Michael Bay via the official Transformers Movie Weibo account has posted a video inviting the Chinese fans to vote on which city a Transformers 10th anniversary celebratory event should be held in. Thanks to SunSon Son of FB, we have the available cities listed as:
1) Shaanxi Xi’an
2) Sichuan Chengdu
3) Shanghai
4) Henan Zhengzhou
5) Guangdong Guangzhou
We assume that more than Michael Bay will be there and that it will be a sight to behold, stay tuned for additional details!
Update: We have mirrored the video on YouTube. You can check it after the jump.
G1 Evac
I voted Shanghai. After last year's awesome Cybertron Con in Shanghai, what are the odds another major Transformers event will take place here again? Not complaining if Shanghai wins of course!
Hoping the next HasCon takes place here as well heh heh /flamebait
Phenotype
Push a political agenda? It was painfully clear from your previous replies that you weren't very knowledgable on this topic. Now you're attempting to save face by acting like you knew this all along, and deflect any criticism by creating this false narrative about my "political agenda". This tactic may have worked on someone younger but I've been around too long to fall for that kind of nonsense.
Shin Densetsu
I'm not surprised there's going to be an event in China. China is a HUGE market for Transformers that Hasbro has been trying to tap into more and more in recent years. Huge market=potentially huge profit. They're a business and will go where the money goes.
Hopefully Hasbro finally reveals MPM Optimus at the event unless someone on social media there beats them to the punch.
Raiju
In other news, the sky is blue.
If the Chinese locales and actors serve a purpose (are a part of the plot and serve to drive the story forward; KSI's factory being based in China makes sense to me in the context of AOE's plot, for example), then what exactly is the problem? If the locales and actors don't serve a purpose and end up being clunky exposition (as was the extraneous scene in the Iron Man film was–there you go, pandering), then it'll be painfully obvious (by the way, even Chinese audience members thought those Iron Man scenes were stupid and served no purpose other than pure pandering).
It's pretty obvious why Hasbro/Paramount (and most movie studios) wants to appeal to the Chinese market. You said it yourself, they want to maximize profits. Another poster pointed out that AOE had a massive drop in domestic ticket sales compared to DOTM's performance at the box office. Asia (specifically China) made up for that shortfall in spades, so can you really blame Hasbro/Paramount for wanting to continue to get a piece of that pie while it's piping hot? So all your hard-hitting investigative links and articles aren't really breaking news and you're not telling us something that we all didn't already know, unless you've been living under a rock these past 5 years or so.
As to all of the edits to films demanded by the powers-that-be in China, that's the price movie studios have to pay if they want to get their movies shown in that country. Not much anyone can do about it, really. And to delve into that landmine of a topic even further would be straying into political territory and against TFW's TOS, so I've said all I have to say on that subject (which is off-topic, by the way, so just let it go; to continue forward would just convince me more that you're just trying to push some sort of political agenda).
Back on topic, hope the Chinese fans enjoy these Anniversary events. Transformers as a franchise is beloved worldwide and if I had to take away anything good from this news is that the TF brand is still going strong.
Chillyn
Baaammm!!! Timesynch just dropped a cold dose of truth. I try to ignore all the shallow displays of propaganda they push. But then again I'm not one to thump my chest and chant USA.
Phenotype
Strange how you chose to focus on the product placement and ignore my mention of Chinese actors and locations. Anyways…
To fully understand this recent Chinese pandering phenomenon you have to know the history; American films have somewhat recently become a big thing in China. For example, the original Star Wars trilogy never played in Chinese theaters and as a result The Force Awakens didn't do very well in China. This is the reason Hollywood is pandering to China, because there's suddenly a huge international demographic watching American films and they want to create mass appeal to maximize their profits. Additionally, it can be difficult to secure distribution in China. Suicide Squad wasn't able to secure distribution because it was considered too violent. Films are often rewritten to appeal to Chinese audiences or recut for Chinese release and the inclusion of Chinese actors, products, and locations can help secure a Chinese release.
The difference is in the motivation for including the scenes we're discussing. We need to draw a distinction between pandering and advertising; Featuring Bud Light in AOE isn't going to help secure US distribution or convince American audiences to purchase tickets. It's advertising for Bud Light specifically. Conversely, having the entire third act of the film set in Hong Kong is pandering, it was a deliberate move on the part of the filmmakers to a) secure a Chinese release, and b) appeal to Chinese audiences.
Here are some of the more egregious examples of recent pandering to Chinese audiences:
– Marvel’s "Doctor Strange" changed The Ancient One from Tibetan in the comics to Celtic. "If you acknowledge that Tibet is a place and that he’s Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people who think that that’s bullsh*t and risk the Chinese government going, '…we’re not going to show your movie,'" "Doctor Strange" screenwriter C. Robert Cargill said.
– "Pixels" removed an attack on the Great Wall among other changes. Leaked emails from Sony Pictures Entertainment show that the studio removed the Great Wall scene as well as a reference to hacking by a "Communist-conspiracy brother" in hopes of getting Chinese distribution.
– "Iron Man 3" changed The Mandarin from an evil Chinese mastermind in the comics to a Western actor hired by the real villains. It also crammed the movie with product placement and more.
– "Captain America: Civil War" shows Avengers using China’s Vivo phones. This doesn’t make sense in the context of the movie, not only because those well-funded characters would not use such mediocre products, but also because US government-backed secret agents would never be allowed to use products with such unreliable security.
– "Cloud Atlas" removed nearly 30 minutes from its Chinese cut, largely plotlines and scenes with controversial sexual relations.
– "X-Men: Days of Future Past" featured half an hour of content in Hong Kong and cameos by Chinese star Fan Bingbing and a Chinese boy band.
– "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End" removed Chinese actor Chun Yow Fat from the Chinese cut because displaying a Chinese pirate was not acceptable.
– "Red Dawn" changed an invading army from Chinese to North Korean in postproduction. "The studio spent a considerable amount of money to digitally alter the film," said Stanley Rosen, professor of political science at University of Southern California. "But with North Korea as the enemy, there was no challenge since there’s really no market for US films there."
– "Independence Day: Resurgence" featured Chinese star Angelababy and a bunch of Chinese products. Lead actor Liam Hemsworth is shown using China’s popular QQ instant messaging service. Also a Chinese product, Moon Milk, is all over the film.
There are more examples here:
18 Hollywood movies that pandered to China's giant box office
Raiju
So you're saying Marky Mark chugging Bud Light for a full minute on-screen is somehow less cringey and reprehensible than Stanley Tucci or Ken Jeong sucking down Chinese milk in their respective scenes? Interesting. I reiterate my previous statement; it's all pandering.
Phenotype
US audiences were going to show up and watch the films regardless of how many American flags were in it. Yes, it's also pandering but it doesn't sell tickets. However, there has been a very noticeable effort by US studios to include Chinese actors, have chunks of movies set in China, and include Chinese products in summer blockbuster films in a deliberate attempt to make the film more marketable overseas. This is in no way a criticism of the fans who enjoy the films, it's a criticism of the studios who are so desperate to make more money they'll stoop to the lowest levels of pandering. Check out this article for a great example of what I'm talking about;
3 ways Independence Day: Resurgence panders to the Chinese market
Zan Jayna
The least they could do then is to actually make toys that morph like the robots in the films. I just think the designs dont lend themselves well to toys because of sculpting limitations, the same way the originals were limited in robot mode articulation back then. If they threw a Transformers party in North America, Im pretty sure I wouldnt be able to attend. Unless it was in Toronto..
Exodus
It's cause the mainland folks are laundering their $$ into movies, if you haven't noticed a lot of the US movies lately have had Mainland $ backing it…
snoopcow
bayformers are an obsession in China, true story.
Black Convoy
Thanks for the info, edited.
Raiju
In case you haven't noticed, it's all pandering. Or did you miss all the American flags waving around and the pro-military hardware/patriotism on display in the last 4 live action movies? And I say this as an active duty member of the U.S. armed forces myself.
Have a Bud Light and chillax, bro. People outside of the Western hemisphere are allowed to enjoy Transformers as part of the fandom too, you know.
Taziir
I'll be voting for Xi'an in the hopes of catching the gala while I'm there, but Shanghai also works
@Tony_Bacala – please can you edit the final city to "Guangdong Guangzhou". Thanks
turbobluestreak
that shows American fans don't like the movies, instead of making a movie that all markets would enjoy they just sought out an audience that likes the movies that Michael Bay wants to make.
tbs
Phenotype
That was a really roundabout way of saying "pandering".
Black Convoy
Well. it's a new universe and it doesn't need to copy other shows.
cappeca
You know, I like not being a whore. Just saying.
Gryph
Because it's most likely a Chinese company doing it?
You do know Bay has nothing to do with the writing or robot designs, right?