/29 | $14.8 | $14.1 | $28.9 |
| 6/30 | $13.5 | $16.8 | $30.3 |
| 7/01 | $11.0 | $14.2 | $25.2 |
| 7/02 | $11.5* | $14.0* | $25.5 |
| Totals | $250.9 | $249.4 | $500.3 |
Below is three part video review of Supreme class Devastator from the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toy line done by frenzyrumble.com. This is the $100 version that goes from 6 construction vehicles to combined mode with no individual robot mode. Overall the combined mode looks good and the individual vehicles are fine but it just isn't doing it for me. Thanks to Yoboy for the links.
As of Wednesday, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen surpassed Angels & Demons as the top grossing movie of 2009 worldwide with a total worldwide total of $474.8 million to Angels $461.6 million. It still remains behind Up ($256.5M) and Star Trek ($256.5M) for the top rank domestically with a total of $239.4 million. Wednesday also marked the first time since its release that Transformers 2 was not ranked number 1. It took in a US box office of $11 million to Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs' first day gross of $13.8 million. This is an 82% drop in sales from last Wednesday but then anything close to that first day total of $62 million is unrealistic expectation.
International sales added an additional $14.2 million to the coffers. In general, it seems for a movie to reach monster status, it has to be equally popular internationally as it is in the states and in this case the breakdown stands at 50.4% of the total worldwide gross comes from the states and 49.6% everywhere else. That basically means for every dollar spent in the states, a dollar is being spent elsewhere. The net result is a doubling of expected profits since overseas sales is never a given but necessary if a film is to reach the $500M or more club that studios love to achieve. July the 4th is expected to cause the box office to take a hit but clearly overseas sales will mitigate the loss of momentum.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24 | $62.2 | $60.0 | $120.7 |
| 6/25 | $29.1 | $20.0 | $48.6 |
| 6/26 | $36.7 | ||
| 6/27 | $40.2 | ||
| 6/28 | $32.0 | $86.2** | |
| 6/29 | $14.8 | $14.1 | $28.9 |
| 6/30 | $13.5 | $16.8 | $30.3 |
| 7/01 | $11.0 | $14.2 | $25.2 |
| Totals | $239.4 | $235.4 | $474.8 |
Air Education and Training Command website writes about several airmen based at Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, USA that provided consulting services and flew aircraft for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Below is a portion of the article but the entire thing plus more pictures can be found here. Link found by Voiceroy.
Capt. Judd Baker, 58th Airlift Squadron, was one of the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft commanders during filming at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. Captain Baker said, a mission that started as ordinary quickly grew into something much greater.
Aircraft and Airmen from the 97th Air Mobility Wing appear prominently in the combat scenes of the film. Even when the aircraft and the aircrews are not on screen, the experience and expertise of Altus Airmen guided the action. Every time they would have something going on with the C-17s, it was, 'Would this be real? Would this be how you would do it? Is this how you say that or was this what you call that?,'" Captain Baker said. "And whatever we said, it was, 'Yep, change that in the script. That's what we'll say.'"
Staff Sgt. Christopher Worthy, 58th AS loadmaster, said the experience of being on a Hollywood set was far different from his usual duty day. "It's something I never thought I would get to do," he said. "Here, we fly the line, train the guys so they can go out and do the real world missions -- it's a unique experience to get the call and go do something other than train."
Perhaps the most excited viewers were the children who saw their dads on the big screen with some very big counterparts. When asked about his children's reaction, Captain Baker smiled. "They said, 'Hey, daddy was in a movie and got to meet Optimus Prime,'... I think that's fun," he said.
Below are two links from The Electric Playground of interviews with Peter Cullen (voice of Optimus Prime) and Stan Bush (singer, song writer of The Touch) that was record during Botcon 09 a few weeks ago. Cullen discusses the origin of his Prime voice and working on the cartoon series while Bush talks about the origin of his song and the impact it had when it was used in Transformers: The Movie. Thinks found by benzo.
This post pretty much assumes you have seen the movie, so spoilers within.
If you’re a fan of science fiction and comics, part of the fun is coming up with explanations (sometime elaborate ones) to explain inconsistencies in continuity. As my review of the movie indicated, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has story holes large enough for Optimus Prime to drive through. From Yahoo! Movies here are top ten questions (really more then that) about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, many of which will probably be beyond the ability to retcon. Thanks to aunit2011 for the link.
1. In "Transformers," there was this giant battle in the middle of downtown Los Angeles -- excuse me, Mission City -- that was witnessed by thousands of people at the very least. But somehow the government was able to cover up the whole thing, and now the existence of alien robots is just an internet rumor? How did they do it? Pay off everyone who was there and quickly fix millions of dollars in damage? Also, didn't Keller (Jon Voight) go on TV and tell everyone we were being attacked by "a technological civilization far superior to our own"? How did they spin that?
If remember, the novel said Mendelson Robotics is blamed as part of a failed test of new weaponary. Also at the end of the first movie Keller even indicated it was explained as a failed training exercise.
2. There are two pieces of the Allspark cube left: the military has one under lock and key, and Sam discovers another. The Decepticons steal one and bring Megatron back to life. But when Sam (Shia LaBeouf) wants to bring back Optimus, he has to find the Matrix of Leadership on the other side of the globe. Why not use the other piece? Mikaela (Megan Fox) has it in her backpack the whole time. It brought his kitchen appliances to life, why can't it do the same for Optimus?
Mikaela's shard was used on Jetfire
3. Speaking of Megatron's rebirth, when the Decepticons venture deep into the ocean to revive him, the Navy crew tracking them reads five contacts. When they get down there, they tear apart one of the robots for parts to rebuild Megatron. Then as they rise to the surface, the same Navy guys say they spot six contacts. The little "Doctor" robot popped out down there, but he's about a third of the size of a person. Would he have shown up on sonar?
4. That reminds me: even if I were to forgive the Doctor's German accent -- and director Michael Bay is asking me to forgive a lot of ridiculous accents -- why would a robot need glasses? He has little lenses that flip in front of his mechanical eyes. Couldn't he just get his eyes adjusted? You'd think with all the laser guns, someone could perform a Lasik procedure.
5. Apparently, Transformers can look like people now. How? And how is it that even though the robo-girl (Isabel Lucas) is made of metal, she can still straddle Sam without crushing him. And if Bumblebee knows something's wrong with her, why does he spit antifreeze at her instead of telling Sam? Yes, his voicebox is broken, but wasn't it fixed at the end of the last movie?
6. The Fallen is the last of the Primes, since they all sacrificed themselves to stop him from destroying the sun. But then he says that Optimus is a descendant of the Primes. First, Transformers have kids? And second, how could he descend from them if they were all dead? And if the Fallen could only be destroyed by a Prime, why didn't the originals just gang up on him back in the day? And what makes Optimus so special, anyway? Megatron beat him earlier, but all it takes is a few spare parts from creaky old Jetfire for him to take out the Fallen?
7. Sam, Mikaela, and Simmons (John Turturro) go to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. to find Jetfire. Then they walk out the back onto a wide open field with old planes and mountains in the distance. When did the National Mall start to look so much like to Tucson, AZ (where they really filmed that scene)?
8. The geography is just as bad when they go to Egypt. The stone city of Petra in Jordan is over 250 miles away, over mountainous terrain, with few paved roads and the Israeli border between them, so how can they drive from one to the other in a couple of hours. And the Pyramids are said to be shooting distance from the Mediterranean, but they are actually well over 80 miles inland. Even if the Navy ship had a secret rail gun, and even if the captain would take an order to fire from a former agent of a government branch that no longer exists (over a walkie-talkie that inexplicably starts working again), how could it hit a moving target from that distance?
9. Sam briefly dies and goes to Robot Heaven. Robot Heaven?!?!
10. Where does Sam's bandage come from? What about his extra sock? Why does Sam's roommate not contribute anything at all? What was the Fallen doing for those thousands of years Megatron was frozen in ice? How does one satellite receive transmissions from everywhere on the planet? Why does Wheelie hump Mikaela's leg? Why do we have to see John Turturro's thong? Why are robots who join together to become Devastator also seen fighting the Army at the same time? Why does the government want only our military fighting Decepticons when our weapons seem unable to make so much as a dent on any of them? Why did the ancient Egyptians build a pyramid around the sun-destroying machines instead of just breaking it? Why is the Matrix of Leadership bigger in the Fallen's hand than in Sam's? And how do Mikaela's pants stay so clean?
The massive haul continues for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as it takes in more in a day then most movies make in an entire first week of release. Tuesdays totals from Box Office Mojo is a US box office of $13.5 million, International is $16.8 million for a total take of $30.3 million. This brings the worldwide gross to $449.6 million. As expected, TF2 will pass Angels and Demons ($461.4M total) today to become the top movie worldwide for 2009.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24 | $200.1 | $60.0 | $120.7 |
| 6/25 | $29.1 | $20.0 | $48.6 |
| 6/26 | $36.7 | ||
| 6/27 | $40.2 | ||
| 6/28 | $32.0 | $86.2** | |
| 6/29 | $14.8 | $14.1 | $28.9 |
| 6/30 | $13.5 | $16.8 | $30.3 |
| Totals | $228.4 | $221.2 | $449.6 |
A new article from Studio Daily (via Tformers) covers the challenge Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) had in building robots for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. For example, Devastator is comprised of 52,632 parts with 12 million polygons, the biggest model ever created by ILM. For the first movie they were talking about the complexity of Optimus Prime's 10,000 parts. The result of this, other decisions, and IMAX requirements resulted in Transformers 2 maxing out to 83% of ILM's render farms capacity with all of ILM's other projects squeezed into the remaining 17%. From there the article gets very technical and shows the huge amount of effort that ILM poured into the movie to create the awesome effects we enjoyed. A section below, full article here.
“Their visual effects covered some portions of the frame,” Smith says of Dark Knight. “But we were dealing with robots everywhere covering up everything. When we compared the resolution we were scanning and putting onscreen to 35mm film at 2K, we decided 4K looked great. Plus we knew painting clean frames and color grading would be more difficult above 4K. When you hear 2K to 4K it might sound like double, but the render times are six times bigger and the memory requirements are six times bigger in IMAX. Across the board, it turned out to be six times bigger.”
During the height of production, ILM dedicated 80 percent of its total rendering capacity to Transformers 2, one time even hitting 83 percent. “We broke all the ILM records,” Smith says. “Everyone else squeezed into 17 percent.” How much is that? ILM’s render farm has 5700 core processors, the newest of which are dual processor and quad cores (eight cores per blade), with up to 32 GB of memory per blade. In addition, the render farm can access the 2000 core processors in the artists’ workstations, which ups the total core processors to 7700. As for data storage, the studio’s data center currently has 500 TB online. Transformers 2 sucked up 154 TB, more than seven times the 20 TB needed for 2007’s Transformers.
The switch to 4K resolution for the IMAX sequences had an impact beyond rendering. “Everything is bigger with IMAX,” Smith says. “When we were rolling out the IMAX sequences, we had more model resolution and detail, and we had a huge wave of machine upgrades all the way through paint and compositing. We switched to [The Foundry’s] Nuke to make handling the comps easier.”
I figure some will find the below video interesting (blog reader pointed it out) since Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen seems ignite a lot of passion as it’s either loved or hated. Below is a little debate talking about the merits of the movie from someone that enjoyed it (Todd Gilchrist from Cinematical.com) and hated it (Devin Faraci from chud.com) with Attack of the Show host Kevin Pereira moderating (who also hated it but mostly stays out of it).
Hero Complex profiles Ramon Rodriguez who co-starred in Transformers 2 as Leo Ponce de Leon Spitz and in The Taking of Pelham 123. The article suggests that Michael Bay likes Sam's sidekick enough that he could have a larger role in Transformers 3 (but if he did I can't find that information in any of the quoted comments from Bay).
The actor started with a sports-management degree from New York University which led to working for the PR department of the NY Knicks were he won a Nike basketball competition (by biting a pen while the ball spun on the tip), and joined the Nike freestyle team for a tour of Asia and Europe. This led to acting with by guesting for two episodes on Rescue Me, followed by the Wire, then a role in Bella and finally being cast in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
"I've worked with big stars, people like Will Smith, Sean Connery and Bruce Willis, but casting is a weird thing, it takes you places you don’t expect," Bay said. "We went looking for a sidekick in this movie, Shia’s sidekick, and we find this new kid who really pops on screen. I think he’s going to have a real bright career. It’s great to work with big stars, but it’s always fun to discover people."
"He’s got a street edge and a realness to him," said the director, whose past films include "The Rock" and "Bad Boys.” "He’s a New York kid with a street feel to him. He adapted to the actors very well, which isn’t always easy in a big movie, a sequel, where a lot of the cast chemistry has been set already. He’s funny, charming, comes off cool and accessible.”
Another day, another $28.9 million added to the total for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen from worldwide box office sales on Monday. $14.8 million of the toal is from US sales with the remaining $14.1 million from international sales. Data from Box Office Mojo.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24 | $200.1 | $60.0 | $120.7 |
| 6/25 | $29.1 | $20.0 | $48.6 |
| 6/26 | $36.7 | ||
| 6/27 | $40.2 | ||
| 6/28 | $32.0 | $86.2** | |
| 6/29 | $14.8 | $14.1 | $28.9 |
| Totals | $214.9 | $204.4 | $419.3 |
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman continue their online promotion of the movie in an interview with Dark Horizons as they contrast working on Star Trek with Abrams and Transformers with Bay and their writing carrers. Snippet below, full interview here.
Question: How seriously do you take the good with the bad? I mean, Star Trek received over 90 percent rave reviews, while Transformers, not so much. Do you take it seriously? Do you ignore it? Why do you think this is?Orci: We take it seriously, in as much as a real fact of a media blogosphere dialogue. And as its own phenomenon, that’s a fascinating thing to engage in one way or the other. We tend to separate that from what an audience feels. And we tend to go by the audience. You know, you always want to make sure that you don’t overlook a valid opinion that has something constructive to say, merely because it’s negative.
Kurtzman: Nobody can honestly say that they don’t care about reviews. Like, nobody. But we knew the minute we agreed to do Transformers 2 that these were gonna be the reviews, no matter what we came up with. And that’s just a fact of life that you accept going into it.
Question: Let me ask you this. You’re working with two very, very filmmakers, with Abrams and Bay. And I’m just wondering when you’re working on a Bay film, what the different process is in writing a script, for a director who has very different visual sensibilities to somebody like J.J. Abrams?
Kurtzman: I mean, it’s a very different process. They’re very different directors. They look for very different things.
Orci: But part of that difference comes from the fact that they’re different franchises. They require different things.
Kurtzman: Yeah. That’s right.
Orci: You know, it’s not just that we’re writing for Michael Bay. We’re writing for Transformers. And Michael Bay is perfect for Transformers. And J.J. is perfect for Star Trek, because what Star Trek requires is something else. So, we tend to look at it as, the show is the boss. All of our boss. And we’re servicing that more than anything. You know, in terms of differences in the experience. Obviously, Transformers 2 was unique, in that it went down in the middle of the strike. We were writing the movie three months before it was about to be shot, therefore we were handing Michael pages that night. You know, every night, so they could be prepared. Which was different than Star Trek, where we had six leisurely months to go write two drafts.
Question: Right. And Star Trek is very much a character-based film. I mean, you’re dealing with both iconic characters, but also you’re developing relationships in that particular movie. This one, you’re really creating, I guess, a lot of set pieces for Michael to work with. And I’m just wondering, how frustrating is it for you when you do have such limited time? And does that affect the final product, as screenwriters?
Orci: In terms of “frustrating,” we try to think of it as just an interesting challenge. I mean, putting together a movie of this size, coordinating with Michael and production and the military and Hasbro, is a fascinating thing to do. You know, we try to sort of learn and enjoy, and not be paralyzed by the fear of it. On the other hand, it’s not to say – it’s just a different experience, going off to write a script for six months, you know?
Question: What do you do differently as a writer, when you’re doing something like a Transformers 2, that you don’t have to worry about when you’re doing a Star Trek, or any other initial film?
Orci: Well, one is, we’re making more room for the action. Because we know that Michael is going to want to push that, and get every dollar on the screen. You know, you don’t just go to Egypt for a two-minute sequence. If you’re going to be at the Pyramids of Giza and be one of the first people to be allowed to shoot there, you really want to maximize that. And we know that that’s going to be the case with him. So, of course, there’s a different kind of a pacing.
From IMAXNews twitter, below are two images related to IMAX showing of Transformers 2. The first is a 10 foot tall Optimus Prime figure for the Smithsonian's IMAX screen. The film shot at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center for its Jetfire scenes. In addition the 18 foot tall Bumblebee prop was set up at the AMC Universal CityWalk IMAX theatre.
The IMAX showings of Transformers Revenge of Fallen has broken a record with largest box office take yet with $14.4 million on 169 screens in the states. An additional $3.2 million came from 60 IMAX screens overseas for a total take of $18.3 million. Hopefully this will translate to a bigger IMAX budget for the third film.
It’s been over a month since seen anything new about Jolt the GM Volt that barely appeared in Revenge of the Fallen (blink and you would have missed him). From TFW2005, here is an image of Deluxe Jolt's card back that includes his bio.
Deluxe Jolt Bio
Jolt loves to cause trouble, more than one group of Decepticons has watched in confusion as Jolt, all alone, raced around them in circles, taunting them. They're not used to Autobots acting crazy. Little do they know that it really is just an act - part of a plan to lure his enemies in close where he can deliver a crippling blow with his electro-whips.
A new article on Breitbart.com points out that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has the likihood of being "the worst-reviewed movie ever to make the $400 million club (domestically)." I assume they mean domestically since the worldwide total is nearly $400 million. Thanks to Mike for the link.
The movie pulled in $201.2 million since opening Wednesday, the second-best result for a movie in its first five days, just behind "The Dark Knight" with $203.8 million. Even after its whopping $60.6 million opening day, "Revenge of the Fallen" was packing theaters, a sign that unlike critics, who mostly hated the movie, audiences felt they were getting their money's worth and were giving the flick good word of mouth.The article doesn't mentioned that while the critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a drubbing, the community's average score is 68%. On Metacritic, the users score is 60 out of 100.
Critics "forget what the goal of the movie was. The goal of the movie is to entertain and have fun," said Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount, which is distributing "Transformers" for DreamWorks. "What the audience tells us is, `We couldn't be more entertained and having more fun.' They kind of roll their eyes at the critics and say, `You have no idea what you're talking about.'"
According to Paramount's exit polls, 91 percent of the audience thought the sequel was as good as or better than the first "Transformers," which received far better reviews.
Not so for the new "Transformers." On Rottentomatoes.com, a Web site that compiles critics' opinions, the sequel had only 38 positive reviews out of 187, a lowly 20 percent rating usually reserved for box-office duds.
Many critics who liked the movie had reservations, praising the movie's visual effects and relentless action but generally advising audiences to check their brains at the door. On Metacritic.com, a site that assigns ratings of zero to 100 based on movie reviews, "Revenge of the Fallen" received a 36, a lowly score barely above those given to recent box-office duds "Year One" and "Land of the Lost."
Of the eight movies that have grossed more than $400 million domestically, four scored 90 percent or higher on Rottentomatoes: "The Dark Knight," "Spider-Man," "E.T. the Extra-terrestrial" and "Star Wars." Two others, "Shrek 2" and "Titanic," topped 80 percent.
SciFi Scanner has posted an interview with Transformers 2 writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci as they talk about writing scripts and fandom. Snippet below, full interview here.
Q: Do you think you would have ended up with a different screenplay were you not writing under the pressure of the strike?
AK: No. We had a fairly long postproduction time. We literally finished writing the movie two weeks ago. We were writing robot dialogue right up to the last minute, until they locked picture and sound and they took the print out of our hands.
Q: Do you write a screenplay differently for a director like Michael Bay than you would for J.J. Abrams?
AK: Absolutely.
BO: It's half that and half you're writing to what the franchise is. We're not writing big because it's Michael Bay; Michael Bay is right for Transformers.
AK: With a director like Michael, who's extremely specific about what he does and does not like to do, our job is to backstop him to a large degree and keep on him about plot and logic and emotion. We very rarely get resistance on that. He has such an innate understanding of what audiences want to see. Where he'll push back is if he thinks logic is somehow overriding the fun for the audience.
BO: You've gotta have a pretty damn good reason to tell him why he's gotta lose one of his awesome sequences.
Q: Are Transformers fans as ravenous as Trekkies?
BO: Transformers fans taught us how to deal with Star Trek fans. And they're both heavy-duty. But Transformers fans taught us how to interact, how to turn the conversation constructive a little bit, and not just have it be, "You suck. Go jump off of a building, please."
Q: So when a fan says the Autobot twins are the Jar Jar Binks of Transformers...
BO: My favorite was someone called them Car Car Binks.
AK: Look, I can tell you that Michael designed those characters to reflect what he thought would be funny for kids. And we go with the ride. Literally.
Q: Did you learn anything from writing Transformers 2 that's been helpful in formulating Trek 2?
AK: They're so different. You're putting on a different hat. And the choices that you make in Transformers with Michael as the director versus Star Trek with J.J. couldn't be more 180 degrees in the opposite direction. So I don't know that for me there's a natural corollary between them.
Update: The final numbers are in and the estimates were close enough that Transformers 2 will fall short of defeating The Dark Knight's five day record. The domestic gross total dipped a touch from $201.2M to $200.1M. The five day international gross for the film is actually $166.1 million but once include the previous weekend gross from early opening in UK and Japan the total international take in the first week is $190.3. It seems to me that as a result the five day total is actually inflated by $24.1M as the $390.4 million is actually the worldwide total of the first full week of release for the movie from 6/19-6/28. I forgot next weekend is a holiday in the states (Independence Day), but Ice Age 2 and Public Enemies will be out so I wouldn't be surprised if Ice Age and Transformers 2 post impressive numbers but it will be a close race for number one.
If your interested in a record tally in a way that only box office statistics (like baseball) can provide, click here for a breakdown of the various ways that Transformers 2 broke some records (depending on how you tweak the numbers).
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The weekend isn't over but the number crunchers of box office statistics have released the total for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen worldwide haul as $387.3 million dollars. In the US alone the movie took in $201.2 million just a few million short of The Dark Knights $203.8 million which is the current record holder for most successful five-day and three-day opening. Internationally the movie raked in a five day total of $186.1 million. IMAX's sales for the five days were $14.4 million. All these values are still estimates with final numbers expected tomorrow.
For Sunday's numbers the US estimate is $34.6, an expected drop-off and enough to prevent it from topping Dark Knight. The three day weekend totals for the movie in the US was $112M and internationally it was $106.1M which places the movie as 7th in the weekend record list, just behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
For comparison to this year's other hits, Up just passed Star Trek as the top movie in the US with a gross of $250.2 (31 days in theatres) to Trek's $246.2 (52 days in theatres). I expect Transformers 2 to pass that total by Wednesday at the latest, in only 6-7 days. Worldwide Up's total is $285.5M and Trek's is $369.2M both already blown away by Transformers 2 in just a few days. Worldwide the top movie is Angels & Demons with a $461.0M total ($330.8 from overseas sales) in 45 days in theaters. Transformers will probably pass that total by Thursday.
If compare to the first Transformers, its worldwide total was $708.3 and already in just 5 days the sequel has earned 54.7% of that total. Suffice it to say May, Paramount and company are probably very happy. A third movie is a definite if there was any doubt before. As for next weekend, I expect around a 65% drop simply because those kinds of numbers are unsustainable nowadays.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/19-6/23 | $0.0 | $24.1 | $24.1 |
| 6/24 | $62.0 | $60.0 | $120.7 |
| 6/25 | $29.1 | $20.0 | $48.6 |
| 6/26 | $36.7 | ||
| 6/27 | $40.2 | ||
| 6/28 | $32.0 | $86.2** | |
| Totals | $200.1 | $190.3 | $390.4 |
Update: Small update, the estimate for Saturday was bumped up to $40.6 million.
Deadline Hollywood reports that the early estimate for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's Saturday box office is $39.5 million which will bump up expectations to a very close $200 million but will fall a touch short of The Dark Knight's $203.8 million 5-day record. To pass the movie the Saturday final number difference plus Sunday's sales would have to surpass $38.3 million which is possible but unlikely. Sadly no international numbers to add to the chart. Thanks again to Scalan15.
Box Office Totals (in millions)
| Date | US | Intl | Worldwide |
| 6/24/09 | $60.7 | $60.0 | $120.7 |
| 6/25/09 | $28.6 | $20.0 | $48.6 |
| 6/26/09 | $36.7 | ||
| 6/27/09 | $40.6* | ||
| Totals | $166.4 | $80.0 | $246.4 |
Another stray interview found from the Seoul Premiere of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, here is a video of an interview with Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf that was rather amusing as Megan confesses a crush on Rain, a pop star in the region (and also in Speed Racer last year). Shia gets a birthday cake that he apparently enjoyed.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is now out in theatres but that doesn't mean the blog will go on hiatus. There will be a third film, the only questions is will it be in 2011 or 2012. This blog will be here to continue the mandate to be the source of movie information. The immediate future brings box office results, award season, DVD/Blu-ray releases and more.
I want to give a huge thank you to everyone that made this last year so successful with their pictures, links, reports, and help. This blog's 1100+ posts in the last year have "thanks" credit on most due to the help of so many site fans and readers and that is greatly appreciated.
For those that have been on in early mornings for the last week you probably noticed strange things occasionally happening to the blog (including accidently breaking blog posts so couldn't see anything but the title) in an effort to try and improve the blog. This started as an attempt to do something about the Archive section which got really long especially as the stories piled up and things just went from there. List of changes after the break.
The changes:
Added Recent Posts - Part of solution to archive problem. Lists 10 most recent posts should be easier then checking the archive.
Added Tabbed Navigation Widget - Use tabs to find recent posts, archive and labels (also removed the label count as served no purposed). This removes the archive and tags so only visible when you want to view them yet still see what recent posts have been added to the blog.
Removed the blogger Navbar - Mostly to improve the look of the blog
Added "Read More..." functionality - Make it easier to add more videos, pictures, or long text without it driving other articles way down the screen and hopefully improve load times
Added Email and Social Section - Right column, four icons for different functions
AddThis icon - bookmark functionality, everyone seemed to have it so figured why not
RSS feed icon - I had 15 different RSS feed site links that the one link handles just as well, once added proper redirection.
Twitter icon - Changed it to a single picture for consistent look
Email icon - Click it so can email me questions, tips, whatever. No guarantees will be able to provide but I try to.
Moved various counters - Various site counters, creative commons license, etc moved out of the way to the very bottom of the website
Added People Online widget - With the other counters, lets you see how many people are on the blog at the same time you are (not sure how well it works)
Added TwittBadge - Shows number of Twitter followers I have since Twitter Counter didn't allow me to do it on one continuous line.
Added Related Posts section - Added to each blog post is related topics based on the labels (tags). Currently below the comments box, maybe move above but it seemed in the way when tried it there.
For now, with the 20 or so trailers and TV spots in the left column I don't expect much load time improvement but my plan is to replace those with a playlist in a few more weeks once excitement of the movie has decreased. I hope this works out. Feel free to post what you think in the comments.
Variety's Above the Line blog (found via MB.com) interviews Transformers 2 director Michael Bay about making blockbusters, piracy and working with studios. Snippets below, full interview here.
BFD: How do you spend opening night?
Bay: I always go to Mr. Chow’s for dinner with my producers, studio and marketing execs, my agents and lawyers. We get our first numbers there and then we hit the theaters. You’ve got to go there. And hope you see happy, smiling faces walking out. Last night, I tried to sneak in the side, but somebody noticed me and then they’re lining up for pictures. At the Arclight, somebody yelled “speech!” and I found myself talking to 900 people.
BFD: So you deferred on “Transformers” and the sequel, and the L. A. Times predicts you might make more than any director on a movie. How do you feel about these deals, which are becoming the new economics of Hollywood moviemaking?
Bay: Okay. I run my sets and my pictures tight and we came in $4 million under budget. There is so much waste in this business, directors who have big shows like this one, who keep a second unit for the entire time. We were able to make this for $194 million, instead of the $230-270 million that the average sequel of this nature seems to cost. I work with one of the best crews in the world, we work efficient 12-hour days. We don’t build $3 million sets and then the director walks in and says, “Fuck it, I’m not going to use that set.” The stories I hear from my crew members, of waste on other pictures, of directors shooting a six- or eight-hour day, it’s just staggering. Some directors will look a studio executive in the eye and say, “Sure I’ll come in at this budget,” and then they behave like terrorists. By then, you’re committed and screwed. The thing that “Pearl Harbor” taught me was you’ve got to become a partner with the studio and deferring makes you more invested in that. I think it’s important and I think you need to be honest with your partner.
BFD: Days before the release of your film, Paramount restructured its film group. How did that impact you and what does it mean going forward on the next film?
Bay: It doesn’t affect anything, really. Paramount has literally said, “Here’s your budget, see you later.” It’s staggering, really, but they trust me to come in on budget. I don’t ask for money when I’m shooting and stay on course. I’ve never even given them dailies. I’d assemble real rough cut scenes, sizzle reels, cut to music, so they can enjoy it and get what the movie is.
BFD: Considering your development on this movie was interrupted by the writer’s strike and you risked being shut down any moment by shooting after the expiration of the SAG contract, what was the hardest thing about making “Transformers: The Fallen?”
Bay: That could have been the hardest thing. With an impending strike, we had 12 pages of a treatment. I worked very closely with the writers, great collaborators, who suddenly went on strike. I said, “We’re going to start prepping this movie at full force, scout places I think are going to be in this movie and try and put this together as best we could.” There might be an actor’s strike, but I told the studio we’re going to shoot this on June 2, come hell or high water. We took a gamble that the writers would come back from the strike in time and we just made it. At one point, we were the only movie shooting in the country. But I had to gamble. I have a loyal crew and my job gives 2,000 to 2,500 people jobs. It was scary because so many people were out of work and you hear your crew say, “Wow, I might have to move out of my house.” You feel responsible.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen co-star Isabel Lucas is the focus of a NY Daily Post article about the actress as her career seems to taking off. After Transformers 2, she will begin shooting the HBO miniseries, The Pacific from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks (From the Earth to the Moon, Band of Brothers) that will focus on the Pacific theatre during World War II. Much of the article focuses on relationship between her and Shia (friends) and Megan Fox (sisterly). The full article is here.
