Did TMNT (2007) take down Imagi?

[Andrew NDB]

We know that Imagi was working on Gatchaman after TMNT (2007) but that it was cancelled after the failure of Astro Boy in 2009 and subsequently Imagi was shut down. But would Imagi have even been in the weakened state it was in without the failure of TMNT (2007)?

TMNT (2007) had a production budget of 35 million with an unknown marketing budget (but probably an additional 15-20 million, conservatively) but only took in 54 million stateside and 48 overseas. Point is, it MAY have broken even after you tabulate DVD/blu-ray sales but if it did it'd just be barely. I'm sure there was big hopes that TMNT (2007) was going to be a huge blockbuster, that that would fund a variety of Imagi projects for years and years to come and put them on the map... but that didn't happen, obviously.

[mrmaczaps]

I wouldn't say TMNT broke them but it didn't help them any either...

[neatoman]

No, I would say it's Astro Boy that took them down.

[Galactus]

I don't think so. We know they were very eager for a second TMNT movie even after Mirage had moved on they were still pitching continuations. While not a huge success the movie probably kept the lights on at Imagi for a while.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Galactus

I don't think so. We know they were very eager for a second TMNT movie even after Mirage had moved on they were still pitching continuations. While not a huge success the movie probably kept the lights on at Imagi for a while.

It's true. And actually if you think about it, even if TMNT (2007) totally bombed and lost a ton of money... Imagi wouldn't be holding the bag. They were already commissioned and paid to produce the movie. It was Weinstein money paying for this. So there's that. But presumably Imagi would have some % stake in the back end... a back end they wouldn't see because there wasn't any. Because merely discontinuing production on Gatchaman completely destroyed them.

[superstaff]

Originally Posted by neatoman

No, I would say it's Astro Boy that took them down.

Yep, bingo.

[Galactus]

According to wikipedia Astro Boy lost Imagi $22 million and they filed for bankruptcy soon after.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Galactus

According to wikipedia Astro Boy lost Imagi $22 million and they filed for bankruptcy soon after.

Though if TMNT (2007) had done gangbusters in 2007... would they have had to file bankruptcy after Astro Boy?

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Though if TMNT (2007) had done gangbusters in 2007... would they have had to file bankruptcy after Astro Boy?

What do you mean by "gangbusters"?

If you mean making a reasonable sum of money back compared to it's budget, let's say 300 Million Dollars or less (probably closer to 150 Million), maybe they would have gotten to make one or two movies after Astro Boy. In that situation though, assuming Astro Boy was still a bomb, odds are that studio would still have gone under.

If you mean that TMNT would have made an insane amount of money, like between 300 Million and 1 Billion Dollars (which would be an unreasonable expecation), I'm sure the studio would have continued on but much of their output would have been TMNT sequels.

Keep in mind here that the studio only ever made four movies. A Digimon movie that never released in theaters, a Highlander movie that never released in theaters, TMNT and Astro Boy. As pessimistic as it may seem, TMNT is the most successful thing they ever made and it's doubtful the studio ever had a future in sight beyond Astro Boy.

[sdp]

Nah, it was mismanagement in general, TMNT not being a huge success didn't help the company but it didn't kill it, it was still profitable for them. Astro Boy bombing definitely was a factor since they were counting on Astro Boy to bail them out of their financial problems so not really Astro Boys fault, more of their only chance of remaining alive but it was decisions before that. A few years ago I read what happened to Imagi but I don't remember the details perhaps someone can link to an article. . I'm sad we'll never seeImagi's The Legend Zelda CG Movie
or Imagi's Gatchaman / G-Force movie

[T-U-R-T-L-E POWA!]

Maybe I'm in minority and I probably am but I actually didn't think TMNT was all that bad. I thought it was a ton better than that Michael Bay movie.

[mrmaczaps]

Originally Posted by T-U-R-T-L-E POWA!

Maybe I'm in minority and I probably am but I actually didn't think TMNT was all that bad. I thought it was a ton better than that Michael Bay movie.

Everything TMNT is better than both Bay flicks... even Rise. well, not really...

[superstaff]

Originally Posted by mrmaczaps

Everything TMNT is better than both Bay flicks... even Rise. well, not really...

I hope this isn't terribly unpopular here, though I think Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is the worst TMNT thing ever made. I could probably write a 10 page essay on all of the failures in that movie...if I felt like it. Bayturtles 1 is a close second!

[Galactus]

Originally Posted by T-U-R-T-L-E POWA!

Maybe I'm in minority and I probably am but I actually didn't think TMNT was all that bad. I thought it was a ton better than that Michael Bay movie.

That's not really a minority opinion. Most people who saw it liked even if they didn't love it. Imagi did a really great job with the environments creating a believable lived in world (even if the character designs leaned more cartoony) and it the cgi gave the franchise's action scenes a more modern dynamic feel particularly the Raph vs Leo fight.

It has some decent characterisation even if at times it felt like Kevin Munroe was stealth writing the Fred Wolf turtles. The actual story isn't anything special it was like a filler episode of the '03 show or a random Tales V. 2 issues.

Originally Posted by superstaff

I hope this isn't terribly unpopular here, though I think Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is the worst TMNT thing ever made. I could probably write a 10 page essay on all of the failures in that movie...if I felt like it. Bayturtles 1 is a close second!

TMNT III was for the longest time seen as the worst thing to happen to the franchise after The Next Mutation. Then a bunch of other things like the Bay movies and Rise happened.

Personally I've always had a slight fondness for it. It had more martial arts action and character development than its predecessor. A lot of the hate is down to the sub par animatronics and the plot not being what people expected from a TMNT movie at the time. Both it and Secret of the Ooze are sub par sequels to the original just in different ways.

[T-U-R-T-L-E POWA!]

Originally Posted by Galactus

That's not really a minority opinion. Most people who saw it liked even if they didn't love it. Imagi did a really great job with the environments creating a believable lived in world (even if the character designs leaned more cartoony) and it the cgi gave the franchise's action scenes a more modern dynamic feel particularly the Raph vs Leo fight.

It has some decent characterisation even if at times it felt like Kevin Munroe was stealth writing the Fred Wolf turtles. The actual story isn't anything special it was like a filler episode of the '03 show or a random Tales V. 2 issues.



TMNT III was for the longest time seen as the worst thing to happen to the franchise after The Next Mutation. Then a bunch of other things like the Bay movies and Rise happened.

Personally I've always had a slight fondness for it. It had more martial arts action and character development than its predecessor. A lot of the hate is down to the sub par animatronics and the plot not being what people expected from a TMNT movie at the time. Both it and Secret of the Ooze are sub par sequels to the original just in different ways.

I agree about the Raph and Leo fight. It was honestly the highlight of the film to me. Even if that whole dynamic has been beaten to death over the years. I've actually still got a poster from this movie on the wall in my game room.

[sdp]

People didn't hate TMNT 2007, or love it, they just kind of ignored it and became forgotten. You could argue it's a worse faith since the 2014 movie will continue to be brought up, referenced, made fun of, have pictures/video of the movie shared etc for the rest of the history of the franchise while 2007 for being so "ok" won't be. At most it'll be a short trivia 'oh yeah that movie happened too".

I liked the movie but it didn't wow me, i wanted a sequel so bad since I loved the universe it created. I think the monsters angle was a huge mistake, that needed to be a season long story arc to build it up, here as soon as it's introduced it's ended and most of the neat aspects be one just a few lines of dialog to explain it.

It really should've been a simpler to explain villain that could've been fleshed out more instead of this complex backstory with a villain we barely knew. After all the main conflict of the movie was Raph v Leo, it didn't need a complicated plot around that.

2007 might be my favorite universe created despite the movie not even being just ok.

[mrmaczaps]

Originally Posted by superstaff

I hope this isn't terribly unpopular here, though I think Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is the worst TMNT thing ever made. I could probably write a 10 page essay on all of the failures in that movie...if I felt like it. Bayturtles 1 is a close second!

I'll take 3 and the live action tv show over both Bay films. There are no redeeming qualities in the Bay flicks, or Rise.

[Antoniocafe]

I thought I read that the 2007 TMNT movie did make a small profit.