Film Name: 变形金刚：起源 / Transformers One
In terms of box office performance, “Transformers One” ranks as the lowest-grossing film among the seven Transformers movies released over the past 17 years. Its North American box office haul was a mere $60 million, while its Chinese box office earnings barely reached 150 million yuan. Globally, its total gross fell short of $150 million. This stands in stark contrast to the market impact of the earlier live-action Transformers films.
However, from a historical perspective, “Transformers One” holds a unique position. It marks the first time in the CG era that a “Transformers” film was produced entirely with computer-generated imagery, without any live-action actors. Why did the franchise undertake this experiment—or rather, this transformation? The answer lies in the box office trajectory of its films.
Since the debut of the first CG-era “Transformers” film in 2007, the series has followed a box office arc that peaked early and then declined globally. The international market responded most enthusiastically to Transformers 3 and Transformers 4, which together grossed over $1.1 billion globally—the franchise’s peak. However, Transformers 5 in 2017 and last year’s Transformers 6 saw significant box office declines. With a $200 million budget for Transformers 6, its $440 million global haul barely broke even.
In the Chinese market, the Transformers franchise reached its peak later than internationally. During the rapid expansion of China’s film market in 2014 and 2017, individual installments achieved box office successes nearing 2 billion yuan, with cumulative earnings exceeding 6 billion yuan. Yet similarly, the IP’s appeal has noticeably waned post-pandemic. Whether due to audience fatigue or a lack of compelling elements, last year’s Transformers 6 saw a significant box office decline.
Consequently, market feedback from both domestic and international audiences has compelled Hasbro and Paramount to rethink the Transformers franchise. The first step is cost reduction: Transformers One employs a fully CG production model, with a budget of just $75 million—the lowest since 2007. Second, it boldly innovates in content. While superficially a prequel to the previous Transformers stories, its greater significance lies in being the first film in the franchise to truly center the Transformers as protagonists in a complete narrative. The film features no live-action actors and not a single human character.
Transformers One chronicles how the longtime rivals Optimus Prime and Megatron evolved from two non-transforming miners into leaders of opposing factions. Due to differences in personality and ideology, their friendship gradually turned into enmity. This narrative predates previous Transformers stories on Earth by 300 million years, meaning no humans are involved whatsoever. Audiences can thus fully immerse themselves in the rivalry between Megatron and Optimus Prime.
The exclusion of humans marks a major shift in the Transformers narrative. We know that the first “Transformers” film and every live-action sequel featured a human protagonist. This was intentional, as the original story centered on the relationship between a boy and his car—a concept carried forward in each new installment. However, this narrative formula faced a problem: many human actors portraying Transformers failed to leave a lasting impression, and these diminutive humans often hindered the Transformers from truly shining as the stars.
While many parents criticized the films for excessive violence—including scenes of Transformers being torn apart by hand—a significant number of fans enthusiastically embraced this new direction. The diversity of humans in earlier works, though impossible to portray physically in machines, could be achieved through voice actors. By inviting celebrities of various ethnicities—white, black, and others—to provide voices, the films addressed the current demand for diversity in the American film market. Female characters are now fully embodied as female Transformers, creating no sense of incongruity whatsoever.
It’s easy to imagine that over the 300 million years since Optimus Prime and Megatron became Earth’s leaders, there are countless new stories to tell—stories entirely without human involvement. The sequel to “Transformers One” could focus entirely on the evolution of these two Transformers as leaders.
Therefore, rather than viewing “Transformers One” as the final entry in the Transformers film series since 2007 and lamenting its modest box office performance, it’s better to see it as a new starting point in 2024. Perhaps it will usher in a fresh wave of all-CG, human-free Transformers films.
Please specify：Anime Phone Cases » Transformers One 2024 Animation Film Review: A New Beginning for Transformers