How did these films go down in Japan?

QLRformer · 06-19-2012, 03:15 PM

The franchise has its roots in Japan, and that country has just as big a TF fanbase as the US for TRANSFORMERS. How did they find it?

Aernaroth · 06-19-2012, 03:48 PM

In Japan, according to Boxofficemojo.com,

TF1 made $34 million
ROTF made $22 million
DOTM made $54 million

So I'd say it was quite successful. TF1 and DOTM were in the top ten grossing films of their year, and ROTF was in the top 30.

The TF franchise also blew apart records for foreign films in countries like Malaysia, China, and South Korea.

Autovolt 127 · 06-19-2012, 04:35 PM

I wonder if Jerry Wang is the most popular charecter in DOTM?

Aernaroth · 06-19-2012, 04:48 PM

Unlikely, as chinese culture hasn't really been a smash hit in Japan since the Ming Dynasty.

Autovolt 127 · 06-19-2012, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aernaroth

Unlikely, as chinese culture hasn't really been a smash hit in Japan since the Ming Dynasty.

I was talking more about in China?

AquamanOS · 06-19-2012, 04:53 PM

Japan is big on piloted robots like Gundam and Evangelion. Sentient unpiloted robots, like Transformers and such are thought to be for little kids only.

Thus someone once pointed out, to Japan this was the equivalent of knowing nothing but the Adam West Batman show, then watching the Dark Knight. It totally blew them away.

Zhadow · 06-19-2012, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autovolt 127

I was talking more about in China?

I just remembered that funny scene when Sam's boss didn't cared about Jerry Wang fell down to the ground as he had forseen a crazy guy like him would suddenly jump from a window. Popular you ask, doing such thing, maybe.

Autovolt 127 · 06-20-2012, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AquamanOS

Japan is big on piloted robots like Gundam and Evangelion. Sentient unpiloted robots, like Transformers and such are thought to be for little kids only.

Thus someone once pointed out, to Japan this was the equivalent of knowing nothing but the Adam West Batman show, then watching the Dark Knight. It totally blew them away.

But They dubbed Tim Burton's Batman and Batman: The Animated series in Japan. Hell Optimus Prime's japanese voice actor is also Batman.

AquamanOS · 06-20-2012, 04:24 PM

I know. That was a comparison. The point was Japan had never seen TF portrayed so seriously before. Even their G1 and Beast Wars dubs had tons of jokes and silliness thrown in. Remember how early dubbed DBZ was with the edits and most of the seriousness of the situations removed? This is basically how Japan did Transformers. Seeing it in the films shocked them. Pleasantly but it shocked them.

It even caused them to throw out the Japanese names (Optimus=Convoy, Bumblebee=Bumbler Jazz=Meister etc) and adopt the english names in an attempt to distance it from the old Japanese Transformers.

Alooulla · 06-20-2012, 04:51 PM

As far as im aware, Optimus Prime is no longer 'Convoy' in Japan purely because of the movies.

06-19-2012, 03:15 PM	#1
QLRformer Seeker Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2,492 Location: Lusaka, Zambia, Southern Africa	How did these films go down in Japan? The franchise has its roots in Japan, and that country has just as big a TF fanbase as the US for TRANSFORMERS. How did they find it?

06-19-2012, 03:48 PM	#2
Aernaroth I voted for Super_Megatron and all I got was this stupid user title. Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,764 Location: The Hammer, Ontario News Credits: 2	In Japan, according to Boxofficemojo.com, TF1 made $34 million ROTF made $22 million DOTM made $54 million So I'd say it was quite successful. TF1 and DOTM were in the top ten grossing films of their year, and ROTF was in the top 30. The TF franchise also blew apart records for foreign films in countries like Malaysia, China, and South Korea.

06-19-2012, 04:48 PM	#4
Aernaroth I voted for Super_Megatron and all I got was this stupid user title. Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,764 Location: The Hammer, Ontario News Credits: 2	Unlikely, as chinese culture hasn't really been a smash hit in Japan since the Ming Dynasty.

06-19-2012, 04:53 PM	#6
AquamanOS Predacon Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 454	Japan is big on piloted robots like Gundam and Evangelion. Sentient unpiloted robots, like Transformers and such are thought to be for little kids only. Thus someone once pointed out, to Japan this was the equivalent of knowing nothing but the Adam West Batman show, then watching the Dark Knight. It totally blew them away.

06-20-2012, 04:24 PM	#9
AquamanOS Predacon Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 454	I know. That was a comparison. The point was Japan had never seen TF portrayed so seriously before. Even their G1 and Beast Wars dubs had tons of jokes and silliness thrown in. Remember how early dubbed DBZ was with the edits and most of the seriousness of the situations removed? This is basically how Japan did Transformers. Seeing it in the films shocked them. Pleasantly but it shocked them. It even caused them to throw out the Japanese names (Optimus=Convoy, Bumblebee=Bumbler Jazz=Meister etc) and adopt the english names in an attempt to distance it from the old Japanese Transformers.

06-20-2012, 04:51 PM	#10
Alooulla Decepticon Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 276 Location: England Collection Count: Too many to count	As far as im aware, Optimus Prime is no longer 'Convoy' in Japan purely because of the movies.