"Transformers" numbers

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I haven't heard from my numbers guys, but Deadline Hollywood Daily's Nikki Finke reported late this morning that Michael Bay's Transformers "made between $8 million and $9 million Monday night, a hefty amount considering the DreamWorks/Paramount pic didn't even start its screenings until 8 p.m." The more money Transformers makes, the gloomier I'll feel.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 3, 2007 at 2:51 PM

comment #1

Dan Revill says ...

Yay Transformers! Make the dreary critic even more cantankerous!!!

It was good dumb fun. Relax. You knew that this was gonna happen.

Posted by Dan Revill at July 3, 2007 3:17 PM

comment #2

Josh Massey says ...

"Good dumb fun."

Transformers is one out of three.

Posted by Josh Massey at July 3, 2007 3:22 PM

comment #3

nemo says ...

In the meantime, "A Mighty Heart" has barely grossed $7M US in its entire run so far. It lasted a bare 2.5 weeks in my town in the Midwest, getting pushed out of the theaters today in preparation for the midweek start of the super-long July 4 weekend.

Posted by nemo at July 3, 2007 3:25 PM

comment #4

Wrecktum says ...

Compare Transformers 8:00PM opening of $8.1m to Pirates 3's 8:00PM opening of $13.2. The want-to-see is obviously much more limited for giants robots.

Posted by Wrecktum at July 3, 2007 3:40 PM

comment #5

jse33 says ...

Let's see. Transformers first showings were on a Monday. Pirates 3's first showings on Wednesday. Shia LaBeouf is the lead in Transformers. Johnny Depp is the lead in Pirates 3. Transformers is an original movie franchise. Pirates 3 follows 2 films that combined to gross $1.7 billion worldwide. I'm not worried about Transformers' box office profits, considering the production budget is $150 million, compared to the extremely bloated $300 million that it took to throw together Pirates 3 up on screen. Not worried one bit.

Posted by jse33 at July 3, 2007 3:52 PM

comment #6

Glenn Whipp says ...

Take heart, Jeff. With any luck, the movie will be a smash success and Bay will be obliged to make at least a couple of sequels, preventing him from ruining any stories that include hints of recognizable human behavior.

Posted by Glenn Whipp at July 3, 2007 4:18 PM

comment #7

RoyBatty says ...

And still no mention about the Libby thing, which friends back in solid red states are telling me is NOT going over well at all. Some now think it's just a matter of time before he and Cheney are impeached and Harry Reid (god help us) is President until Obama or Gore get sworn in.

A real political bombshell goes off and Wells give us who the mayor was schtupping for the last couple of months. Classic!

Posted by RoyBatty at July 3, 2007 4:31 PM

comment #8

Ian Sinclair says ...

We passed a long, long line of people waiting to get into a Manhattan screening of TRANSFORMERS...and every single person in line was a guy.

Posted by Ian Sinclair at July 3, 2007 4:39 PM

comment #9

RoyBatty says ...

Yes, but were they reading more than 17 million Harry Potter books...?

Posted by RoyBatty at July 3, 2007 4:47 PM

comment #10

Ron Lim says ...

There's a great line in the little seen remake of "Sabrina". Harrison Ford is the workaholic in the family and his brother Greg Kinnear is a lazy playboy.

Ford to Kinnear: "MY life makes YOUR life possible."

Kinnear to Ford: "I resent that!"

Ford to Kinnear: "So do I."

That pretty much sums up my feelings about blockbusters. They work hard, cost a lot of money, but usually end up earning a lot of money for the studio, making other projects possible.

Spider-man 3 feeds Sony Classic. Transformers feeds Paramount Vantage... it's all good.

Posted by Ron Lim at July 3, 2007 4:48 PM

comment #11

frankbooth says ...

"...every single person in line was a guy."

-- and they all looked (and smelled) like the housemates from Knocked Up.

Posted by frankbooth at July 3, 2007 5:10 PM

comment #12

Glenn Whipp says ...

Funny, the ones at my screening smelled of Febreze.

Posted by Glenn Whipp at July 3, 2007 5:13 PM

comment #13

Glenn Whipp says ...

Funny ... the ones at my screening smelled of Febreze.

Posted by Glenn Whipp at July 3, 2007 5:13 PM

comment #14

Wrecktum says ...

"Some now think it's just a matter of time before he and Cheney are impeached and Harry Reid (god help us) is President until Obama or Gore get sworn in."

Pelosi is third in line, not Reid.

Posted by Wrecktum at July 3, 2007 5:47 PM

comment #15

Movie fan09 says ...

ron lim-

LOVED the Sabrina remake.
that movie had real magic.
just so fun to watch.

Posted by Movie fan09 at July 3, 2007 5:56 PM

comment #16

Movie Watcher says ...

Transformers will make tons of loot. It's an action movie, and it's harmless. Why all the fuss? Wait until the fall for "serious" movies! I will see it tomorrow, and take it for what it is. To agonize over it is useless. Enjoy.

Posted by Movie Watcher at July 3, 2007 6:12 PM

comment #17

D.Z. says ...

Wrecktum: "Compare Transformers 8:00PM opening of $8.1m to Pirates 3's 8:00PM opening of $13.2. The want-to-see is obviously much more limited for giants robots."

I thought it was kind of small, too.

jse: "Transformers first showings were on a Monday. Pirates 3's first showings on Wednesday."

But both have been screened right before holiday weekends, so it dates don't really matter.

"Shia LaBeouf is the lead in Transformers. Johnny Depp is the lead in Pirates 3."

Perhaps, but before Pirates, Depp was scraping by on low-profile productions like Chocolat, From Hell, and Ninth Gate, while LaBouf should be a bigger draw, since he's younger, helped bail out Dreamamount with Suspiria, and is Indiana Jones' kid.

"I'm not worried about Transformers' box office profits, considering the production budget is $150 million, compared to the extremely bloated $300 million that it took to throw together Pirates 3 up on screen."

Pirates 3 pretty much made most of its money back through the dvd sales of the second film and whatever merchandising tie-ins they could get out of it. Meanwhile, The Island cost $25 million less than Transformers and still managed to tank and sink Dreamworks along with it.

Glenn: "With any luck, the movie will be a smash success and Bay will be obliged to make at least a couple of sequels, preventing him from ruining any stories that include hints of recognizable human behavior."

No such luck, Glenn. He's still holding the Hitchcock Family hostage by threatening to remake The Birds.

Ian: "We passed a long, long line of people waiting to get into a Manhattan screening of TRANSFORMERS...and every single person in line was a guy."

I hope that doesn't mean that the box office will be the big-budget equivalent to Grindhouse a few months earlier...

Posted by D.Z. at July 3, 2007 6:31 PM

comment #18

christian says ...

i just talked to a female who does not like these kinds of films and even she was awestruck. she said," it was big and loud." hit.

Posted by christian at July 3, 2007 6:56 PM

comment #19

Wrecktum says ...

My aunt is big and loud. That doesn't make her a must see event.

Posted by Wrecktum at July 3, 2007 6:58 PM

comment #20

The Winchester says ...

Speak for yourself, dude. Your aunt's HAWT!

Posted by The Winchester at July 3, 2007 7:22 PM

comment #21

Ogami Itto says ...

"i just talked to a female who does not like these kinds of films and even she was awestruck."

I don't believe there's a female nerdy or pitiful enough to see, let alone enjoy, a movie like
"Transformers."

Posted by Ogami Itto at July 3, 2007 7:34 PM

comment #22

Moneypenny says ...

GREAT review/commentary over at AICN by Vern:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33228

Posted by Moneypenny at July 3, 2007 8:13 PM

comment #23

erikwithak says ...

I'm right across the street from the shitty Loews on 11th St. and 3rd Ave. and the line was getting long at arond 6:30 last night outside the theatre for the 8:00 show. Also, mostly guys, but thats hardly a surprise. Hell, I'll be there tomorrow nigh.

Posted by erikwithak at July 3, 2007 8:24 PM

comment #24

jeffmcm says ...

"Perhaps, but before Pirates, Depp was scraping by on low-profile productions like Chocolat, From Hell, and Ninth Gate, while LaBouf should be a bigger draw, since he's younger, helped bail out Dreamamount with Suspiria, and is Indiana Jones' kid."

Stupid quote of the day which successfully ignores that Depp had a hit with Sleepy Hollow and that Blow and Chocolat grossed a very respectable $53 and $71 million, respectively, plus he's a movie star while Shia LaBoeuf is still just starting out in movies and has gotten lucky, plus you didn't even get the name of Disturbia right. If that was intentional, it wasn't clever enough to be worth it.

Posted by jeffmcm at July 3, 2007 8:49 PM

comment #25

Don Murphy says ...

Moneypenny
did things work out for you so badly that now you take joy citing the work of a hillbilly moron like Vern? Oliver was right about you.

Posted by Don Murphy at July 3, 2007 8:52 PM

comment #26

Moneypenny says ...

Dearest Don,

If it were a possitive review I would say the same thing. In fact, I'm going to see the movie tomorrow. I thought it was a well-thought commentary on the state of summer movies.

Oliver was right about me? So I assume you seem to "know" who I am? You're welcome to "out" me if you wish.

Also, Oliver Stone thought you were crazy. Doesn't that say something?

Posted by Moneypenny at July 3, 2007 9:00 PM

comment #27

D.Z. says ...

jeff: "Stupid quote of the day which successfully ignores that Depp had a hit with Sleepy Hollow"

But that had more to do with Burton than Depp. Even after he dropped Batman, his name still meant something during the 90s. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was obviously the reverse situation, though.

"and that Blow and Chocolat grossed a very respectable $53 and $71 million, respectively,"

As you can see from http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=blow.htm ,
Blow didn't really make any money, and was just coasting off the good will from Boogie Nights. Chocolat was primarily a chick flick which just happened to have Depp as a selling point.

"plus you didn't even get the name of Disturbia right. If that was intentional, it wasn't clever enough to be worth it."

Yeah, I screwed up there. My bad. It's just that the marketing people at Dreamworks don't care about originality-hence the confusion.

Posted by D.Z. at July 3, 2007 9:16 PM

comment #28

LYTrules says ...

Vern isn't a hillbilly moron. I wish he were.

But every once in a while, he seems to snap out of character and get snobby. I don't see how a champion of direct-to-video Wesley Snipes movies can dis Transformers, or Snakes on a Plane.

That make me think it's an act, or more than one person under the same name.

Posted by LYTrules at July 3, 2007 9:20 PM

comment #29

Bilge says ...

As a fan of both Don Murphy and Vern, I have to point out that calling a guy who trashes a Michael Bay movie a "hillbilly moron" is a bit like calling a guy who votes for Bush "an effete liberal." Does not compute.

Posted by Bilge at July 3, 2007 9:35 PM

comment #30

D.Z. says ...

I'm just surprised that Ebert liked it. Maybe he's been stuck in the hospital so long that even a Michael Bay film would seem appealing. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070701/REVIEWS/70620006/1023

Posted by D.Z. at July 3, 2007 10:19 PM

comment #31

mitch says ...

I'm staying at the Warwick, across from the Cinerama here in Seattle (the Warwick isn't that hot lookin' from the outside, but it is a nice place to stay with freshly updated rooms, a very good restauraunt - The Margaux - and a great staff, and the 4th Fireworks will be just lovely to view from our balcony) and the 11:20 showing is sold out, as was the 8:00 showing. In line, the mix is probably 80% guys, and it doesn't seem that any of the women are attending unattached. The current time, about 10:10, and the line is at least 100 people long.

Say what you want about Transformers, but if people enjoy it then good for them. I genuinely disliked Children of Men and Pan's Labyrinth, and was lukewarm with Little Children, yet I'm not about to tell anyone what a dumb fuck they are for liking each.

For the record, I LOVED The Dish. Absolutely enjoyed every minute of it. The wife and kids enjoyed it also. One of our favorites. Good for us.

Posted by mitch at July 3, 2007 10:24 PM

comment #32

jeffmcm says ...

DZ, whether or not Blow was profitable is irrelevant to the point of whether or not Johnny Depp is a bigger star than Shia LaBeouf. He opened the movie and people saw it because of him. It had nothing to do with Boogie Nights. Chocolat using Depp as a 'selling point' proves what I'm saying: they used him to get more butts in seats. Again, it being a 'chick flick' is irrelevant to the point.

You're horrible.

Posted by jeffmcm at July 3, 2007 10:29 PM

comment #33

D.Z. says ...

jeff: "He opened the movie and people saw it because of him."

They saw it, because it came out right after Traffic.

"It had nothing to do with Boogie Nights."

They practically copied the same idea of some guy who was big in the 70s and his eventual downfall; only instead of being a pornstar, he's a dealer. Yeah, the producers were more likely inspired by Scarface than Boogie Nights, but they cast Depp to play the same lovable nice guy from the latter film who gets in with the wrong crowd.

"Chocolat using Depp as a 'selling point' proves what I'm saying: they used him to get more butts in seats."

It would have gotten a lot of butts in seats, anyway. Depp's name just added to the final take.

"Again, it being a 'chick flick' is irrelevant to the point."

If it's irrelevant, then how come Don Juan De Marco and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" flopped?

Posted by D.Z. at July 3, 2007 10:43 PM

comment #34

Bilge says ...

D.Z., BLOW may not have been a huge hit, but it grossed about twice the amount BOOGIE NIGHTS did.

Posted by Bilge at July 3, 2007 10:57 PM

comment #35

D.Z. says ...

Bilge: Perhaps, but Boogie Nights was a cheaper film and had better WOM, while Blow was gone pretty fast and forgotten.

Posted by D.Z. at July 3, 2007 11:18 PM

comment #36

frankbooth says ...

D.Z. scared the hell out of me. For a minute I thought they were remaking Suspiria, with a gender-reversal and Shia L. starring.

Posted by frankbooth at July 3, 2007 11:54 PM

comment #37

D.Z. says ...

frank: Actually, they are remaking it. http://www.imdb.com/find?s=tt&q=Suspiria

Posted by D.Z. at July 4, 2007 12:32 AM

comment #38

Moneypenny says ...

LYT,

You may be a fan of Don Murphy but he's not a fan of yours. He really is one of the most fucked-up people I've ever met. That's not a bitch-slap, Tarantino style... Its sad. Seriously, take a look at his online track record... Hell, take a look at his posting HERE. I make a link to what I thought was an interesting, entertaining, yet gloriously messy series of thoughts about Transformers and the current state of summer movies and he makes a swipe at both me AND Vern.

When it comes down to it, Murphy can't take the heat. He has SERIOUS anger issues. Where do they stem from?.... I don't/didn't know the guy well enough to say-- but I really wish he would just calm the fuck down because, deep down, he's a talented guy who has an amazing business sense...but not enough 'common' to make people enjoy his presence enough to work with him again. I find it sad really...

Oh, and in the spirit of random hate-- D.Z.? You have way too much time on your hands. Try spending the time you take to look up box office numbers for movies on your wife and kid.

Posted by Moneypenny at July 4, 2007 1:16 AM

comment #39

D.Z. says ...

I don't have a wife and kid...

Posted by D.Z. at July 4, 2007 1:17 AM

comment #40

jeffmcm says ...

Which just makes you a bigger loser...

Don Juan DeMarco and What's Eating Gilbert Grape were not flops. Both essentially broke even and both were critical hits. Traffic might have helped Blow, but the fact remains: it was a moderately successful movie thanks to Depp.

You really need to get over this stubbornness issue of yours. You are not always right.

Posted by jeffmcm at July 4, 2007 2:26 AM

comment #41

D.Z. says ...

"Which just makes you a bigger loser..."

Paying less health insurance money makes me a loser?

"Don Juan DeMarco and What's Eating Gilbert Grape were not flops. Both essentially broke even and both were critical hits."

Nice try, but nope. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=gilbertgrape.htm
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=donjuandemarco.htm

"Traffic might have helped Blow, but the fact remains: it was a moderately successful movie thanks to Depp."

There's a difference between a moderate success and a minor success, and Blow falls into the latter.

Posted by D.Z. at July 4, 2007 3:10 AM

comment #42

Moneypenny says ...

Yeah... you, the word "blow" and "minor success" go hand in hand.

Just-give-it-up, D.Z.

Christ, next subject...

Posted by Moneypenny at July 4, 2007 3:38 AM

comment #43

Ian Sinclair says ...

Hey Don, right about now, isn't jeffmcm meant to be gargling with lye?

Posted by Ian Sinclair at July 4, 2007 4:26 AM

comment #44

BurmaShave says ...

D.Z., Worldwide gross on Don Juan was over 60 million, on a production budget of 25 million. Respectable. It's right there on your little link.

"Paying less health insurance money makes me a loser?"

Yes I'm sure ladies are just throwing themselves at you looking to settle down, but you turn them away to keep your expenses low. God you're sad.

Posted by BurmaShave at July 4, 2007 9:31 AM

comment #45

D.Z. says ...

Burma: "D.Z., Worldwide gross on Don Juan was over 60 million, on a production budget of 25 million. Respectable. It's right there on your little link."

The fact that it only made money in international markets prove that Depp wasn't really a box office draw until after Pirates. And no, I'm not trashing him, since I actually admire the guy, but facts are facts.

"Yes I'm sure ladies are just throwing themselves at you looking to settle down, but you turn them away to keep your expenses low. God you're sad."

Oh, I'm sorry I didn't bring eight children into this world to suck up whatever resources are left in Africa. And I regret not going out on dates with women and not being in debt, because they just had to be of the high-maintenance variety. I'm such a loser.

Posted by D.Z. at July 4, 2007 12:27 PM

comment #46

Don Murphy says ...

Ian- The Lye is for when we reach number one.

Moneypenny - I talk or eat with Oliver STILL monthly. Do you? Didn't think so. I've got three great films coming out this year. I think I am doing fine. Sorry your life didn't work out.

Posted by Don Murphy at July 4, 2007 5:40 PM

comment #47