Summary
Chris Hemsworth is set to headline the newTransformersandG.I. Joecrossover movie, but his casting is a risk after his recent franchise box office trend. The Australian movie star is no stranger to franchise roles after getting a life-changing opportunity to play Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He even already has a role in theTransformersuniverse thanks to voicing Optimus Prime inTransformers One. However,Hemsworth has now been castin what appears to be the lead human role of the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie thatTransformers: Rise of the Beastsset up.
The announcement sparked speculation aboutwhat character Chris Hemsworth could playin the crossover, whether they be human characters fromTransformerslore, one of the G.I. Joe leads, or even voicing Optimus Prime again. Casting someone as recognizable as Hemsworth appears to be Paramount’s way to give the upcoming movie a boost that will hopefully translate to a bigger box office haul. The thought that having the lead ofThor, a $2.7 billion franchise, would bringTransformers 8a bigger box office is understandable, but Hemsworth’s history with joining existing franchises says otherwise.
Chris Hemsworth’s New $5.3 Billion Franchise Role Can Finally Give Him An MCU Replacement
In the wake of successful Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchises like Avengers and Thor, Chris Hemsworth has struggled to find a replacement.
Chris Hemsworth’s Box Office History With Established Franchises Is Not Good
His Last 4 “New” Franchises Haven’t Hit
TheTransformersandG.I. Joecrossover movieis the latest example of Chris Hemsworth joining a known franchise. While the size of his roles has varied, none of them proved to be that successful. He previously had a small role in 2015’sVacationreboot. He went on to join 2016’sGhostbustersin another supporting role before headliningMen in Black: Internationalin 2019 and playing the main villain inFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagain 2024. Hemsworth was an established actor by the time each of these films came out, but none were major box office hits.
$114.9 Million
90% Critics / 90% Audiences
Not all of Chris Hemsworth’s previous franchise movies have been complete box office bombs.Vacationlikely turned a small profit for the studio, but its reviews were so bad another installment was never made - and Hemsworth’s smaller role means his presence likely did not play too big of a factor.Ghostbusterswas not a success after not making double its $145 million budget.Men in Black: Internationalmight be profitable after a $110 million budget, but Sony’s disinterest in another Hemsworth-led film speaks volumes. Now,Furiosa’s box officeis drastically underperforming right as Hemsworth lands inTransformers.
Transformers Is In The Midst Of Its Own Box Office Decline
Rise Of The Beasts Set A New Record Low
Chris Hemsworth is not exactly the new version of “Franchise Viagra” that The Rock used to be, even though that’s more so whatTransformersneeds.TheTransformersmovies became a dominant box office performer during Michael Bay’s tenure, leading to back-to-back $1 billion hits at one point. But, Paramount has since watched how much money the films bring in continue to decline.Transformers: The Last Knight,Bumblebee, andTransformers: Rise of the Beastsall set new record lows for the franchise.
Transformers 8 Must Break A Horrible Box Office Record Trend From The Last 3 Movies
The Transformers franchise has seen its last three movies set a horrible box office record, putting more pressure on Transformers 8 to end the trend.
Instead of theTransformersmoviesseeing their box office totals increase after Michael Bay, they have struggled to draw in mass audiences. Some of this could be due to the burnout from Bay’s era, while different ideas for what the franchise should focus on might also alienate some viewers.AddingG.I. Joeto the mix is a chance to bolster the financial returnsof the next installment by delivering the crossover so many have waited decades for. That’s the case even though theG.I. Joemovies have never been box office hits.
Chris Hemsworth & Transformers Need Each Other To Save Their Box Office Performances
Neither Can Afford For The Crossover To Fail
There could have been a point in time when Chris Hemsworth andTransformerswould be a pairing of a bankable star and a massively popular movie franchise. That is not the reality that either are in right now.Chris Hemsworth needs theTransformersandG.I. Joecrossover movie to be a major hit to rebuild some of his credibility as a box office drawaway from the MCU. Meanwhile,Transformersneeds a star like Hemsworth to attract more audiences and tell them that this is a movie worth seeing and spending their money to do so in theaters.
The fact that Hemsworth andTransformersare uniting at a point where both are in need of saving is what makes the casting, and potentially the movie itself, a risk. Audiences have not proven that Hemsworth’s presence alone will bring them to theaters. Similarly,Transformers' box office trend indicates dwindling interestin the property itself. It is now up to theTransformersandG.I. Joecrossover movie to prove that both of these current truths are not permanent. If it can, then Chris Hemsworth can save a major franchise at last instead of killing it.
