NOTE: I wanted to publish this a few weeks back, but I've decided to release it today, especially since it applies to the Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Below is a list of the highest grossing films of all-time for your viewing pleasure:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/
If you are wondering, I did contribute to this blockbuster's success, (under protest) and I am part of the problem. You know what? I really didn't matter if I saw this movie or not, because the darn thing would still be a hit.
Makes me think of the people who don't vote, based on the principle, "their vote doesn't matter." In the case of Transformers and Avatar, that statement is absolutely applicable.
Consider this: at the time I'm writing this blog, Age of Extinction has grossed around $242 million domestically, meaning the US and Canada. The film has grossed $790 million in the other territories alone. The film's production budget is $200 million, and roughly the same amount has been given to marketing it.
Do you notice something interesting about those numbers? Literally, no one has to see Age of Extinction in the United States or Canada, and the film would still be a reasonable hit worldwide. Granted, the studios would probably like to see the film gross $800 million overseas, but it'll get there in due time. In China alone it grossed over $300 million.
If you're not convinced with my Transformers example, check out the ridiculous success of Avatar, the highest-grossing movie of all-time without adjusting the inflation.. The budget was probably $250 million, but it grossed over $760 million in the United States and Canada alone. I'm going to ignore that for a moment. Why? The film grossed over $2 billion outside North America. That means if you subtracted its domestic gross, Avatar would still be the second highest grossing movie of all-time being Titanic.
What's the whole point of showing you these numbers? It's to let you know that we really don't matter in the grand scheme of things. Sure, a big domestic gross helps many films like Lincoln, but we're in a world where not every film has to be made for Americans. Hell, Lincoln had a hard time being made because people outside of America have no interest in a movie about an American hero.
There is a bright side to all of this; some films potentially gain a second life because of the foreign box office. Pacific Rim barely made $100 million domestically, but earned over $300 million overseas, allowing for the studios to green light a sequel. Same scenario happened with The Adventures of Tintin. The film only grossed about $77 million domestically, because most Americans really don't care about the European character. In other territories, Tintin grossed almost $300 million, and Peter Jackson wants to direct a sequel in the near-future.
The point is this: if you want to support a movie you want to see, then support it. If you choose not to support the latest Transformers, fear not; perhaps some other moviegoer in another country will green light Transformers 10.
-Joey DeAngelis
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