At first glance, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may not seem like they would be a candidate for worldwide box office domination, even with their unmatched agility, enviable powers and lethal weapons. However, at 244 millionth glances, one for each dollar the film has made internationally to date, we have to respect the power of the turtle. So, today we’re analyzing five manners in which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has kicked some serious a*s in the international box office.
The Beginning
This $13,500,000 social phenomenon and marketing gem won its opening weekend of March 30, 1990, with $25,398,367 on 2006 screens. The picture went on to gross $201,965,915 worldwide, which includes $135,265,915 domestically and $66,700,000, from overseas sales.
The Present
The 2014 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cost $125 million to make and has brought in $434,514,843 worldwide. With nearly one quarter billion dollars in foreign sales, i.e. $244 million to date, this picture is sure to continue its global dominance. However, for now, here are some key countries where Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are #1 at the box office.
Globally Speaking
China continued to demonstrate how valuable their audience is to the health of the global box office over the weekend, as the Ninja Turtles earned $26,500,000 there. While the Turtles earned slightly more in Russia-CIS with $28,916,123, that total is since its release in Russia-CIS on August 7. Additionally, the picture has earned $18,214,290 in Mexico since August 7, $12,696,529 in the UK since October 17, and $10,260,794 in France since its release on October 15. It’s also been released in 48 other territories worldwide, and it’s about to open in Japan as well, which will surely give the picture another bump.
Strength of the Ninja Turtle Franchise
One reason for the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is its 24-year history of branding the franchise through four widely released motion pictures. Even with a 17 and a half-year gap between the releases of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III on March 19, 1993, and the current re-boot’s release date of August 8, 2014, the Turtles have continued to command both attention and spending dollars from mass audiences everywhere. Of course, having hit TV shows and a landfill or two of Ninja Turtle lunch boxes sold, helped this franchise ascend to global pop culture status.
Easy Dub to Multiple Languages Helped the Global Footprint
Should you lay awake at night and wonder how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles created a global brand, consider this: Since the characters were in costume, their mouth movements were far less prominent, making the films and television shows easy to dub in any language. Simply put, kids everywhere saw the Ninja Turtles as an accepted element of their own culture, as opposed to being an import from another culture.
Okay, filmmakers! That concludes this 239th edition of Going Bionic. I thank you once again for lending me your eyes, and I’d be honored to borrow them again next Tuesday. Until then, I wish you a productive and creatively fulfilling week. I can be followed on Twitter @Lonelyseal.
