If we fast-forwarded 10 years, there's a term about movies that everyone would be familiar with: simultaneous release in multiple countries.
But back in 2003, achieving this was quite difficult.
The benefits of simultaneous release are very obvious, the most direct being its impact on piracy.
Across the world, no matter the country, piracy is a rampant business.
The United States is even the world's biggest pirating nation, especially for blockbuster films.
Often, a cam version would circulate the day after a movie premiered in theaters, and within three or four days, DVDs would already be in circulation on the underground market.
If this was the case domestically, it was even worse for other countries with delayed releases; by the time the movie opened there, pirated copies would already be everywhere.
After watching a pirated version, how many people would be willing to pay to go to the cinema again?
While simultaneous release cannot eradicate this problem, it can effectively capture box office revenue during the golden period after a film's opening.
If an audience wants to watch it but can't get a pirated DVD, and no cam versions have leaked online, then if he can't hold out, he will naturally go to the cinema.
Thanks to MGM's relentless efforts, transformers made groundbreaking progress in this area.
North America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Brazil, South Korea, Australia, China, and over 20 other countries had a simultaneous release.
Using this method, it is estimated that box office revenue could increase by at least 50 million US dollars.
With good luck, 80 million US dollars or even over 100 million is not impossible.
"Before all things began, the Allspark existed, and no one knew its origin."
"All that is known is that the energy contained within it can reshape worlds and create life, and the life of the transformers came from it."
"Just like countless races, the existence of power was coveted."
"Some sought to do good, while others intended evil, and so war broke out."
"In the protracted struggle, the planet Cybertron was reduced to ruins, and countless brethren fell."
"Eventually, the Allspark was lost in the universe, and we searched in endless darkness, traversing every galaxy, every planet."
"A long time passed, and as hope gradually faded, a new planet was found."
"So the transformers set off, heading for the last hope—Earth!"
On the big screen, accompanied by Optimus Prime's narration, a part of Cybertron's history was revealed.
A mere 1 minute and 15 seconds of footage already showcased the process of this alien civilization from glory to destruction.
The camera moved from far to near, countless transformers battling, ultimately falling as piles of scrap metal.
In a close-up shot, a transformer's spark was hit.
Although it was just a hunk of metal, it displayed vivid facial expressions.
Its mechanical hand tried to grasp its own spark, finally closing its eyes in pain.
The original Michael Bay, to save money, didn't create any Cybertron footage at all.
This approach made Eric feel somewhat regretful; he wanted to do better.
So, to showcase the grandeur of Cybertron, this opening special effect alone cost nearly 5 million US dollars.
And the effect was explosive; he could clearly hear gasps of astonishment reverberating throughout the cinema.
A film critic from the Los Angeles Times secretly nodded and noted: "Purely from this footage, the special effects are definitely industry-leading. MGM certainly wasn't exaggerating."
"If the subsequent special effects are also of this caliber, then even if the plot is garbage, I believe no audience will care; the rampage of adrenaline is enough to smooth over everything."
Eric's right-hand side was occupied by Sergei.
He had also attended the preview, but at that time, the special effects were not yet perfected; the main focus was on the plot.
Now, seeing this scene, images of the toys on the assembly line flashed through his mind, and he never expected them to be presented so vividly before his eyes one day.
This feeling was truly both shocking and moving.
And listening to the gasps around him, Eric couldn't help but smile.
This was just the beginning; the real appetizer was yet to come.
The scene showed an endless desert, with a formation of V22 Ospreys moving swiftly forward.
Inside the cabin, the camera zoomed in, and a group of soldiers, clearly just back from a mission, were chatting. The most prominent among them was naturally Little Mercenary Ryan Reynolds.
After a few sentences, his status as captain was evident, with a major's insignia on his sleeve.
Soon, in a wide shot, a magnificent military base came into full view.
Various fighter jets, main battle tanks, and armored vehicles were neatly arranged.
Burly American soldiers were either exercising or training, giving the audience a sense of immense power.
It was as if they were saying, our army is so strong, and our brave young men are so formidable.
Military enthusiasts in the audience immediately felt like they had struck gold. They were too familiar with these pieces of equipment, and it was clear they were real, a texture that CG simply couldn't simulate.
Next, one of the Decepticons, blackout, disguised as an attack helicopter, appeared and rapidly approached the military base.
After warnings proved futile, two F22 Raptor fighter jets immediately took off, preparing to monitor and warn the intruder.
The takeoff process of the fighter jets was real footage, and the segments of them soaring through the sky were provided by the Department of Defense and edited in by Eric.
The process was seamless, and even the serial numbers of the two F22s were deliberately made identical.
At this moment, in an unknown cinema, Harvey Weinstein secretly hid in a corner to watch.
Just like two days ago, Eric also secretly hid in a corner to watch eight below.
Now, the thought in his head was, how the hell did this kid convince the Department of Defense?
This scene was clearly a real military base, and those guys at the Pentagon must have demanded an exorbitant price.
Did he spend all his money on this? Was the over hour of special effects that followed just a perfunctory effort?
If that were truly the case, it would be wonderful; he would be laughing in his dreams.
But the subsequent plot slapped him squarely in the face.
The movie reached 6 minutes and 40 seconds, and blackout, disguised as an attack helicopter, slowly landed inside the base.
It was immediately surrounded by several Humvee armored vehicles, with machine guns aimed at the pilot. If the pilot made any sudden move, he would be instantly torn to shreds.
The eyes of the audience and film critics were fixed on the big screen. Everyone knew that the attack helicopter was a Decepticon in disguise, and it was about to transform.
"Screech… screech…" "Shut down your engine, hands on your head!" the commanding lieutenant colonel shouted.
His response was the pilot's gradually blurring figure.
"It's a holographic projection!"
Someone in the audience immediately shouted, instantly drawing many curious glances.
He quickly ducked his head in apology, signaling that he would be careful.
On the big screen, just as people expected, amid complex and engaging mechanical sounds, the attack helicopter suddenly began to transform.
Its wings and tail folded, and the cabin door protruded. In the wide eyes of the American soldiers, in less than three seconds, it had transformed into a giant mechanical life form.
The codename floated in the upper left corner of the screen.
Faction: Decepticons.
Name: blackout.
Transformative Mimicry: Sikorsky MH-23 Attack Helicopter.
Abilities: Mechanical arm machine gun, energy pulse wave, chest mounted cannon, interference field, photon blast rifle, rocket-propelled depleted uranium rounds, regenerative armor.
During post-production, Eric considered for a long time and ultimately decided to add introductions for all the transformers.
Firstly, the appearance of the transformers in the movie differed from both the comics and animation. More importantly, it was to cater to the general audience, at least allowing them to distinguish who was who.
Otherwise, if several hunks of metal started fighting, and the action on screen was fast, the audience might not understand who won or lost, affecting the viewing experience.
"Oh my god!"
Seeing blackout transform, countless people on the big screen and in the cinema simultaneously gasped in amazement.
"Fire!"
Immediately after, machine guns and submachine guns opened fire together, and the screen was instantly ablaze with gunfire.
However, large-caliber bullets capable of penetrating steel plates, when striking blackout, only produced crisp sounds, causing no substantial damage.
Bang!
Boom!
Conversely, blackout swept its left arm, instantly riddling a Humvee armored vehicle with holes.
With a slap of its right hand, it sent an armored vehicle flying.
Its chest glowed with an orange light, and a cannon beam swept across the surroundings.
Dozens of American soldiers and several armored vehicles couldn't resist for even a second, instantly vaporizing without even a chance to scream.
It was only for the PG-13 rating; otherwise, Eric would have definitely included scenes of American soldiers being torn limb from limb.
To pass the review, he could only choose to use energy weapons more frequently.
This way, he could both showcase the technological prowess of the transformers and prevent the scenes from becoming too bloody.
Inside the command tower, the man with the rank of lieutenant general hastily issued combat orders, simultaneously alerting and requesting assistance from the Pentagon.
However, before the message was fully sent, a soldier already looked at him in terror.
"General, our signal is jammed, we can only fight independently!"
On the other side, Ryan Reynolds led a group of his subordinates, intending to drive a tank to meet the enemy.
Bullets not working only meant the power wasn't great enough; they refused to believe that even cannon shells couldn't penetrate this mechanical monster.
And just as they were thinking this and preparing to start the tanks, others had already acted first.
Several M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks rushed in from various directions, crashing into their own armored vehicles in their haste, but they couldn't worry about that now.
Not far away, blackout's right arm suddenly transformed, its palm disappearing and becoming a large-caliber rifle.
Dense points of light shot from the rifle, and whenever a point of light touched a person or object, it immediately triggered a violent explosion.
On the runway, a dozen fighter jets that hadn't had time to take off were blown into scrap metal.
The buildings and soldiers' barracks were engulfed in raging flames.
In a moment, blackout had cleared the surroundings.
In a close-up shot, its eyes glowed, and after scanning the entire base, it finally focused its target on the center of the command tower.
Just as it was about to walk over, several cannon shots rang out, and shells landed on its body.
The immense impact sent blackout reeling backward, and the explosion's fire finally breached its armor.
Seeing this, the American soldiers were overjoyed. It proved that the mechanical monster opposite them was not invincible, and their weapons could also harm the enemy.
But before these soldiers could rejoice for a few seconds, blackout's damaged armor began to rapidly heal.
In a close-up shot, the soldiers' previously excited expressions instantly froze.
blackout, too, was enraged by the constant harassment from the American military, and a blue-and-white pulse energy wave suddenly radiated outwards from it as its center.
Everywhere it passed, people and horses were sent flying, and main battle tanks weighing dozens of tons were instantly tossed into the sky.
The energy wave's passage turned dozens of meters around blackout into scorched earth.
Seeing this, many soldiers were terrified, staring blankly and doing nothing.
"Don't just stand there! That monster's armor hasn't fully healed yet, quickly aim and attack!"
Amidst Ryan Reynolds's roar, a group of soldiers snapped out of it and furiously unleashed bullets at blackout's wound.
This time, blackout did not let them attack freely but protected its damaged area.
However, it also had no time to chase the small fry. Its back armor opened, and a mechanical scorpion darted out.
The scorpion plunged into the ground, heading towards Ryan Reynolds's team.
The ground looked as if it had been run over by an excavator, kicking up a shower of gravel.
blackout no longer paid attention to anything else, walking directly to the command tower and tearing off the roof with a single slap.
Its giant mechanical arm reached in, directly inserting itself into the information processing equipment.
"General, it's stealing core classified information!"
"Shut down the equipment!"
"No, it's being interfered with, we can't force a shutdown!"
Hearing this, the lieutenant general grabbed a fire axe and violently chopped at the wires.
The screen then went black, the battle concluded, and the camera shifted to the male protagonist Sam's school.
Phew... In the cinema, countless people let out a deep sigh, their tense emotions relaxing.
A full five minutes of battle scenes showcased the immense power of the transformers to the fullest.
Eric endowed the Decepticons with even more terrifying combat power, far more formidable than in Michael Bay's version.
Not only was their weapon system richer, but their lethality also increased significantly.
Moreover, he gave them the ability of regenerative armor, which meant that human weapons could not easily harm the transformers, and battles would only become more brutal.
"Holy crap! That was so exciting, this war scene was f***ing awesome!"
"Yeah, only Hollywood could produce such a big production. Five minutes of this scene probably burned enough money to make a domestic blockbuster."
"That's a good point. A few days ago, I went to see He Ping's warriors of heaven and earth. It was advertised as having Hollywood involvement, a Sino-American co-production. Now I suspect they're making false claims."
"Last month, my girlfriend and I also watched 'Zhou Yu's Train.' Anyway, I'm not the target audience, and compared to transformers, I can only say it's hard to describe."
"warriors of heaven and earth's box office has already exceeded 20 million. How much do you think transformers' box office will be?"
"It will definitely surpass 'Hero,' and it might even challenge titanic."
In a cinema in Shanghai, two young people in their twenties were whispering, deeply shocked by the scene they had just witnessed.
Not just in Shanghai, but in cinemas across all countries with simultaneous releases, similar scenes unfolded.
The film critic from The Independent reluctantly pursed his lips. His newspaper and MGM had always been at odds.
He had come with a mission, and that mission was to relentlessly criticize transformers.
But after just over ten minutes of the film, he knew this mission would be difficult.
"You sons of bitches! How am I supposed to write this? Am I supposed to criticize a commercial blockbuster for not being artistic enough?"
"Eric Cooper, this kid is indeed amazing. Filming at a military base, managing a crew of over a thousand people. Is there really such a thing as a born filmmaker?"