TheTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfranchise has continued to adapt to new territory despite its struggle with continuity over the years — but this only serves to highlight what went wrong with Michael Bay’s movies. Adapted from popular comic books, these heroes, named after Renaissance artists, have inspired numerousfilms and TV adaptations of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Bay served as producer on the 2014 reboot,Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesandTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,though he did not direct either of them.
Michael Bay’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfranchise has some big flaws, and falls victim to his very distinctive style, which is characterized by quick cuts and sweeping camera movements. Subsequently,Michael Bay’s motion capturefilms failed to reach the same heights as hisTransformersrevival,despite earning the TMNT franchise’s highest returns — with the 2014Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesearning over $493 million and the 2016Out of the Shadowsgrossing over $245 million. Not to mention, onemistake Bay made 10 years ago with the turtle designsleading to rather decisive responses from audiences.
Michael Bay Completely Revived The Transformers Franchise
Paramount discovered huge success when Michael Bay agreed to spearhead theTransformersfranchise in 2007. The studio partnered up with Bay for a momentous five movies before the director departed from the series. Essentially,Michael Bay reinvigorated theTransformersfranchise, with the director’sTransformersmovies being the franchise’s most successful box officefilms. The franchise reached its peak withTransformers: Dark of the MoonandTransformers: Age of Extinction, both of which earned over $1 billion at the global box office. Bay successfully broadened the appeal of a previously struggling franchise, establishing a consistent pattern of blockbuster success within his series.
$151 million
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TheTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfranchise aspired to achieve the same level of brand recognitionand critical acclaim that Bay brought to theTransformersseries. His films may not have met critical success, but they did readily demonstrate his ability to translate a popular IP into a lucrative blockbuster. The studio believed that Bay’s signature style, including explosive action sequences and elaborate visuals, would translate well to theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesuniverse — creating exciting action scenes with the beloved sewer-dwelling characters. Naturally, the problem stemmed from applying the same formula to both franchises, despite their vastly different source material and cinematic demands.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) Faced A Lot Of Issues Before It Even Premiered
Michael Bay’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Was Affected By A Leaked Script
Michael Bay’s reboot encountered numerous challenges that significantly impacted its subsequent reception.TheTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesmovie came up against a leaked script prior to release, including early ideas such as the turtles being aliens and other thoughts that ultimately strayed from the source material. Understandably, fans were displeased, which led to Bay having to explain his ideas before the movie debuted. Among these discussions were defenses of the turtles' designs, as well asShredder’s backstory (or lack thereof) inTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This ultimately affected the reception of the movie.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Is An Incredible Franchise, But There’s One Glaringly Obvious Thing It’s Missing
With the franchise’s explosive success that it has seen in the past few years, there is one flaw I can’t help but notice: its lack of an anime series.
Paramount announced they were delaying theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' productionin June 2012, though these delays were said to be for reasons unrelated to the reviled leaked script. This is because of the film’s reshoots that were mostly outside the studio’s control. Although mostly conjecture, some have speculated these retapes were due to Megan Fox’s pregnancy during filming (viaIGN). Despite these obstacles, theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesperformed quite well at the box office. With an ambitious budget of $125 million, the film generated a substantial $191.2 million in revenue from North American audiences and justified a sequel.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Was Arguably Better But Underperformed
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Attempted To Correct The Course Of Its Predecessor
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,which hit theaters two years later, largely tried to correct the mistakes of Bay’s first movie. In terms of original source content,the 2016 film did exceed its counterpart by including numerous fan-favorite characters. In doing so, the film came closer to the 90s cartoon, which was a much-awaited aspect audiences had been eagerly anticipating. It is for this reason thatTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadowsis generally considered to have a more compelling story for fans. However, it was overshadowed by the negative reception of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
It is interesting that the 2014 movie, though panned by critics, was a box-office hit. However,Out of the Shadows, facing a similar critical reception, generated only half the revenue. One producer suggested thatthe movie sadly just didn’t reach the right audience. That being said, while Bay’s 2014 film initially intrigued audiences, their negative response likely dampened enthusiasm for a follow-up. This underscores the notion that fanfare does not assure long-term success, especially when confronted with early obstacles. However, the movie is now finding new reception on streaming withTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadowslanding on Netflix’s top 10most popular movie charts.
Bay’s Teenage Mutnant Ninja Turtle Films Were Not Well-Recieved Enough To Get A Third Movie
A Third Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Movie From Bay Is Almost Impossible
At this point,it isvery unlikely that Michael Bay’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleswill ever receive a third chapterin the heroes adventures. The significant criticism of Bay’s first two movies in the franchise hindered the potential for a third installment. On top of this, Bay’s redirection from the source material meant that the stories lacked the depth and originality that fans had come to expect, and the tone of the movies lacked any kind of consistency that was critical in creating a clear vision. Any ideas for a third movie were scrapped in favor of an animated reboot years later.
The performance of Bay’s second movie took a significant drop from the original, which indicates diminishing audience interest — ultimately making the third film a less financially viable proposition.
More importantly,thedeclining box office performance suggests that the demand for the franchise is not enough to warrant a third movie. The performance of Bay’s second movie took a significant drop from the original, which indicates diminishing audience interest — ultimately making the third film a less financially viable proposition. The films had a star-studded cast, including Megan Fox, Alan Ritchson, and Will Arnett. In spite of those names attached to the projects, theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesnever really took off, and they struggled to survive long before Bay signed onto the franchise.
What The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Franchise Has Been Like Since The Bay Movies
There Have Been Several New Projects Since The Final Collaboration With Bay
There have been a number of additions to theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlefranchisesince the Bay movies. One of the projects is a Netflix exclusive from 2022,Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie. The feature film is a continuation of the animated television series of the same name, which aired between the years of 2018 and 2020. It performed moderately with critics, but boasts an astounding 94% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In addition to this, there have been someTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboots featuring Seth Rogenwhich are said to have revitalized the legendary franchise.
TheTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronincomics were published from 2020 to 2022.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhemwas superbly received, following the turtles as they make their debut in New York City. The film successfully updates theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfor a contemporary audience while retaining the core elements that have made them beloved. More recently, however, Paramount has announced alive-action adaptation of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronincomic series.This movie is expected to break new ground and aim for an R-rating, which will make it a first for the franchise that has previously catered to child-friendly audiences. Tyler Burton Smith, creator ofChild’s Play,willpen the script.
