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TMNT 2

TMNT 2: Out of the Shadows Blu Ray Giveaway

by TurtlesAdmin September 19, 2016

written by TurtlesAdmin

We are giving one lucky fan a Blu Ray copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out of the Shadows. If you have not watched it and you’re a Ninja Turtles fan, we strongly recommend you do! This film scored better than it’s previous counterpart and truly shared more comedic scenes with the turtles themselves.

To enter this contest, simply comment below and tell us your favorite Ninja Turtles quote from any movie, tv show, or comic.

Winner: Nick Burner

Winner will be chosen shortly after contest ends. Stay tuned. Below is a press release for the film…

———————————————————-

“The Turtles rule again”

–Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun-Times

THE NINJA TURTLES ARE BACK IN THE BEST FAMILY ACTION MOVIE OF THE YEAR

The All-New Adventure Arrives on Blu-ray^™ Combo Pack and DVD September 20, 2016 with Two Reversible Turtle Masks in All Four Colors!

Action-Packed Film Will Also be Available in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack,
Blu-ray 3D^™ Combo Pack and Limited Edition Collectible Turtle Van Lunchbox

Get it on Digital HD Two Weeks Early on September 6

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Your favorite pizza-loving heroes return in an epic new adventure loaded with wall-to-wall laughs that critics are calling “the best Ninja Turtles movie ever” (Eric Walkuski, JoBlo.com). TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS comes to Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand on September 20, 2016 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. The Heroes in a Half-Shell also will be available in a limited edition two-movie Blu-ray giftset with collectible metal lunchbox. The movie debuts two weeks early on Digital HD September 6.

Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo are back to battle bigger, badder villains, alongside April O’Neil and a newcomer: the hockey-masked vigilante Casey Jones. After supervillain Shredder escapes custody, he joins forces with two dimwitted henchmen, Bebop and Rocksteady, to unleash a diabolical plan to take over the world. As the Turtles prepare to take on Shredder and his new crew, they find themselves facing an even greater threat with similar intentions: the notorious Krang. Hailed as “fun from start to finish” (Brian Medina, Movie Pilot), TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS stars
Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Laura Linney, Stephen Amell, and Tyler Perry in the live action film that is fun for the whole family.

The TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Packs include more than 40 minutes of action-packed bonus content. Peek under the shell at the film’s eye-popping special effects, take a look inside the Turtles’ tricked-out van, go behind-the-scenes to explore the Turtleverse and much more! The film additionally features a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack* remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead.

Plus, the DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack comes with reversible Turtle Masks in all four colors, for a limited time while supplies last. The TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS Blu-ray Combo Pack will also be available in a collectible metal lunchbox that includes the Blu-ray Combo Pack of 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Digital HD copies of both movies, and the two reversible masks.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows Blu-ray Combo Pack

The TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English Dolby Atmos, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The DVD in the combo pack is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The combo pack includes access to a Digital HD copy of the film as well as the following:

Blu-ray

Feature film in high definition
Bonus Content:
We Are Family
Whoa! Expanding the Turtleverse
House Party
It’s Tricky: Inside the Van
ILM—The Effects Beneath the Shell
Did You Catch That? Turtle Eggs!
Deleted Scenes

DVD

Feature film in standard definition

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack

The Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack includes all of the above, as well as a Blu-ray 3D presented in 1080p high definition with English Dolby Atmos, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The Blu-ray 3D disc includes the feature film in high definition and 3D. The Combo Pack also includes access to a Digital HD copy of the film.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack

Fans can enjoy the ultimate viewing experience with the 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, which includes the Blu-ray detailed above, as well as an Ultra HD Disc presented in 4K Ultra HD with English Dolby Atmos, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The Combo Pack also includes access to a Digital HD copy of the film.

Two-Movie Blu-ray Giftset with Collectible Metal Lunchbox

The TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Two-Movie Giftset with Collectible Lunchbox includes Blu-ray Combo Packs with access to a Digital HD copy of each film as well as the following special features:

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS (2016)

Blu-ray

DVD

Feature film in standard definition

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2014)

Blu-ray

Feature film in high definition
Bonus Content:
Digital Reality
In Your Face! The Turtles in 3D
It Ain’t Easy Being Green
Evolutionary Mash-Up
Turtle Rock
Extended Ending
“Shell Shocked” Music Video
Making of “Shell Shocked”

DVD

Feature film in standard definition

The Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack available for purchase include a Digital Version of the film that can be accessed through UltraViolet™, a way to collect, access and enjoy movies. With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them—reliably and securely—to a variety of devices.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows Single-Disc DVD

The single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The disc includes the feature film in standard definition.

http://www.TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMovie.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TMNTMovie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TMNT

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TMNTMovie

iTunes: http:// http://j.mp/GetTMNTOOTSNow

Amazon: http://j.mp/BuyTMNTurtles

Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present a Platinum Dunes production, a Gama Entertainment/Mednick Production/Smithrowe Entertainment production: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.” Music by Steve Jablonsky. Executive producers Denis L. Stewart, Grant Curtis, Eric Crown, Napoleon Smith III, Josh Appelbaum, and André Nemec. Produced by Michael Bay, pg.a., Andrew Form, p.g.a., Brad Fuller, p.g.a., Galen Walker, and Scott Mednick. Based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. Written by Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec. Directed by Dave Green.

About Paramount Home Media Distribution

Paramount Home Media Distribution (PHMD) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), home to premier media brands that create television programs, motion pictures, consumer products, and digital content for audiences in 180 countries and territories. The PHMD division oversees PPC’s home entertainment and transactional digital distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CBS and applicable licensing and servicing of certain DreamWorks Animation titles. PHMD additionally manages global licensing of studio content and transactional distribution across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.

For artwork please visit: https://arc.paramount.com

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS

Street Date: September 6, 2016 (Digital HD)

September 20, 2016 (Blu-ray, DVD, 4K UHD, Blu-ray 3D, Two-Movie Giftset with Collectible Metal Lunchbox and VOD)

U.S. Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence

Canadian Rating: PG, not recommended for young children, violence

* To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar; however, Dolby Atmos soundtracks are also fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.

September 19, 2016 35 comments

Poster artwork for executive producer Brad Fuller's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Source: Paramount Pictures

Brad Fuller’s Enlightening Interview About TMNT 2

by Justin W June 14, 2016

written by Justin W

I know that most fans are going to take one look at this title and question why Brad Fuller’s opinion matters at all. He was one of the executive producers behind both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, so it’s likely that a lot of audiences aren’t concerned with his thoughts on the film. That being said, he recently gave an interview which made it pretty clear that he understands why many shellheads aren’t pleased with the final result. When asked how he could strike the balance between appeasing fans and keeping them from complaining, Fuller had the following to say about the subject:

Executive Producer Brad Fuller talks shop about the Ninja Turtles. Source: New York Times.

“There’s nothing that we can do to keep them from complaining. There’s always an element of the audience that feels that we have not struck that balance. It’s a hard thing to do, and it’s [harder] on a turtle movie than it is on Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street. The reason is that with [the] turtles there are so many different source materials that we draw from – the comic books, the cartoons, and the movies – and the challenging thing is that each audience member brings their turtle knowledge to the movie, but not every person has the same knowledge.

So there are people who will come to our movie and have only read the comics, and they’ll have one response, whereas people…who love the cartoon will love our film, because that tonally matches the cartoon. And there are people who saw the [90’s] films and they’re coming to it that way, so it’s a challenge to balance those three source materials.

The thing that we do to try and really decipher what the best story is, we keep Kevin Eastman involved in the process of development, and Kevin created the turtles with Peter Laird. I feel like if he’s there and he gives us the thumbs up with our story and the thumbs up with our villains, that we’re – y’know? If the creator is telling us that it can work, then we go with it; if he says ‘well, I think you’re deviating a little far here, let’s pull it back,’ we do that. So these, kind of, are good checks and balances to have.”

Whether you like the guy or not, you have to admit that he has a point. In particular, he’s absolutely correct that everyone is going to approach a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie from a different perspective. Some people really wanted to see the original animated series in live action on the silver screen, while others have been dying for another dark take on the turtles like the original film which was released in 1990. Depending on which version of the Ninja Turtles you prefer the most, chances are that no matter what kind of story they choose to tell, a large portion of the audience is going to be disappointed because they didn’t get the specific version of the turtles that they wanted to see.

Executive Producer Brad Fuller standing in front of TMNT mural based on his work. Source: Community News

Speaking of the 90’s movies, there is an interesting parallel to be drawn between them and the latest iteration of the TMNT on film. When the second movie was released in 1991, the studios were forced to limit the amount of fighting and violence that took place on screen because of a general fear from parents and other organizations that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were promoting violent tendencies. As a result, they elected to remove most weapon play from The Secret of The Ooze, and that’s very similar to the approach that was taken with Out of the Shadows. Brad Fuller went on to discuss this matter as well:

Brad Fuller discusses his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Source: CinemaCon.

“In the first movie, we were just trying to make a turtle movie. We weren’t sure who our audience was at the end of the day; was it just going to be nostalgics who were fans who were coming back to see it, or was it going to be kids? And when the movie worked on a couple different levels, after the first one we made a very conscious decision that we wanted this franchise to be a family friendly franchise.

Whereas in the first movie the foot clan carry guns, in this movie they carry swords. We really wanted to have a movie where the whole audience could be families if they wanted. And then people who were [older] fans who enjoyed it growing up, they could still go and have a good time – but we didn’t want to eliminate any part of the audience necessarily.”

It may bother a lot of viewers to see this approach taken with their favorite franchise, but that’s the way that studios approach these types of films. Unfortunately, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows was released into a world that had already seen and enjoyed a Deadpool movie with an R rating, proving that not all superhero flicks have to appeal to every single audience in order to be a hit. As a matter of fact, it would appear that most audiences are tired of being coddled by the industry and they’d much rather see a studio that takes chances rather than playing it safe.

To be honest, this is one area where I completely disagree with Brad Fuller, but I can understand where he is coming from. A lot of people will complain if they feel like a movie aimed at younger audiences is promoting violence, so you have to be careful about how you approach the action and storytelling when it comes to a project like this. Personally, I think they made a wise choice to stick with a plot that mimics the goofiness of the original animated series, but I’m just one voice in an audience of millions which represents a fandom that is often divided when it comes to their favorite versions of the franchise.

Will Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows prove successful in foreign markets? Only time will tell. Source: Paramount Pictures.

When Brad Fuller invokes the name of Eastman, he’s clearly trying to protect himself – but he also has a point. Even Eastman thought it would be a good idea to try and recreate the look and feel of the original animated series, but it just didn’t work for most audiences. After two weeks in the box office, TMNT 2 has only earned $119 million worldwide and still hasn’t recouped its production budget. Given how many advertisements we saw for the film, it’s likely that they spent a lot of money on that as well, so it’ll take a while to earn back the money they spent on Out of the Shadows.

Fortunately, the film has yet to release in China, which represents one of the world’s biggest markets when it comes to ticket sales. If you need an example of how the Chinese box office can change everything, you need only to look at the performance of Warcraft during its opening weekend in theaters. Although the film only earned $24 million in domestic markets, it managed to rack up $156 million in China alone, making it the 3rd most successful film opening in China and the 4th most successful foreign opening of all time. Needless to say, movies that perform poorly in American markets don’t always share the same fortune when they are released overseas.

There is still a chance that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows will manage to make its money back, but that chance is probably a lot more slim than executive producer Brad Fuller was hoping. Nevertheless, it’s clear that he understands why some audiences are unhappy on at least one level, although it’s unfortunate that he hasn’t quite picked up on the demand for more films like Deadpool.

Most TMNT fans who grew up with the original cartoon and films probably didn’t notice that they weren’t always using their weapons while fighting, and something tells me that younger audiences today will share a similar experience with this movie. There’s no telling if they’ll enjoy it as much as we enjoyed The Secret of the Ooze, but the parallels between these two films are worth considering in the long run. If you want to hear more of Fuller’s interview, feel free to watch/listen to the video above.

Are you convinced that Brad Fuller knows what he is doing with this franchise, or does he still have a lot to learn? Do you think TMNT 2 will manage to make its money back in foreign markets like China? Share your thoughts with us in the comments or on facebook/twitter.

June 14, 2016 3 comments

Despite projections and expectations, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 failed to impress at the box office. Image source: Paramount Pictures

Movie News News

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 Bombs at Box Office

by Justin W June 6, 2016

written by Justin W

After months of writing about the film and even speculating how successful it might be, it is truly disappointing to see how poorly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 has performed at the box office. Even the experts were baffled about this result, as it was expected that Out of the Shadows would earn at least $50 million over the weekend. In reality, the movie only managed to pull in $35 million in North America and $33 million in foreign markets. This is a significant and unexpected failure for a lot of reasons, and it could have a negative impact on future ventures into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

First of all, it’s important to note that Paramount worked with distributors all over the world to get this movie out in as many markets as possible for its release. Despite the reach that this film had, it still failed to make more money in foreign markets than it did in North America. That’s fairly surprising, because most superhero/action flicks see much better foreign numbers. For example, more than 70% of the opening weekend earnings for X-men: Apocalypse came from foreign markets, which is actually fairly typical at this point in the film industry. By comparison, only 48% of the earnings for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 came from the foreign box office.

Raph and Leo discuss a major plot point in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2. Image Source: Paramount Pictures.

As you can see, this is a really strange occurrence. To put it bluntly, this kind of failure rarely ever happens nowadays, especially when there are a lot of fans and viewers who genuinely seem interested in seeing the film. Heck, even Fantastic Four earned more money in foreign markets than it did in North America. Considering the amount of effort that was put into marketing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, it’s actually quite bewildering to see these kinds of results. Although there were genuine complaints about the film from some TMNT fans, it’s difficult to understand how a movie like this could fail so hard at the box office.

It’s also difficult to figure out if this will have a negative impact on the franchise. Although the first film failed miserably last year, Fox is still working on a sequel to Fantastic Four; if Fox is willing to put that kind of stock into a franchise, we might see Paramount doing the same for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Another big factor to consider is all of the movie tie-in merchandise that is currently hitting the shelves. If the toys sell well enough, they might actually make enough money overall to consider this sequel a success.

That being said, you have to figure that those toys will need to sell very well in order to make up for investments not only in production of the film, but also in advertising. Unlike the 2014 film which had notably sparse advertising that was indicative of a lower budget, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 had a lot of ads being pumped out. Heck, that might even be one of the big reasons that the movie failed to impress during its opening weekend, but I’ll save that discussion for another day. For now, suffice it to say that a worldwide opening weekend of less than $70 million for a film with a production budget estimated at $135 million is definitely a disappointment.

What do you think? Are you disappointed that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 failed to impress at the box office? Did the movie deserve to fail? Why were the box office earnings so low? Share your thoughts and opinions on this subject either in the comments below or via facebook/twitter.

June 6, 2016 19 comments

Blog Movie / TMNT Movies

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

by Justin Bozung June 3, 2016

written by Justin Bozung

There’s one thing that’s abundantly clear after you leave a screening of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. It’s that you realize, right away, just how much better this Turtles movie is over 2014’s
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And when I say, that I mean it. Out of the Shadows is incredible! Where the first Michael Bay Turtles movie relied heavily on the set-up and back-story of the Turtles, Out of the Shadows throws you right into the Turtles world without any of that pesky story set-up or back-story to get in the way, and it really makes for one hell of a fun ride. While Bay’s first Turtles movie had some really wonderful action sequences, Out of the Shadows not only out does the previous Turtles movie, but it also captures the comic book essence of the Turtles, which give us a comic book brought to life on the big screen.

Each scene in Out of the Shadows feels/looks like a comic book panel has come bursting off of the page. Even the story line here is more comic-oriented. The jokes are very comic book esque. Here’s a breakdown of the story: Shredder (brought to life perfectly by Brian Tee) is in prison. Baxter Stockman (who is played by the under-rated and highly nerdy Tyler Perry–pay attention to his laugh in Out of the Shadows), has been hatching a plan to bust him out. April O’Neil discovers this and puts the Turtles on the case. However, the Turtles
are unable to stop Shredder from escaping as they don’t anticipate Stockman’s plan of opening a dimensional portal to get him out. The portal sucks Shredder out too early and he lands into the hands of Krang (who is voiced by Everybody Loves Raymond’s Brad Garrett).

Michelangelo Poster Still from TMNT 2: Out of the Shadows

If Turtles fans have any issues with Out of the Shadows it might be with how Director Dave Green revises the Turtles mythology slightly. Here in Out of the Shadows Green pits Krang as a dark overload who enlists Shredder to help him with his plan open another, bigger portal into Earth so he can wreck havoc there. Where things differ is how it all ends between Krang and Shredder. It doesn’t end well for either of them, but one ends up frozen and locked in a prison–no doubt setting the franchise up yet another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film to follow next year, perhaps. Out of the Shadows is a perfect summer Hollywood action blockbuster.

It really has it all, and this time around, Director Dave Green has taken care to fix the 3D elements that were sort of lacking in the first film. This time around, too, whereas, in the Bay’s first Turtles movie, the human characters (April, Vern, villains) sort of served as the main characters of the story, here they are almost just really secondary side players. They’re part of the story but they aren’t the main characters, the Turtles are, and that’s the way it should be. Also, coming into the story line here is Casey Jones. Jones is played by the star of the CW’s hit show Arrow, Stephen Amell. As Casey Jones, he’s fine. There will always be a small part of you as a Turtles fan however, that wishes that Amell would’ve added that Clint Eastwood vocal infliction into this interpretation of Jones for Out of the Shadows. With Jones, there’s another, mythology skewing in the film as well. As we all know how Casey Jones became Casey Jones in the Turtles mythology, here we are introduced to Jones and we understand in the first 10 minutes of the movie exactly how the hockey mask hero is created.

There are some really stunning action sequence in Out of the Shadows. While most may remember the downhill slide sequence from the 2014 Turtles film, here in Out of the Shadows each action sequence is like that, but better. The most memorable sequences in Out of the Shadows include the opening Shredder prison break sequence, the airplane in Brazil sequence, and of course, the finale which features the Turtles in the sky above New York City surfing the construction of Krang’s Technodrome. The finale of Out of the Shadows is dazzling. The Turtles fight against Krang and the sequence goes on for quite a long time, and given the architecture of the Technodrome and it’s construction during this sequence, one feels like they’re seeing a live-action Futurist / Kandinsky painting come to life on the screen.

It’s really impressive and awe-inspiring when you consider all the work that went into this film to create these CGI creatures and effects. The creation of Krang is really impressive as well, and in the flesh he’s way more frightening and gross than any cartoon could ever portray him. Out of the Shadows is a thrill ride. It’s funny, action-packed, and it has a lot of heart. And most importantly, it’s a literal comic book brought to life for the screen. Which is all us Turtles fans have ever wanted from any Turtles movie ever. Out of the Shadows, finally, gives us what we’ve all been hoping that a Turtles movie would deliver. It’s about time.

Left to right: Megan Fox as April O’Neil, Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Stephen Amell as Casey Jones in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies and Platinum Dunes

June 3, 2016 2 comments

Screen cap taken from trailer for TMNT 2. Source: Paramount

Blog Movie / TMNT Movies

Will TMNT 2 Prove Successful at the Box Office?

by Justin W May 31, 2016

written by Justin W

As the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles move ‘Out of the Shadows’ and into theaters, fans and critics alike are giving mixed reviews of TMNT 2. Some are saying that the film fails to capture the essence of the Ninja Turtles, while others have referred to it as total nostalgia overload. I’ll reserve my criticism for Friday, when the film finally releases in theaters all over the United States – but I want to take a moment to discuss something that most critics and film buffs fail to acknowledge: the ever changing face of the global box office.

TMNT 2 poster to promote the new film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Source: Paramount.

Throughout the history of Hollywood, studios have had a difficult time selling and distributing their films all over the world. Certain markets have been reliable, but others have proven rather difficult to enter until recently. In the late 90’s, worldwide distribution began to expand heavily into markets like China. As you can imagine, this expansion introduced millions of audiences to films they had previously been unaccustomed to seeing.

Even before this moment in film history, we were already seeing the world market opening up to Hollywood distribution quite a bit, which resulted in foreign numbers that sometimes outpaced domestic numbers in the United States. Even so, throughout the 90’s the studios still held a firm belief that the domestic market was the most important consideration. However, once markets like China began to contribute heavily to overall box office numbers, everything began to change. Suddenly, Hollywood blockbusters were making two or three times as much money in foreign markets as they did in domestic markets.

At this point, the studios began to shift their attention away from domestic box office numbers and toward foreign box office numbers. For evidence of this, one needs only look at the box office numbers for the Transformers franchise. Although the domestic and foreign numbers were somewhat evenly split for the first and second film, the performance of Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction prove where things are headed. The third film made $771 million in foreign markets, while the fourth film made $858 million foreign. To put that into perspective, only 22.2% of the money earned from Transformers: Age of Extinction came from audiences in North America. As a direct result of this foreign success, we are now going to see three more Transformers films – despite the fact that the last film barely managed to earn back its production budget in the domestic market.

Limited Edition TMNT 2 poster sold exclusively at WonderCon. Source: Paramount.

Before you ask what this has to do with TMNT 2, allow me to explain. In a world where studios can rely on foreign markets – not only to pick up the slack for domestic markets, but to outsell the domestic market entirely – the game has completely changed. If you live in North America, the studios probably aren’t overly concerned with whether or not you will like one of their films. Their biggest concern at this point is making the worldwide audience happy, so you shouldn’t expect the studios to take note of any fan outrage over any particular movie when they are more than likely going to make their money back regardless.

With that said, I fully expect a lot of North American audiences to reject TMNT 2, but I don’t think it will matter. We’re already seeing quite a few negative reviews for Out of the Shadows, but somehow I doubt those negative reviews will have much of an impact on ticket sales. Although critics might have had a voice with the power to effect change in the industry many decades ago, that simply isn’t the case any longer. Whether you’re a proper film critic or an audience member that is representative of millions of dissatisfied audiences, chances are that the number of satisfied audiences throughout the world will still manage to speak louder than any criticisms you might have of the film.

This won’t stop me from being critical of Out of the Shadows when and if it is necessary, but it’s important to recognize that there may be no stopping this gravy train. With the amount that Paramount has spent on marketing this film, chances are that every parent in the world with a young shellhead will be taking their kids to see this movie very soon. Even if the movie only made $65 million during its opening weekend in North American markets, chances are that the foreign gross would be at least double that number – if not triple. For those who are curious, that’s the number that 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles managed to pull in during its first weekend.

Considering all of the marketing attached to this film, something tells me that number is going to be much higher. I would not be surprised to see a $300 million worldwide opening weekend for TMNT 2, but even if it didn’t fare that well, it’s likely that the movie will earn back its production budget during that first weekend. As is tradition in Hollywood, if the film manages to make back its budget within a few days, chances are that the studios will immediately greenlight the sequel.

Even though some critics have already said a lot of negative things about Out of the Shadows, I think the words of one particular critic from ScifiNow are fairly prophetic in regards to the potential success of this movie:

Dave Green’s sequel will keep youngsters and nostalgic fans more than entertained, for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a prime example of undemanding popcorn cinema.

It won’t change the face of comic-book movies forever – but then it was clearly never intended to do so. A Saturday-morning cartoon created for the big screen, it’s virtually critic-proof.

Whether you like it or not, this is the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film universe and it doesn’t appear that any amount of complaints from critics or fans will stop them from continuing the franchise. As long as it continues to make money all over the world, Paramount will continue to fund sequels and we will continue to see more Ninja Turtles action on the big screen. Although I find it distressing to consider that the voices of critics and audiences in the North American market may be largely ignored, I’m also a little excited to see what comes next.

What do you think? Will TMNT 2 prove successful at the box office, or will it bomb? Is the foreign box office more important than the domestic box office? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on facebook/twitter.

May 31, 2016 0 comment

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Are you convinced that Brad Fuller knows what he is doing with this franchise, or does he still have a lot to learn? Do you think TMNT 2 will manage to make its money back in foreign markets like China? Share your thoughts with us in the comments or on facebook/twitter.

What do you think? Are you disappointed that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 failed to impress at the box office? Did the movie deserve to fail? Why were the box office earnings so low? Share your thoughts and opinions on this subject either in the comments below or via facebook/twitter.

What do you think? Will TMNT 2 prove successful at the box office, or will it bomb? Is the foreign box office more important than the domestic box office? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on facebook/twitter.

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