Michael Bay’s firstTransformersmovie is now trending on Netflix. Prior to directingTransformers, many ofMichael Bay’s best movieswere already within the action genre, with some of them also being part of larger franchises. He directedBad BoysandBad Boys II, the first installments of the successful franchise that most recently released a fourth movie,Bad Boys: Ride or Dieearlier in 2024. It performed well at the box office and has led to the possibility of the series continuing withBad Boys 5.
BetweenBad Boysin 1995andBad Boys IIin 2003, Bay directed the standalone moviesThe Rock,Armageddon, andPearl Harbor. It was not until 2007’sTransformersthat Bay began working on the long-running franchise. Since 2007, there have beenmanyTransformersmovies, with the most recent being thepositively-reviewedTransformers One. However, 17 years after releasing in theaters,Bay’s firstTransformersmovie still maintains its popularity, as proven by it trending on Netflix.
With His 2007 Movie, Michael Bay Turned Transformers Into A $5.3 Billion Box Office Franchise Success
2007’s Transformers Performed Well Domestically And Internationally
Before Bay’s firstTransformersmovie, the franchise had already been popular since the 1980s. It had found success with television series, toy lines, video games, and comics, but had not made much of an impact when it came to theatrical movies. 1986’s animatedThe Transformers: The Moviewas the franchise’s only theatrical movie and was not a box office hit. This changed when Bay’sTransformersdebuted in theaters 21 years afterThe Transformers: The Movie.
Michael Bay’s Return Could Be The Only Way To Save Transformers Now
Following some less than stellar box-office performances, the return of director Michael Bay might be the only way to save the Transformers franchise.
2007’sTransformersmade $709.7 million worldwideagainst a $150 million budget, grossing $319.2 million at the domestic box office and 390.5 at the international box office (viaBox Office Mojo). Thanks to Bay,Transformersmade the franchise an undeniable success on the big screen as well. This was the beginning of the further profits that would come in the ensuing years, leading to the franchise grossing over $5.3 billion since 2007 (viaThe Numbers).
How The Transformers Franchise Changed After Michael Bay’s 2007 Movie
The Next Three Movies Were Even More Lucrative
After Bay’s 2007 movie,theTransformersfranchise continued to find more box office success, and generally became more mainstream.Transformers: Revenge of the Fallenmade $836.5 million worldwide, whileTransformers: Dark of the MoonandTransformers: Age of Extinctioneach grossed more than $1 billion. All of Bay’sTransformersmovies were poorly received by critics, but the critical reception arguably paled in comparison to the franchise’s ongoing box office hits.
$709.7 million
$836.5 million
$1.124 billion
$1.104 billion
Transformers: The Last Knight(2017)
$605.4 million
Beyond the box office numbers,Transformersbecame synonymous with Bay’s penchant for over-the-top, big-budget action sequences. This contributed to the movies' mainstream appeal and their ability to become well-suited to being summer blockbusters. Despite the importance ofTransformers' human characters, they were never the main appeal. The absence of Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) inDark of the Moonand the absence of Mikaela and Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) inAge of Extinctiondid not interfere with both movies grossing more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Why The Transformers Movies' Box Office Success Declined After Michael Bay’s Exit
Multiple Creative Changes Have Not Led To High Box Office Earnings
Bay’s last Transformers movie was 2017’sThe Last Knight, which began the franchise’s box office decline.The Last Knight’s$605.4 million earnings were a significant fall fromAge of Extinction’s more than $1 billion. After Bay exited the franchise, it went in multiple new creative directions. 2018’sBumblebee, directed by Travis Knight and starring Hailee Steinfeld as Charlie, was a coming-of-age story that took place in the 1980s instead of in the present day.Bumblebeewas far more favorably received by critics, who praised Steinfeld’s performance and Knight’s direction.
Screen Rant’sBumblebeereview written by Molly Freeman stated that the"Charlie and Bee are the soul of Bumblebee in a way that showcases exactly what previous Transformers movies were lacking."
However, the positive critical reception did not translate to financial success, asBumblebeewas the franchise’s worst-performing movie since 2007with a worldwide box office gross of only $468 million. The next movie, the standalone sequelTransformers: Rise of the Beasts, did not do any better with a box office of $441.4 million, and did not garner positive critical reviews. With 2024’s prequelTransformers One, the franchise changed creative directions again. It was the franchise’s first animated theatrical movie since 1986 and was a standalone story that did not rely on the previous movies.
TheTransformersfranchise was already losing some of its mainstream appeal by the timeThe Last Knightcame out and that has only become more true since Bay’s exit.
Transformers Onewas a hit among critics and general audiences, but saw diminishing box office returns of $128.9 million worldwide. TheTransformersfranchise was already losing some of its mainstream appeal by the timeThe Last Knightcame out and that has only become more true since Bay’s exit. The numerous creative changes have not translated to box office success, let alone the impressive numbers achieved from 2007-2014. TheTransformersandG.I. Joecrossoverset up byRise of the Beastsis still in the works, but otherwise, the franchise’s future is uncertain.
Transformers
Cast
Transformers, directed by Michael Bay, introduces audiences to a world where two factions of alien robots, the Autobots and Decepticons, bring their battle to Earth. Shia LaBeouf stars as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who becomes an unwitting participant in their conflict. The film showcases the heroic Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, as they strive to protect humanity from the malevolent Megatron and his Decepticon forces.
