Why Is TMNT: MUTANT MAYHEM Underperforming Despite Being The Most Positively-Reviewed Movie Of The Year?

Why Is TMNT: MUTANT MAYHEM Underperforming Despite Being The Most Positively-Reviewed Movie Of The Year?

Though Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is still performing reasonably well worldwide, the feeling is that it's not as big a success as it should be, and we may know why...

By MarkCassidy - Aug 21, 2023 07:08 AM EST

With a near-perfect 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, Paramount Pictures' recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the most positively-reviewed wide theatrical release of the year, besting the likes of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1, and Barbie.

The Seth Rogen-produced animated reboot has now passed the $100 million mark worldwide, but it took quite a bit longer to reach this milestone than analysts expected, and despite its relatively modest budget of $70 million, the consensus seems to be that the movie is underperforming.

We know good reviews are never a guarantee of box office success, but it is still surprising that audiences aren't turning up in greater numbers for such an acclaimed take on a well-known, previously very popular property. THR (via Toonado.com) believes the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are at least partially to blame.

Mutant Mayhem boasts an all-star voice cast, including Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, Seth Rogen, John Cena, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Paul Rudd, and more, but it's felt that the strikes restricting the stars from doing any promotion has hurt the film.

“Not having stars to do publicity for your movies is a huge detriment to the overall campaign,” says one studio exec. “You lose the cultural impact of having talent talk about the film. Some movies wouldn’t have worked anyway, but they had more of a shot.”

A sequel and a spin-off series have already been announced, but if Mutant Mayhem ends up losing the studio a significant amount of money (unlikely, but possible), plans could change very quickly.

If you're interested in my thoughts on Mutant Mayhem, along with the six other theatrically-released TMNT movies, check out the latest episode of the Roll Credits podcast below.

“After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.”

Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu and Brady Noon will voice the roles of Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael, respectively. The cast also includes Jackie Chan as Splinter, Hannibal Buress as Genghis Frog, Rose Byrne as Leatherhead, Ice Cube as Superfly, Natasia Demetriou as Wingnut, Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil, Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman, Post Malone as Ray Fillet, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, and Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom.

Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines) directed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which is produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.

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Saintsinnister
Saintsinnister - 8/21/2023, 7:37 AM
One of those franchises where kids and diehards are going to watch in theaters. The diehards from day one have been dwindling after so many incarcerations over the years. Most people don’t mind waiting a few months for the digital release. It will do well on streaming.
Matador
Matador - 8/21/2023, 8:09 AM
@Saintsinnister - Yup lots of homies waiting waiting to get out to watch this TMNT incarnation.

dragon316
dragon316 - 8/21/2023, 8:22 AM
@Saintsinnister - most people will watch it on digital crap if they know movie is bad not support movie but renting it not buy
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 8/21/2023, 12:58 PM
@Saintsinnister - If only incarcerated people watch TMNT then whose buying the billions of dollars of merch TMNT is expected to make this year? What does incarcerations have to do with TMNT lol
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 8/21/2023, 7:39 AM
Poor promotion, it’s that simple. That and the fact TMNT isn’t the rage it was in the 90s. It’ll do big on streaming.
dragon316
dragon316 - 8/21/2023, 8:24 AM
@PlusUltra - depends on movie and fans how trailers make movie look to original fans
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 8/21/2023, 8:53 AM
@dragon316 - You’re comparing Dragon Ball, the biggest anime franchise in the world, to Ninja Turtles. It’s like comparing Marvel to Spawn.
VictorAlonzo
VictorAlonzo - 8/21/2023, 8:58 AM
@PlusUltra - the allure of the overpriced movie going experience has faded since Co-y'know.

Top that with a horrible decimation in writing quality and quick turnaround on firestick premieres and you've got yourself these type of returns.

I say bring down the prices, increase the quality, and maybe theaters can be salvageable. ...
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 8/21/2023, 1:09 PM
@PlusUltra - TMNT is just no longer an event or cinematic experience for audiences. There's been so many reboots in theaters and tv that people don't care to pay for another reboot again. Problem with Hollywood is they reboot popular IPs too much in short spans. they need to let IPs like TMNT sit longer in reboot hell so when it does return the nostalgia will hit harder.

@dragon316 - DBZ works because its still ongoing, growing in popularity, and gaining new fans to this day. We only get a movie every other year so it still feels like an event for its niche audience. Its not played out or oversaturated like TMNT.
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 8/21/2023, 7:44 AM
they turned April into a turtle.
tluciotti74
tluciotti74 - 8/21/2023, 7:47 AM
For me, personally, it is the animation style. I do not like it and I am not interested in watching it but that is just a me thing.
dragon316
dragon316 - 8/21/2023, 8:30 AM
@tluciotti74 - I was turned off by it as well until I saw trailer and saw Seth rogen made green hornet disaster with turtles that’s what turned me off it splinter wish Afro and glasses turtles personality all I see is true to turtles but animation in this movie and spider verse two I’m not crazy about
Hoot3
Hoot3 - 8/21/2023, 3:26 PM
@dragon316 - Turned off because Seth Rogen made Green Hornet? Man, that was forever ago and he's produced some really good stuff since.
philinterrupted
philinterrupted - 8/21/2023, 7:48 AM
Because money doesn’t dictate quality.
Arthorious
Arthorious - 8/21/2023, 9:11 AM
@philinterrupted - apparently on this site it does
philinterrupted
philinterrupted - 8/21/2023, 12:36 PM
@Arthorious - almost 100% exclusively. Lol
CoHost
CoHost - 8/21/2023, 7:49 AM
It's doing well. Stop it.
Mercwitham0uth
Mercwitham0uth - 8/21/2023, 7:55 AM
Probably people are tired of a reboot of an 80's franchise every five or so years. Also frumpy ass April.
Dingus
Dingus - 8/21/2023, 7:58 AM
@Mercwitham0uth - Lmao no.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 8/21/2023, 7:57 AM
Paramount is notoriously bad at promoting movies, even the new transformers movie wasn't shoved down our throats. Then you have Marvel that promotes crap to the moon and it's fine to some. There has to be a middle ground. This movie was great, the comments prove that most didn't even see it on here, because they need constant tv spots and trailers to spoil the whole thing, and press tours to hear the same questions smh
dragon316
dragon316 - 8/21/2023, 8:37 AM
@bobevanz - almost sure it’s more than marketing thing this movie did bad depends who you ask little kids or turtle fans
TabbiKat1331
TabbiKat1331 - 8/21/2023, 8:17 AM
hmmmm maybe its because the audience is growing tired of the same drivel all the time. the writing in hollywood is formulaic and boring... at best
Matador
Matador - 8/21/2023, 8:26 AM
IT doesn't make a huge difference if they actors weren't able to promote this movie advertisement was every where even at Pizza Hut pizza boxes. People in general know what they like and can tell it wasn't to there liking and it shows. Bottom line the movie did not look spectacular in the animation department and the story wasn't what people were expecting out of TMNT. They made drastic changes to the characters and that was a huge complain from most fans.




That time Lizzo didn't bring the boys to the yard.




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