The films and TV adaptations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Bay served as producer on the 2014 reboot, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, though he did not direct either of them.

mistake Bay made 10 years ago with the turtle designs leading to rather decisive responses from audiences.

Michael Bay Was Supposed To Do For TMNT What He Had Done For Transformers

Michael Bay Completely Revived The Transformers Franchise

Paramount discovered huge success when Michael Bay agreed to spearhead the Transformers franchise in 2007. The studio partnered up with Bay for a momentous five movies before the director departed from the series. Essentially, Michael Bay reinvigorated the Transformers franchise, with the director's Transformers movies being the franchise's most successful box office films. The franchise reached its peak with Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Transformers: Age of Extinction, both of which earned over $1 billion at the global box office. Bay successfully broadened the appeal of a previously struggling franchise, establishing a consistent pattern of blockbuster success within his series.

Movie

Production Budget

Worldwide Box Office

Is It A Michael Bay Movie?

Transformers

$151 million

$708.272 million

Yes

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

$210 million

$836.519 million

Yes

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

$195 million

$1.123 billion

Yes

Transformers: Age of Extinction

$210 million

$1.104 billion

Yes

Transformers: The Last Knight

$217 million

$602.893 million

Yes

Bumblebee

$102 million

$464.731 million

No

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

$195 million

$439.421 million

No

Transformers One

$75 million

$97.058 million

No

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise aspired to achieve the same level of brand recognition and critical acclaim that Bay brought to the Transformers series. His films may not have met critical success, but they did readily demonstrate his ability to translate a popular IP into a lucrative blockbuster. The studio believed that Bay's signature style, including explosive action sequences and elaborate visuals, would translate well to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe — creating exciting action scenes with the beloved sewer-dwelling characters. Naturally, the problem stemmed from applying the same formula to both franchises, despite their vastly different source material and cinematic demands.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) Faced A Lot Of Issues Before It Even Premiered

Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Was Affected By A Leaked Script

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the 2014 movie
Paramount Pictures

Michael Bay's reboot encountered numerous challenges that significantly impacted its subsequent reception. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie came up against a leaked script prior to release, including early ideas such as the turtles being aliens and other thoughts that ultimately strayed from the source material. Understandably, fans were displeased, which led to Bay having to explain his ideas before the movie debuted. Among these discussions were defenses of the turtles' designs, as well as Shredder's backstory (or lack thereof) in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This ultimately affected the reception of the movie.

three of the teenage mutant ninja turtles looking confused
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Paramount announced they were delaying the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' production in June 2012, though these delays were said to be for reasons unrelated to the reviled leaked script. This is because of the film's reshoots that were mostly outside the studio's control. Although mostly conjecture, some have speculated these retapes were due to Megan Fox's pregnancy during filming (via IGN). Despite these obstacles, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles performed quite well at the box office. With an ambitious budget of $125 million, the film generated a substantial $191.2 million in revenue from North American audiences and justified a sequel.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Was Arguably Better But Underperformed

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Attempted To Correct The Course Of Its Predecessor

Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Paramount Pictures

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, which hit theaters two years later, largely tried to correct the mistakes of Bay's first movie. In of original source content, the 2016 film did exceed its counterpart by including numerous fan-favorite characters. In doing so, the film came closer to the 90s cartoon, which was a much-awaited aspect audiences had been eagerly anticipating. It is for this reason that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is generally considered to have a more compelling story for fans. However, it was overshadowed by the negative reception of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

It is interesting that the 2014 movie, though panned by critics, was a box-office hit. However, Out of the Shadows, facing a similar critical reception, generated only half the revenue. One producer suggested that the movie sadly just didn't reach the right audience. That being said, while Bay's 2014 film initially intrigued audiences, their negative response likely dampened enthusiasm for a follow-up. This underscores the notion that fanfare does not assure long-term success, especially when confronted with early obstacles. However, the movie is now finding new reception on streaming with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows landing on Netflix's top 10 most popular movie charts.

Bay's Teenage Mutnant Ninja Turtle Films Were Not Well-Recieved Enough To Get A Third Movie

A Third Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Movie From Bay Is Almost Impossible

At this point, it is very unlikely that Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will ever receive a third chapter in the heroes adventures. The significant criticism of Bay's first two movies in the franchise hindered the potential for a third installment. On top of this, Bay's redirection from the source material meant that the stories lacked the depth and originality that fans had come to expect, and the tone of the movies lacked any kind of consistency that was critical in creating a clear vision. Any ideas for a third movie were scrapped in favor of an animated reboot years later.

The performance of Bay's second movie took a significant drop from the original, which indicates diminishing audience interest — ultimately making the third film a less financially viable proposition.

More importantly, the declining box office performance suggests that the demand for the franchise is not enough to warrant a third movie. The performance of Bay's second movie took a significant drop from the original, which indicates diminishing audience interest — ultimately making the third film a less financially viable proposition. The films had a star-studded cast, including Megan Fox, Alan Ritchson, and Will Arnett. In spite of those names attached to the projects, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles never really took off, and they struggled to survive long before Bay signed onto the franchise.

What The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Franchise Has Been Like Since The Bay Movies

There Have Been Several New Projects Since The Final Collaboration With Bay

Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael on the roof in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023).
Paramount Pictures

There have been a number of additions to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise since the Bay movies. One of the projects is a Netflix exclusive from 2022, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie. The feature film is a continuation of the animated television series of the same name, which aired between the years of 2018 and 2020. It performed moderately with critics, but boasts an astounding 94% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In addition to this, there have been some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboots featuring Seth Rogen which are said to have revitalized the legendary franchise.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin comics were published from 2020 to 2022.

live-action adaptation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin comic series. This movie is expected to break new ground and aim for an R-rating, which will make it a first for the franchise that has previously catered to child-friendly audiences. Tyler Burton Smith, creator of Child's Play, will pen the script.

Source: IGN