According to Deadline Hollywood, Michael Bay officially signed on to Transformers 3 today, and confirmed the film’s release date of July 1, 2011.

Michael Bay even got in a small dig at one of his stars, Megan Fox, in his announcement on his site about the film.

“Megan Fox, welcome back,” Bay wrote. “I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture.”

Click past the cut for some recent pictures of Megan Fox promoting her recent film, “Jennifer’s Body.”

- Matt Price

According to the AP, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will crack $200 million in ticket sales in just 5 days.  Paramount reports Transformers 2 with an estimated $112 million weekend, and $201.2 million since the Wednesday opening.

The film shows itself to be virtually critic-proof, as the huge opening is despite a 20 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Transformers 3 is already set for a July 1, 2011 opening, according to Variety, though it’s not yet clear whether director Michael Bay will return.

- Matt Price

According to Variety, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen pulled in $16 million in midnight screenings, making it the best-ever Wednesday a.m. opening, and second-best midnight ever behind Dark Knight’s $18.5 million.  It passed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’s $12 million from 2007.

However, the bright light of day hasn’t helped the critical response any, as the film sits now at 21 percent positive on Rotten Tomatoes.   Will Transformers 2 continue to break records? Or will word-of-mouth stall the film’s momentum?  We’ll see in the coming days.

- Matt Price

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters today, and while tickets continue to be hot items, reviews aren’t quite as positive.
NewsOK’s own BAM shares her opinion on the film:

Unfortunately, the slogan “more than meets the eye” does not apply to the slam-bang action sequel “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

Instead, director Michael Bay staunchly adheres to the credo “more is better,” making the follow-up to his 2007 blockbuster bigger, dumber and louder.

See the full review here.  BAM also brought in local comedy duo Twinprov to provide another summer blockbuster rap, this time, the Transformers rap. Check it out below:

However, tickets continue to sell heavily for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, even as critical response is at best mixed. Fandango reported selling 8 Transformers tickets per second during peak periods.   More than 2,000 midnight and late night/early morning showings sold out, also according to Fandango.   As of 6 a.m., Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen represented 94 percent of ticket sales on Fandango.

Movietickets.com reported similar information, with more than 94 percent of ticket sales at the site tracking to “Transformers 2.”

The film passed “Pirates of the Caribbean 2,” “Quantum of Solace,” “Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” on MovieTickets.com’s all-time pre-sellers last night.

- Matt Price

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has moved to No. 20 on MovieTickets.com’s list of Top 25 pre-sellers of all time, passing “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” among others.

MovieTickets.com reports more than 1,000 sellouts as of 6 p.m. Eastern, including 600 midnight screenings.  The movie currently accounts for 93 percent of tickets sold at MovieTickets.com.

On the other hand, a few reviews have started coming in, including from Roger Ebert, who, to put it mildly, didn’t like the movie.   The film is tracking at 28 percent at Rotten Tomatoes. Most print reviews are embargoed until tomorrow, so that will affect the number. The question is, in what direction?  Check out NewsOK.com and The Oklahoman tomorrow for our own review of the film.

- Matt Price

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is the biggest pre-sales title of the year, according to Fandango.com. The film represents 93 percent of Fandango.com’s daily ticket sales as of noon Pacific time today.

More than 500 shows have sold out from coast to coast, according to the site.   In addition, Transformers 2 is selling twice as many tickets as Iron Man sold on Fandango at the same point in that film’s sales cycle.

Look for NewsOK.com’s review of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” tomorrow.

- Matt Price

“So much for being robots in disguise,” said Joel Cohen, executive vice president and general manager for MovieTickets.com in a release. “‘Transformers 2′ is sure to be one of our highest grossing and most visible openers in 2009.”

See below for Movietickets.com’s Top 25.  Given the number of “Harry Potter” films on that list, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the top 25 shaken up again in the coming weeks, as “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” nears.

MovieTickets.com’s Top 25 Pre-Sellers of All-Time (includes IMAX)

1. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
4. The Dark Knight
5. Twilight
6. Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Disney Digital 3-D
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
8. The Matrix Reloaded
9. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
10. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
11. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
12. Sex and the City
13. Spider-Man 3
14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
15. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
16. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
17. The Passion of the Christ
18. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
19. High School Musical 3: Senior Year
20. Dreamgirls
21. Quantum of Solace
22. The Departed
23. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
24. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
25. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Hundreds of tomorrow night’s midnight show times for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen have sold out, and the film makes up 76 percent today’s ticket sales at Fandango.com, according to information from the company.

Tulsa is among cities with sellouts; also included are New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Albuquerque, Denver, Houston, Nashville, Orlando, Colorado Springs,  Fresno and Buford, Georgia.  Some theaters are adding 4 a.m. screenings to handle demand.

The film is selling twice as many tickets at Fandango as the first “Transformers” at this point in the sales cycle.

And Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf, while popular, don’t appear to be the only draws. A poll at Fandango of more than 2,000 moviegoers planning to see “Transformers 2″ indicates a majority  of them would see “Transformers 3″ without LaBeouf or Fox.

· 92% of respondents said that Megan Fox’s political statements do not affect their interest in the movie.

· 84% of respondents said they would still be in interested in seeing Transformers 3, even if Megan Fox did not appear in the third movie.

· 69% said they would still be interested in seeing Transformers 3, even if Shia LaBeouf did not appear in the third movie.

At this point in the sales cycle, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is outpacing “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” “Up,” “Star Trek,” “Night at the Museum 2″ and “Angels and Demons” in pre-sales at MovieTickets.com.

As of 12 p.m. ET today, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” accounts for 83 percent of ticket sales at MovieTickets.com.

Most of the fans aching to see “Transformers 2″ were influenced by the first film, according to a Movietickets.com poll, reproduced below.

WEEKLY MOVIETICKETS.COM POLL

What has most influenced your desire to see “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”?

72% – Transformers (2007)

16% – The original television series

12% – The trailer

Total Votes on MovieTickets.com: 4,242

After graduating from Edmond Memorial High School in 1993, Thomas attended the Art Institute of Dallas, focusing on computer graphics. Upon graduation, he found work in the video game industry, eventually working on the “Medal of Honor” and “Call of Duty” World War II franchises.

“I’ve been doing World War II games for longer than the U.S. was involved in the war, so I’ve got quite a bit of World War II knowledge rolling around up there,” Thomas said. “It was an absolutely incredible time. Some really great and heroic stories.”

Now living in Los Angeles, Thomas is the art director of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” based on the Michael Bay movie set for Friday release. The “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” video game will be released Tuesday. Thomas said several people working on the game were fans of the property and wanted to do it justice.

“The first and foremost thing that we concentrated on was getting the transformations right; really getting the feel of being one of those bots, one of those Transformers, this giant robot just kind of rumbling through the city,” he said. “The transformations are very fluid. … There’s lots of really quick activity. It’s almost like a parkour with these giant robots.”

Thomas visited the set of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” and pitched ideas to Hasbro for updating classic characters for the game.

“Who knows how much money my parents sunk into buying toys from them when I was a kid,” he said. “So, it’s kind of amazing. It feels like everything’s come full circle.”

By Matthew Price
From Monday’s The Oklahoman

As of 1 p.m. ET today, MovieTickets.com is reporting over 350 sold out performances for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Of those sellouts, 115 are midnight performances.  “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” accounts for 41 percent of tickets sold at MovieTickets.com this week.  “Transfomers: Revenge of the Fallen” is directed by Michael Bay, and stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox.  It opens June 24.

- Matt Price

Despite opening being several days away, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is already bringing in healthy ticket sales.  As of today, the film already represents 45 percent of ticket sales on Fandango.com.  According to Fandango, the film is currently outpacing this year’s “Star Trek” movie and 2007’s “Transformers” in advance ticket sales on Fandango at the same point in the sales cycle.

“For nearly two years – since the last Transformers opened – this new movie has been one of the most highly-anticipated films among fans on our site,” said Rick Butler, Chief Operating Officer of Fandango, in a release.

What’s motivating the sales? Perhaps Megan Fox, picked by Fandango users as the sexiest star of the summer.  She received 36 percent of the vote.  Visit http://summermovies.fandango.com/2009/toplists for the full list, which also includes Jennifer Garner and Rachel McAdams. (McAdams will star in “The Time Traveler’s Wife” this summer and the hotly anticipated “Sherlock Holmes” later this year.)

More “Transformers” findings from Fandango, from a survey of nearly 2,000 filmgoers planning to see “Revenge of the Fallen.”

· 88% of respondents said they are fans of director Michael Bay; 66% of them picked Transformers as their favorite Bay film.

· 77% of respondents say they were fans of Transformers when they were kids; 68% of those fans watched the cartoon series, while 61% played with the toys.

· 45% picked Optimus Prime as their favorite Transformer; 21% picked Bumblebee; 4% picked Megatron.

· 62% of respondents are 18-34 years old; 63% are male.

Will the sequel to “Transformers” outpace the original? According to MovieTickets.com, U.S. ticket sales for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” are outpacing ticket sales for “Transformers” by almost 3-to-1 at the same point in the sales cycle, eight days prior to release.

Perhaps showing the growing interest in IMAX viewing, IMAX ticket sales at MovieTickets.com for “Revenge of the Fallen” account for nearly half of all ticket sales for the film.

- Matt Price

Other than debuting a tiny bug-sized Decepticon, we don’t get a lot here that’s brand new — Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox running, stuff exploding, giant robots. I enjoyed the first movie well enough for what it was, and I got a nostalgic thrill out of Peter Cullen reprising his role as Optimus Prime. We’ll see what the second one brings.

- Matt Price

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is the next film moviegoers in three of five age groups intend to see, according to a recent poll of ticket buyers at MovieTickets.com. Three of the five age groups polled (Under 24, 25-34, 35-44) listed “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” as the next film they intend to see in theaters. “Transformers” also tops the list of male and female moviegoers polled.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, and is directed by Michael Bay.  It’s based on the Hasbro toy property featuring giant robots that can change into vehicles.

WEEKLY MOVIETICKETS.COM POLL

“UP” releases May 29. Which future Disney-Pixar project are you most anticipating?

1. Toy Story 3 (2010) – 62%

2. Cars 2 (2012) – 25%

3. Rapunzel (2010) – 8%

4. Newt (2011) – 4%

5. The Bear and the Bow (2011) – 1%

Total Votes on MovieTickets.com: 3,636

TOP-5 TICKET SELLERS

As of 4 p.m. ET today, “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” led ticket sales at www.movietickets.com.  Here are the top 5:

1. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (36%)

2. UP (11%)

3. Angels & Demons (10%)

4. Star Trek (9%)

5. Terminator Salvation (5%)

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” star Megan Fox turns 23 today, according to NewsOK’s Television Blog.  Check out a rundown of her career to date at the link.   Fox has two roles in genre films coming up: Jonah Hex and Fathom.   She recently talked about “Fathom” with USA Weekend in a joint interview with Seth Rogen, whose “Green Hornet” is in development.  If you missed recent set photos from “Jonah Hex,” you can check those out here. Click past the cut for more Megan Fox photos.

– Matt Price

]]> http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/05/16/happy-birthday-megan-fox/feed/ 0 http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/05/15/transformers-join-mm-snacks/ http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/05/15/transformers-join-mm-snacks/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 22:58:11 +0000 nerdblog http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/?p=3520 Nerdage]]>

In a pretty goofy promotional tie-in that nevertheless might be kind of fun, M&Ms is making limited edition M&M’S Strawberried Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies and Snickers Nougabot Bars to celebrate the June 24 release of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, in association with Hasbro, Inc.

Other Transformers-related marketing will include:

* The film’s director Michael Bay will direct a commercial teaming up the M&M characters Red and Yellow with Optimus Prime.

* Bay will become an M&M’S character for a new “Inner M” print ad that will be featured in June issues of Entertainment Weekly, US Weekly and USA Weekend.

* Consumers will be able to join “Red” and “Yellow,” as well as other “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” characters on a digital scavenger adventure on www.mms.com, as well as other sites throughout the Web, beginning May 19.

* Kyle Busch’s No. 18 M&M’S car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will sport a special “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”-themed paint scheme during the June 21, 2009, race at Infineon Raceway, where Busch won last year.

A quote from a Mars Snackfood Inc. spokesman indicates that M&Ms are the perfect tie-in because the battle between Autobots and Decepticons mirrors the battle between chocolate and peanut M&Ms.  I say, no, because neither version of M&Ms are evil, nor do either transform into anything.  I will try out these new crazy-flavor M&Ms, though.  And, wouldn’t it be cool if they made an M&M that could transform into something? I don’t know how exactly, maybe you put a bunch of them together to make a car.  (EDIT: My wife says I’ve missed the point: “They transform in your mouth, not in your hand!”  Good thought.)

– Matt Price

Activision has announced that Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox are among the talent who will voice their characters from the film in the upcoming “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” game.   Also on board for the game are Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, the original Optimus Prime and Megatron.  Cullen also voices Optimus in the “Revenge of the Fallen” film, on which the game is based.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen features an extensive line-up of film actors, along with the voice talent that fans will recognize from the classic animated series,” said Rob Kostich, head of marketing for licensed properties, Activision Publishing, Inc., in a release.  “The diverse cast allowed us to not only capture the epic storyline from the film, but also seamlessly expand the fiction to create a unique and authentic ‘Transformers’ experience that fans of all ages will enjoy.”

Mark Ryan (Bumblebee), Jess Harnell (Ironhide), Charles Adler (Starscream) and Robert Foxworth (Ratchet) reprised their film roles for the game. Also on tap are voice-over veterans John Di Maggio (Sideways) and James Arnold Taylor (The Fallen).

– Matt Price

The soundtrack for “Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen” video game draws in composers with previous ties to action movies and the “Transformers” universe.

The soundtrack is headlined by composer Steve Jablonsky. He is joined by composer Bobby Tahouri and electronic music act Julien-K.

Jablonsky contributed music to the original score for 2007’s live-action Transformers movie and, more recently, the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie.  Jablonsky is also worked on the original score to the video game Gears of War 2.

Tahouri contributed to the score to the 2008 hit film “Iron Man.”

Julien-K’s “Technical Difficulties” was included on the soundtrack to the 2007 Transformers movie and was featured in the film’s closing credits.  Julien-K has toured as an opening act for Evanescence.

The Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game is based on the upcoming live-action feature film.  The game, which hits retail stores on June 23, will be available on all major platforms and handhelds.

– Matt Price

How has the comic market changed in the last six years? Well, let’s take a Retro Thursday look at 2002 for a comparison.  This article ran Dec. 26, 2002, and was a look back at the biggest hits of the 2002 direct market.  Note that “Daredevil: The Target,” mentioned as a strongly ordered book in November 2002, has still not been completed.  Kevin Smith, the writer of “Daredevil: The Target” did return to comics recently as the writer of “Batman: Cacophony.”

—

Comics in 2002 showed a strong market for nostalgia books that was showing signs of waning by year’s end.

Popular creators writing and drawing adventures of established characters were popular with comics fans. This was perhaps a reflection of the overall national mood for a return to the familiar.

“Batman: The Ten-Cent Adventure” started the year strongly, selling more than 650,000 copies.

The return of Frank Miller (“Sin City”) to Batman in “The Dark Knight Strikes Again” also was a hot title in early 2002.

The motion picture “Spider-Man” broke box-office records and reminded some readers to follow tales of the Web-slinger in comics shops.

The Kevin Smith-penned “Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do” was June’s second most-ordered book, at more than 100,000 copies.

Filmmaker Smith (“Clerks”) also wrote “Daredevil: The Target” No. 1, November’s second-biggest book.

Robots in disguise proved a midyear powerhouse in new comics from DreamWave.

“Transformers” was a 1980s toy line that featured alien robots who could change into vehicles.

Comics based on the toy line hit the No. 1 position four times in 2002, though by year’s end, “Transformers” titles had fallen from the top 10.

Other retro books with strong orders in 2002 were “Battle of the Planets,” “Thundercats,” and “Masters of the Universe.”

Artist Jim Lee (“X-Men,” “Wildcats”) and writer Jeph Loeb (“Smallville” TV series) took over “Batman” with issue No. 608. This sold out of two printings from DC and topped October’s orders.

Marvel Comics finished strong in December, with four of the top five spots going to its “Ultimate” line of comics. The “Ultimates” versus “Ultimate X-Men” crossover, “Ultimate War,” grabbed the No. 1 and No. 2 slots.

Sales of graphic novels, the term for larger collections of comic books, increased throughout the year, with the “manga,” or Japanese comic, “Lone Wolf and Cub” being the most consistent performer. The monthly collections of the samurai epic were the most-ordered graphic novels nine times.

DC Comics had strong showings for two “Justice League” graphic novels – “JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice” and “JLA: Secret Origins.”

The DC “Vertigo” imprint for mature readers also had a graphic novel hit in “Fables: Legends in Exile,” No. 2 in orders for December. “Fables,” written by Bill Willingham (“Elementals”) features the modern-day predicament of fairy tale characters such as Snow White and Prince Charming.

Sales were determined from ordering charts of Diamond Comics Distributors, North America’s primary comic book wholesaler. Numerical estimates are from www.icv2.com, a Web site aimed at pop culture retailers.

– Matthew Price

I talked to Peter Cullen, voice of the animated Optimus Prime, in late 2006 as anticipation for the “Transformers” live-action film was building.  We talked about his time on the TV show and his role in the live-action film.  It was exciting to talk to Cullen, who, as the voice of Optimus Prime, was a definite childhood hero of my brother and me.   This interview ran on the cover of Weekend Look on Nov. 10, 2006.

—-

Twenty years ago, “Transformers: The Movie” hit motion picture screens. This week, a 20th anniversary DVD rolled out. Voice actor Peter Cullen, who played Optimus Prime in the original cartoon series and 1986 animated movie, talked about his role as the robot disguised as a semi truck who led the Autobots. Cullen is slated to reprise his role in next year’s live-action “Transformers,” directed by Michael Bay. In it, Cullen will voice the computer-generated Prime.

Cullen was already a successful voice actor, with stints on “G.I. Joe” and “Voltron.”

Cullen showed up at a general casting call and looked at the character sketch.

“I was used to doing animated characters, and here we have a truck,” he said.

But after he read the short bio of Prime, he began to get an idea of how to portray the Autobot leader.

“The character breakdown for Optimus Prime was pretty straightforward,” Cullen said. “The writers were … excellent. I got a sense of Optimus Prime having integrity and honor and courage and conviction.”

That courage and conviction, as evidenced in Cullen’s vocal portrayal, was inspired by Cullen’s brother Larry, a former Marine captain who served in Vietnam.

“I think I got a lot of Optimus Prime from my brother. Certainly, the control and the honor and definitely the spirit of command. Soft-spoken, sensitive but willing to kick a- – like a Marine can do.” Cullen said. “I tried to keep him cool under all conditions, and authoritative and convincingly powerful.”

Cullen found out about his character’s death in the 1986 movie while reading through the script with Frank Welker, who portrayed Megatron, the Decepticon leader.

“I looked at Frank Welker, and I said, ‘Did you read this? I’m getting whacked! I’m getting rubbed out, and you’re doing it,’ ” Cullen remembered. Cullen said he understands the business reasoning at the time, which was to introduce the new product line.

“It’s (toymaker) Hasbro, and it’s Hollywood, and it’s business, and that’s the way they operate. They don’t take it personally, and I don’t really.”

Optimus Prime’s cool leadership qualities made him a Gen X hero. But Cullen didn’t know about his influence until years later, when, on the insistence of his daughter, he attended a Transformers convention.

“My eyes were opened wide,” he said. “I was shocked, and I was surprised. The little information that I had was on such a minimal basis, you really couldn’t get an overall picture on how big it was. It still is kind of a surprise to me. I think about it, and I think gosh, it’s an honor.”

Cullen was moved by a young man who stood to speak to him at a question-and-answer session at the convention.

“He said, ‘Mr. Cullen, when I was a kid, you raised me. … You had such a great impact on my life. I didn’t have a father, and you became my father, every day. And I’m very grateful to you for that. You mean a lot to me.’

“I don’t think there’s any words to express the way I feel now, and did then. Ultimately, it was an obligation and a responsibility to never let that kid down.

“I found out subsequently that there were other young boys at that time in their life that felt the same way, because that’s been repeated to me. And without sounding as if I’m — it’s more of a humble reaction than it is anything else. It takes me back, and I get a little churn in my stomach when I hear that, and when I think about it, too. It affects me very deeply.”

Cullen said the hard-core Transformers fans are to thank for his reprisal of the role in the upcoming big-budget film.

“(The filmmakers) were thinking more Hollywood big names,” Cullen said. “They did start to consider the original voice actors because of the enthusiasm and the … stubbornness of the fan base. God, I’m grateful for those guys,” he said.

Cullen was called in to audition for Michael Bay at his offices in Santa Monica, Calif.

He was asked to read a scene with Optimus Prime and Ironhide, a gutsy Autobot who was a close friend of Prime’s, also played by Cullen in the original series.

“The script assistant was there, and she started reading for Ironside,” Cullen said.

“I said, ‘Excuse me, dear, do you mind if I read it?’ Because I actually played this character.’ ”

Cullen completed the read-through reading for both characters.

Cullen received a callback. This time, Cullen was called to act out a more personal, one-on-one scene.

“The reason for that was, they wanted to find out if I in fact could act,” he said.

“Optimus steps out of his normal frame, and becomes … a little more human.”

Shortly later, Cullen heard from his agent that he was again cast as Optimus Prime.

“And I said, ‘Oh, fantastic,’ and that’s when I started to get involved,” he said. “It started getting exciting, and it’s remained that way ever since.”

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura tells IESB:

We’re no where because of the strike, we won’t know until we come back. We have a very fine outline and we know exactly where we want go with the movie but until this writers strike comes back, we’ll find out exactly where we are. … June 2nd is an unofficial start, it’s the target date we’d like to go for but, you know, we’ve got to get some writers to help us.”