Transformers: Age of Extinction

Transformers: Age of Extinction
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Michael Bay
Produced by	Don Murphy Tom DeSanto Lorenzo di Bonaventura Ian Bryce
Screenplay by	Ehren Kruger
Based on	Transformers by Hasbro
Starring	Mark Wahlberg Stanley Tucci
Music by	Steve Jablonsky Imagine Dragons
Cinematography	Amir Mokri
Edited by	William Goldenberg Roger Barton Paul Rubell
Production company	di Bonaventura Pictures Hasbro Jiaflix Enterprises[1]
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	June 19, 2014 (2014-06-19) (Hong Kong premiere) June 27, 2014 (2014-06-27) (China and United States)
Running time	165 minutes[2][3]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$210 million[4]
Box office	$1.104 billion[4]

Transformers: Age of Extinction is a 2014 American 3D science fiction action film based on the Transformers franchise. It is the fourth installment of the live-action Transformers film series and a stand-alone sequel to 2011's Transformers: Dark of the Moon, taking place five years after its events. Like its predecessors, it was directed by Michael Bay and written by Ehren Kruger, with Steven Spielberg and Bay as executive producers. It stars Mark Wahlberg, with Peter Cullen reprising his role as the voice of Optimus Prime, as the lead roles. It is the first film in the series to not feature the original human characters from the first three films, but features a new cast of human characters and many new Transformers, including the Dinobots. Returning Transformers include Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Leadfoot and Brains. The film was released on June 27, 2014, in IMAX and 3D.^[5]

The film received negative reviews from critics, with criticism aimed at the poor acting, underdeveloped story, darker tone, excessive running time, lack of character development, multitude of plot holes and it's dialogue. It received an average rating of 18% from all critics, and 6% from top critics on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the worst reviewed film in the series. It received seven nominations at the 35th Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel, with Bay and Kelsey Grammer winning the awards for Worst Director and Worst Supporting Actor respectively.^[6] However, many praised the visual effects, the action sequences, Steve Jablonsky's musical score, and the performances of Wahlberg, Grammer and Tucci. Despite the poor reviews, the film was a box office success. The film grossed over $1.104 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2014, the second highest-grossing film in the Transformers series, the 19th film to gross over $1 billion, and the 16th highest-grossing film of all time. It is the only film to gross over $1 billion in 2014.

A fifth film, Transformers: The Last Knight, is set to be released on June 23, 2017, with Cullen and Wahlberg returning and Bay directing again. A sixth film, serving as a Bumblebee spin-off, is scheduled for a 2018 release and a seventh film, Transformers 6, is scheduled for a 2019 release and will serve as the sixth main entry in the series.

Plot

Sixty-five million years ago, an alien race known as the “Creators” invade prehistoric Earth, using devices called Seeds to terraform the planet, covering it with an alloy called Transformium, effectively wiping out the dinosaurs. In the present day, geologist Darcy Lewis excavates the Transformium for KSI Industries, who use the alloy to create manmade Transformers.

Five years after the Battle of Chicago, Transformers have become public enemies. Though the public believe that the Autobots were granted sanctuary, they are in fact hunted down by a rogue CIA black ops division, Cemetery Wind, led by Harold Attinger, who believes all Transformers should be exterminated. They are aided by Lockdown, a Cybertronian bounty hunter working for the Creators, promising to give Attinger a Seed if his division capture Optimus Prime. Lockdown loses track of Optimus in Mexico City, instead killing Ratchet when he refuses to give up his leader’s whereabouts.

Optimus, disguised as a rundown truck, is discovered by Cade Yeager, a struggling Texan inventor. While his teenager daughter Tessa and business partner Lucas Flannery encourage him to turn Optimus over to the authorities, Cade instead helps fix Optimus, hoping to understand his technology. Lucas calls Cemetery Wind who attack the Yeager farm, but Optimus, and Tessa’s secret boyfriend, Irish rally car driver Shane Dyson, come to the family’s aid. During the pursuit, Lucas is killed by one of Lockdown’s grenades. Optimus summons the surviving Autobots – Bumblebee, Hound, Drift, and Crosshairs – who have come to distrust humans. Using a CIA drone, Cade discovers KSI’s involvement in the attacks on the Autobots.

Infiltrating KSI’s headquarters in Chicago, Cade discovers the murdered Autobots are being melted down and their bodies used for making manmade Transformers. Joshua Joyce, the ambitious company CEO, is in league with Attinger to revolutionise global defences and improve human society using the Seed. He has also used the captured Brains and Megatron’s head to create prototype Transformer soldiers Galvatron and Stinger. The Autobots storm the building and destroy the laboratory, but leave when Joshua dismisses the need for them. Attinger forces Joshua to deploy the destructive Galvatron, who battles Optimus, until Lockdown arrives, capturing Optimus and Tessa.

While Lockdown’s large prison spacecraft hovers over Chicago to hand over the Seed, Cade, Shane, and the Autobots sneak onboard to rescue Optimus and Tessa. They hijack a smaller ship, containing a number of other Autobots called the Dinobots. Optimus reveals to Cade that Galvatron is in fact Megatron, plotting to use the Seed and the drones to conquer the world, starting with Hong Kong. Cade informs Joshua, who has a change of heart, agreeing to hand over the Seed with help from Darcy and his Chinese business associate Su Yueming. Galvatron activates the drones and a battle follows in Hong Kong’s streets between the Autobots, Cemetery Wind, and the drones.

Lockdown returns to capture Optimus and the Dinobots, using a large magnet to cause destruction. Lockdown pins Optimus down with his own sword, but Tessa and Shane free him, allowing Optimus to kill Attinger and Lockdown. Galvatron retreats, vowing revenge. Optimus asks the Autobots to protect the Yeagers, before flying away into space with the Seed, sending a message to the Creators that he is coming for them.

Cast

Humans

• Mark Wahlberg as Cade Yeager, a single father and struggling inventor.^[7]
• Nicola Peltz as Tessa Yeager, Cade's daughter who is secretly dating Shane.
• Jack Reynor as Shane Dyson, Tessa's boyfriend and an Irish rally car driver.^[8][9]
• Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce, the ambitiously arrogant head of KSI who wants to build his own Transformers.^[10][11]
• Kelsey Grammer as Harold Attinger, a paranoid CIA director and government official who created the CIA black-ops unit Cemetery Wind to eliminate all Transformers, Autobot or Decepticon, from Earth.^[12]
• Titus Welliver as James Savoy, a ruthless CIA Agent and field leader of the Cemetery Wind unit working for Attinger.^[13]
• Sophia Myles as Darcy Lewis, Joshua's geologist assistant and ex-girlfriend.^[14][15]
• Li Bingbing as Su Yueming (苏月明 Sū Yuèmíng), owner of the Chinese factory used by KSI to build their artificial Transformers.^[16]
• T. J. Miller as Lucas Flannery, Cade's best friend and a mechanic.^[17]
• James Bachman as Gill Wembley, a scientist working with Joshua Joyce at KSI.
• Thomas Lennon as the Chief of Staff.

Greg Anderson, Melanie Specht and Victoria Summer play Joshua's assistants.^[18][19] Han Geng portrays himself, playing the guitar and singing in a parked car that is magnetized by Lockdown's ship.^[20] Edward T. Welburn plays a KSI executive.^[21] Kevin Covais plays a motorist.^[22]

Transformers

Autobots

• Peter Cullen voices Optimus Prime, the noble and righteous leader of the Autobots who transforms into a rusty Marmon 97 semi truck and later, a blue and red Western Star 5700 XE semi-trailer truck.^{[23][24][25][26][27]}
• Bumblebee, a rebellious young Autobot scout and Optimus's new second-in-command who communicates through voice clips and sound bites via his radio and transforms into a modified 1967 Chevrolet Camaro and later, a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro concept.
• John Goodman voices Hound, a gutsy and cantankerous Autobot commando unit who transforms into an Oshkosh Defense Medium Tactical Vehicle.^[28][29][30]
• Ken Watanabe voices Drift, a wise Autobot tactician and a former Decepticon assassin who transforms into a black and blue 2013 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse and a Sikorsky S-97 Raider Helicopter.
• John DiMaggio voices Crosshairs, a self-centered Autobot paratrooper and elite sniper who transforms into a green 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray.^[24]
• Robert Foxworth voices Ratchet, the caring and resourceful Autobot medical officer who transforms into a white and green 2004 Search and rescue Hummer H2 ambulance.
• Reno Wilson voices Brains, a former Decepticon drone turned Autobot who has lost his right leg.^[27]

Ironhide, Arcee and Wheeljack make cameos, depicted on cards stamped with an X to indicate their deaths. An Autobot Wrecker, Leadfoot, makes a cameo voiced by Robert Foxworth in video footage shown after Cade steals the KSI spy drone. Sentinel Prime's head is seen in the KSI labs, where they download data from the dead Transformers' remains.

Dinobots

• Grimlock, the leader of the vicious Dinobots who transforms into a mechanical horned, fire-breathing Tyrannosaurus.^[24][26]
• Strafe, a Dinobot who specializes in assault infantry and transforms into a mechanical two-headed and two-tailed Pteranodon.^[26][31]
• Slug, the Dinobots' destroyer who transforms into a mechanical spiked and bestial Triceratops.^[26][31]
• Scorn, the Dinobots' demolition specialist who transforms into a mechanical three-sailed Spinosaurus.^[26][31]

Decepticons

• Frank Welker voices Galvatron, a human-made KSI Transformer modeled after Optimus Prime, but using data downloaded from the remains of Megatron, becoming possessed by the Decepticon leader. He molecularly transforms into a black and grey 2014 Freightliner Argosy cab over trailer truck.^{[26][27][31][32]}
• Stinger, a human-made KSI Transformer modeled after Bumblebee who later becomes a Decepticon and molecularly transforms into a red and black 2013 Pagani Huayra.^{[24][25][26][27]}
• Junkheap, a human-made KSI Transformer who has a three-man splitting technique and later becomes a Decepticon under Galvatron's control. It molecularly transforms into a Mack garbage truck of Waste Management, Inc.^[33]
• Traxes, human-made KSI Transformers modeled after Roadbuster who later become Decepticons under Galvatron's control and molecularly transform into red, blue, black or white Chevrolet Traxes.^[34]
• "Two-Heads", two-headed human-made KSI Transformers modeled from the remains of Shockwave who later become Decepticons under Galvatron's control.
• "KSI Bosses", human-made KSI Transformers modeled after Barricade who later become Decepticons under Galvatron's control.

Starscream and Loader make cameos depicted on cards stamped with an X to indicate their deaths. Barricade and the Decepticon Protoforms make cameos in footage from the Battle of Chicago. Megatron's head is seen in the KSI labs, where they download data from the dead Transformers' remains. The Insecticons make a cameo, transferring data from Megatron's mind, infecting the Galvatron drone.

Others

• Mark Ryan voices Lockdown, an extremely powerful and vicious Cybertronian bounty hunter who transforms into a grey 2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700–4 Coupe and works for the Creators to bring Optimus Prime to them.^[24][26]
• Steeljaws, the savage techno-organic dog-like minions of Lockdown.

Production

Development

During production for Dark of the Moon, Shia LaBeouf and Bay confirmed that they would not return for a fourth installment of the franchise.^[35] Roland Emmerich, Joe Johnston, Jon Turteltaub, Stephen Sommers, Louis Leterrier and David Yates were rumored to replace Bay.^[36] Jason Statham was rumored to star in the fourth installment. Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner revealed that he was able to announce the film as he was talking with Steven Spielberg, Bay and Paramount.^[37] There were rumors that the fourth and fifth installment would be shot back-to-back with Statham as the lead role, which he and Bay denied.^[38] Spielberg hoped Bay would return for a fourth installment.^[39]

After final negotiations with Bay to direct the film,^[40] producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed that there would be a fourth film in the franchise.^[41] In February 2012, Paramount Pictures and Michael Bay announced that Bay would be producing and directing a fourth Transformers film, scheduled for a June 27, 2014 release.^[42][43] The film will not be a reboot but a sequel to Dark of the Moon,^[44] taking place four years later.^[45] Ehren Kruger and Steve Jablonsky returned to write the script and the score, respectively.^[46] In April 2013, it was announced that China Movie Channel and Jiaflix Enterprises would co-produce the film with Paramount.^[47][48]

On September 1, 2013, Fusible revealed three possible subtitles for the film, which were Last Stand, Future Cast, and Apocalypse. On September 2, TFW 2005 revealed one last possible title, Age of Extinction.^[49][50] On September 3, 2013, Paramount released an official teaser poster for the film, revealing the title to be Transformers: Age of Extinction.^[51]

Casting

In November 2012, Mark Wahlberg was cast in the film.^[7] Also in November 2012, The Hollywood Reporter reported that casting had begun for two additional leads: the daughter to Wahlberg's character and her boyfriend, a race car driver. Isabelle Cornish, Nicola Peltz, Gabriella Wilde, and Margaret Qualley were all considered for the role of the daughter, while Luke Grimes, Landon Liboiron, Brenton Thwaites, Jack Reynor, and Hunter Parrish were all considered for the boyfriend. The leads are contracted for three films.^[52] In January 2013, Reynor was cast as the boyfriend,^[44] and in March 2013, Nicola Peltz was cast as Wahlberg's daughter.^[53]

Peter Cullen reprises his role as the voice of Optimus Prime.^[23] Glenn Morshower stated in September 2012 that he would appear in the next two films, reprising his role of General Morshower, but Morshower announced in May 2013 that he would not be able to appear in the new films due to a scheduling conflict.^[54] In April 2013, Bay revealed that actor Stanley Tucci had joined the cast.^[55] On May 1, 2013, actor Kelsey Grammer was cast as the lead human villain named Harold Attinger.^[56] On May 6, 2013, actress Sophia Myles was cast in a major role.^[14] That same month, Chinese actress Li Bingbing and comedian T. J. Miller joined the cast.^[57] On July 14, 2013, Bay announced that Han Geng had joined the cast.^[20] That same month, Titus Welliver also joined the cast.^[13]

Filming

Bay announced that filming had begun on May 28, 2013, in Monument Valley, Utah. Detroit, Michigan, was used as a stand-in for Hong Kong^[58] while McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, was re-dressed to portray a city in China.^[59] The movie was the first feature film to be shot using smaller digital IMAX 3D cameras.^[55] It also was shot in various other formats, including IMAX 70mm film cameras, digital stereo 3D, and anamorphic and spherical 35mm film.^[60] From May 28 to June 24, 2013, Michael Bay uploaded photographs of several cars featured in the film, all apparently Autobots, to social networks including Facebook and Flickr. The film featured two unknown Autobots that transformed into a black and blue 2013 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse (going by production name "Drift"), and a green 2014 C7 Corvette Stingray concept (going by production name "Slingshot"). Also revealed was a truck from Western Star Trucks as Optimus Prime's new alternate mode. The Dinobots and Lockdown were confirmed to appear. On October 29, Michael Bay's Official Twitter Account tweeted that principal photography of Transformers 4 had been completed in Hong Kong, China and the cast and crew were heading to the Chinese mainland. (According to previous reports, they would be filming there for one week.)^[61] Additional filming in Detroit began in early 2014; a pair of steamships (Columbia and Ste. Clair) which had once traveled between Detroit and Bois Blanc Island's amusement park were partially restored and used as props for the film.^[62]

Incidents

On October 17, 2013, while filming in Hong Kong, Bay was assaulted by two brothers surnamed Mak, who demanded a payment of HK$100,000 (US$12,900). The elder brother also assaulted three police officers during the incident. Both brothers and a third man surnamed Chan were arrested on suspicion of assault, with the younger Mak also charged on suspicion of blackmail.^[63] The Mak brothers pleaded guilty to both charges in February 2014 and were incarcerated, with the prosecutor noting that the case had attracted a great deal of media attention and affected Hong Kong's image.^[64]

Post-production

Industrial Light & Magic's VFX supervisor Scott Farrar, who had also supervised the three prior films in the Transformers franchise, rendered the visual effects. He said the film contains about ninety minutes of visual effects (out of the movie's 165-minute length).^[65] Farrer said it was the biggest project, using the largest crew, of his career, and noted that over five hundred crews had worked on it, using various facilities.^[66]

The nine different formats used in the film included IMAX film, IMAX digital, single-frame anamorphic film, GoPros, crashcams, Red cameras on 3Ality stereo 3D gigs, and red cameras for 2D.^[66]

Music

Like its predecessors, Steve Jablonsky composed the film's score, marking his sixth film collaboration with director Michael Bay, four of which are Transformers films. The film's score was praised by critics and fans. The soundtrack album sold more than 15,000 units worldwide. It is also the first Transformers film not to feature a Linkin Park song.

Skrillex worked on sound design for the film, having said that he was creating "the craziest Skrillex sounds I could ever make" and mentioned working on sounds for the Dinobots.^[67][68]

Imagine Dragons wrote a single specifically for the film itself, titled "Battle Cry", that was implemented in key parts of the film by Bay. Imagine Dragons also worked with Steve Jablonsky and Hans Zimmer to contribute additional music to the film's score.^[69]

Linkin Park's new single "Until It's Gone" is included in the video game soundtrack of the movie.^[70]

On June 30, 2014, an extended play was digitally released on iTunes, featuring four tracks as a teaser for the full official score, which features variations of the four themes.^[71] On July 4, 2014, the long play was released digitally on iTunes containing the full score of the film.^[72] The soundtrack album was released on CD by record label La-La Land Records on October 7, 2014.

On November 20, 2014, Steve Jablonsky released a statement via Facebook saying that the score would no longer be available on iTunes and other digital music stores after it had reached its limit of 15,000 units before re-use fees would have to be paid. Jablonsky personally expressed his own disappointment in the turn of events, hoping there would be a way to eventually re-release the score, along with the score to Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which had also been removed from iTunes and other digital music stores several months prior when it too reached the 15,000 unit limit.^[73]

Release

The film had its world premiere in Hong Kong on June 19, with a live concert by Imagine Dragons.^[74]

Marketing

The first televised advertisement for Transformers: Age of Extinction aired during Super Bowl XLVIII. In a poll by Fandango, the spot was determined to be the most anticipated film trailer to be shown, receiving 48% of the vote in the poll.^[75] The first official teaser trailer was released on March 4, 2014.^[76] A viral marketing campaign was started for the film upon the teaser trailer's release.^[77] On March 30, 2014, a shortened version of the teaser trailer was aired during the season 4 finale of The Walking Dead. Another shortened version of the teaser trailer was aired during the 2014 MTV Movie Awards.

Chevrolet aired a commercial at the New York International Auto Show featuring General Motors vehicles with clips from the film, along with putting them on display.^[78]

Hasbro released an app on May 8 surrounding the film available for iOS and Android devices, allowing users to access exclusive material such as character biographies, images, and interviews with the stars, among other things.^[79] A clip featuring never-before-seen scenes from the film and an interview with Imagine Dragons aired during The Voice on May 12, 2014.

DeNA and Hasbro teamed up to construct an official mobile video game for the film. The game was first announced on May 13, 2014, though, the title is still in active development.^[80] Also on this date, Oreo launched a marketing campaign to promote the film.^[81] This included a television commercial where a boy gives a wounded Optimus Prime an Oreo cookie to continue the fight.^[82]

An exclusive theatrical trailer debuted on May 15 on iTunes Movie Trailers at 12:01 AM Pacific Standard Time.^[83] On May 21, 2014, two television spots appeared online, both containing new footage from the film.^[84] The film's viral campaign updated on May 22, showcasing all-new posters and realistic news reports of the damage done to Chicago from the third film.^[85] Three more television spots, all sporting new footage, appeared online on May 30, 2014.^[86][87][88]

Imagine Dragons's single for the film officially released online on June 2, 2014.^[89]

Jack Reynor and Nicola Peltz made multiple appearances in the Twin Cities on June 8, 2014. During an appearance on the Canadian version of The Morning Show, both Reynor and Peltz promised big things that would please fans.^[90] Kelsey Grammer made an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman on June 9, 2014. During his visit, the very first clip from the film debuted, showcasing Grammer's character and Wahlberg's in a heated argument. During the first commercial break for the show, a brand new television spot aired.^[91] On June 10, 2014, two television spots appeared online, both containing extensive new footage from the film.

At the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 29, 2014, Mark Wahlberg, who stars in the film, hosted the event. There was also a transmission from Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, and Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor assembled with Wahlberg to take out cannons that fired slime.

Three more television spots appeared online on June 14, 2014, containing new footage of the Dinobots transforming and of Lockdown speaking.^[92] On June 17, a brand new television spot aired on Comedy Central containing new footage. Another television spot appeared online on June 18, sporting new footage as well.

The film's unusual marketing strategy of letting people video the shooting of the film in select locations was the subject of film critic Kevin B. Lee's critical video essay Transformers: The Premake.^[93]

Video games

In February 2014, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, developed by Edge of Reality, published by Activision was announced as a companion to the film. It was released in June 2014 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.^[94]

In summer 2014, Rovio and Hasbro announced Angry Birds Transformers. The game has Transformers movie designs on two of the characters.

Reception

Box office

Worldwide

Transformers: Age of Extinction has grossed $245,439,076 in the USA & Canada, and $858,614,996 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $1,104,054,072 against a budget of $210 million.^[4] It was the only film of 2014 to earn over $1 billion at the box office worldwide.^[95] Deadline.com calculated the net profit of the film to be $250.2 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film, making it the most profitable film of 2014.^[95] Worldwide, in its opening weekend, the film earned $302.1 million, which is the 14th highest ever, the highest in 2014, and the second largest for Paramount behind Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($382.4 million).^[96] It was the 16th highest-grossing film worldwide, the highest-grossing film of 2014, the second highest-grossing film in the Transformers film series, and the 11th highest-grossing film of Paramount (domestically).^[97] It is the second film in the Transformers installment to earn over $1 billion following Dark of the Moon^[98] and the 19th film overall. Despite being a box office hit, it was considered by several box office experts to have fallen well below expectations.

North America

Transformers: Age of Extinction is the fifth highest-grossing film of 2014 in the U.S. and Canada.^[99] It was released on June 27, 2014 in across 4,233 theaters in North America. It earned $8.75 million from Thursday late-night run, which was the fifth biggest of 2014.^[100] On Friday, the film grossed an additional $31.25 million bringing its total day gross to $41.6 million, including $10.7 million from IMAX theaters. In its opening weekend, the film earned $100,038,390^{[nb 1]} setting an opening record of 2014 (overtaken by The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 with $121.9 million),^[103] which is the fourth-highest opening for Paramount,^[104] and the fifth-highest for a film released in June.^[105] The opening-weekend audience was evenly split among those under and over the age of 25 (with 58%), male (64%), and under 18 (27%).^[106] The film remained at the summit for two consecutive weekends before being overtaken by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in its third weekend. It also crossed the $200 million mark in its third weekend, becoming the fifth film of 2014 to do so.^[107][108] The film closed down its theatrical run on October 9, 2014^[109] and earned a total of $245,439,076, making it the highest-grossing film of 2014. But despite being the second highest-grossing film in the series, and the highest-grossing film of 2014, its total box office gross fell below the total of the previous films.^[109][110]

Outside North America

Outside North America, it is the highest-grossing film of 2014,^[111] and the sixth-highest-grossing film.^[112] Transformers: Age of Extinction earned $202.1 million in its opening weekend from 37 countries in 10,152 screens, which is 35% bigger than Dark of the Moon and marking the biggest overseas opening of 2014 (breaking X-Men: Days of Future Past's record set one month prior).^[113] It scored the biggest IMAX overseas opening weekend with $16.6 million from 266 theaters (overtaken by Jurassic World).^[113][114] The film topped the box office outside North America for four consecutive weekends despite coinciding with the 2014 FIFA World Cup before being overtaken by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in its fifth weekend.^[115]

International openings of over $5 million occurred in South Korea ($21.7 million), Brazil ($16.5 million), Germany ($11.2 million), Australia ($9.6 million),France ($8.8 million), Taiwan ($8.1 million), Malaysia ($6.7 million), Japan ($6.4 million), the Philippines ($5.7 million), India ($5.35 million), Hong Kong ($5.1 million), and Italy ($5 million).^[113] In Russia, the film opened to number one with $21.7 million from 1,100 screens, which is the second largest in the territory for which 3D accounted for 80% of the total gross. IMAX comprised $2.6 million of the total gross from 34 IMAX screens.^[113] Its biggest opener outside the U.S. was in China, where it scored one of the biggest non-North American openings of all time with $91.2 million from 4,400 screens, which was once the second biggest opening of all time there.^[113][116] The film set an all time IMAX opening record with $9.7 million.^[113][117] After five days of its release, Age of Extinction surpassed its North American run with $134.5 million.^[118][119] In China, the film earned an additional $50.9 million in its second weekend for a total of $212.8 million. In only 10 days of its release, it became the highest-grossing film in China with $222.74 million, thus overtaking Avatar's previous record.^{[120][121][122]} Adding to the film's revenue and popularity were product placements of Chinese brands edited into the movie specifically for Chinese audiences.^[123]

It became the highest-grossing film in China, with $301–$320 million^{[nb 2]} in revenue surpassing 2009's record set by Avatar ($204 million),^{[125][130][131]} until it was surpassed by Furious 7 in 2015 over $390 million.^[132] It is also the first movie in China to gross more than $300 million at the box office.^[133] A large part of the success in China has been attributed to the large fan base there and because of its accompanying animated TV series–which ran during the 1980s and 1990–was one of the highest quality TV programs at that time which resulted in many children getting attached to it. Transformers toy merchandising was one of the first successful cases by a foreign company in China at its time, its line of transforming robot toys was highly sought after, especially by boys.^[134]

At the end of its theatrical run outside North America, the film earned $858,600,000 which is 77.8% of its total gross. In total earnings, the highest revenue came from China ($301 million), Russia ($45.2 million), South Korea ($43.3 million), Germany ($38.2 million), Mexico ($33.5 million), and the UK ($33.1 million).^[135]

Authenticity over North American box office opening

The $100 million opening announced for Transformers: Age of Extinction is disputed within the industry. According to Rentrak—which has a direct line into the vast majority of theatres in the United States and Canada to track actual ticket sales—about 4,100 of the 4,233 theatres playing the film generated $95.9 million. The projected total from the Rentrak sales data would put the opening three-day weekend gross at around $97.5 million. For Transformers to have crossed the $100 million threshold, it would have needed to gross more than the nationwide average in the theatres not tracked by Rentrak. Some media outlets have elected to go with the Rentrak figure.^[101][102]

Critical reception

Transormers: Age of Extinction received generally negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 18% based on 184 reviews with an average rating of 3.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With the fourth installment in Michael Bay's blockbuster Transformers franchise, nothing is in disguise: Fans of loud, effects-driven action will find satisfaction, and all others need not apply."^[136] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 32 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".^[137] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.^[138]

Richard Roeper gave the film a "D", saying that "the longer the movie goes on, the less interesting it becomes; it just wears you down. As we were finally reaching the 165-minute mark, all that noise and fury was about as exciting as the special effects in an Ed Wood movie."^[139] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film zero out of four stars, calling it "the worst and most worthless Transformers movie yet."^[140] Kyle Smith of the New York Post gave the film one-and-a-half out of four stars, commenting that "This series was never good, but it was once fun, or at least flashy. Now that its gears have gone rusty, it’s time for an Alien vs. Predator-style rethink."^[141] A. O. Scott of The New York Times said in his review that "The story is scaffolding for the action and like every other standing structure, it is wrecked in a thunderous shower of metal, glass, masonry, and earth."^[142]

Clarence Tsui of The Hollywood Reporter commented on his review that it "barely skirts the idea that humankind and planet Earth are about to be totally annihilated. What is extinguished is the audience's consciousness after being bombarded for nearly three hours with overwrought emotions ('There's a missile in the living room!' Tessa hollers — twice), bad one-liners, and battles that rarely rise above the banal. A trio of editors make a technical marvel out of the fight scenes, but can do little to link the story's multiple threads into something coherent."^[143] Roth Cornet of IGN gave the film a score of 6.3 out of 10, praising the "slightly darker/surprising tone and Lockdown and his ship while criticizing the logic/script issues and long running time."^[144] Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News gave the film one out of five stars, commenting that "If the 'human scenes' all reek of adolescent dialogue and dopey snark masquerading as character development, it's a toss-up if that's better or worse than seeing clattering collections of caliginous junk."^[145]

Home media

Transformers: Age of Extinction was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and Blu-ray 3D formats on September 30, 2014, in North America. The film was also released on digital download through iTunes and Google Play on September 16, 2014.

Accolades

Award	Category	Winner/Nominee	Result
2014 Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Villain	Kelsey Grammer	Nominated
	Choice Movie: Breakout Star	Nicola Peltz	Nominated
	Choice Summer Movie	Transformers: Age of Extinction	Nominated
	Choice Summer Movie Star	Mark Wahlberg	Nominated
2014 Golden Trailer Awards	Best Summer 2014 Blockbuster Trailer	Paramount Pictures and Creative Buzz Industries	Nominated
2014 Hollywood Film Awards	Best Visual Effects of the Year	Scott Farrar	Won
2014 Houston Film Critics Society Awards	Worst Film	Transformers: Age of Extinction	Nominated
2015 Annie Awards	Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in a Live Action Production	Michael Balog, Jim Van Allen, Rick Hankins, and John Hansen	Nominated
2015 Satellite Awards	Best Visual Effects	John Frazier, Patrick Tubach, Scott Benza, and Scott Farrar	Nominated
	Best Sound (Editing & Mixing)	Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van Der Ryn, and Peter J. Devlin	Nominated
2015 Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Picture	Transformers: Age of Extinction	Nominated
	Worst Director	Michael Bay	Won
	Worst Supporting Actor	Kelsey Grammer (also for The Expendables 3, Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return, and Think Like a Man Too)	Won
	Worst Supporting Actress	Nicola Peltz	Nominated
	Worst Screenplay	Ehren Kruger	Nominated
	Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel	Transformers: Age of Extinction	Nominated
	Worst Screen Combo	Transformers: Age of Extinction	Nominated

Sequels

A fifth Transformers film was planned for release on June 24, 2017.^[146] Bay will return to produce the film.^[147][148] In a December 2014 interview, Walhberg confirmed that he will return for another installment.^[149] Voice actor Peter Cullen commented about Transformers 5 and a possible sixth installment, stating that both films will go back to more of their original roots.^[150] Composer Steve Jablonsky has said that his involvement for the sequel is still undetermined. In March 2015, it was reported that the studio was in talks with Akiva Goldsman to write the fifth film.^[151] In April 2015, Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner confirmed Goldsman's involvement, announcing that Goldsman would be "leading a group of writers to really create a strategic plan around Transformers". Goldner also stated that he "would expect the sequel to Transformers: Age of Extinction to happen in 2017". On January 4, 2016, Rolling Stone confirmed that Bay would be returning to direct, with filming starting early 2016, for a summer 2017 release date.^[152] In April 2016, The Wrap reports that Isabela Moner is cast in the female lead role of Izabella, a street-smart tomboy who grew up an orphan and was raised in foster care. She counts a small Transformer as her only friend until she meets heroic inventor Cade Yeager. The site also reports that Bay is eyeing Jean Dujardin and Stephen Merchant for supporting roles and Jerrod Carmichael in talks for a role. On May 16, 2016, the film's title was announced on its Instagram page as Transformers: The Last Knight. It was announced the next day that Josh Duhamel would return for the film as William Lennox. On June 2016, original cast member Tyrese Gibson was also confirmed to return as Robert Epps.^{[153][154][155][156][157][158][159][160]} Composer Steve Jablonsky confirmed in his Twitter account that he would return for the sequel.

See also

• List of films featuring drones

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Transformers: Age of Extinction

• Transformers: Age of Extinction at the Internet Movie Database
• Transformers: Age of Extinction at the TCM Movie Database
• Transformers: Age of Extinction at AllMovie