BEIJING (AP) — A company that operates a scenic landscape area in southwest China which features in the
latest “Transformers” movie says it will sue its producers for breach of contract.
It is the second Chinese company to make public a dispute with Paramount Pictures over “Transformers: Age
of Extinction,” which heavily courts the Chinese audience with Chinese locations, actors and products
and is on track to become China’s biggest-ever grossing movie.
The Chongqing Wulong Karst Tourism Co. Ltd. said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Tuesday
that the producers had failed to show its logo prominently in the movie as promised.
As a result, it is not clear to viewers that the shots of the scenic spot in the movie are of Wulong,
because they are interspersed with scenes from Hong Kong, and other tourist spots are claiming the karst
peaks are theirs, it added.
It said it would file a suit at a court in Chongqing city demanding unspecified damages against Paramount
Pictures and Beijing-based 1905 Internet Technology Company, one of the movie’s Chinese partners. Wulong
said it wanted measures taken to mitigate the damage and compensation for direct and indirect economic
losses.
Paramount didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 1905 said in a statement on its website
that Wulong had not paid them on time.
Last month, a Beijing property developer said it had filed a lawsuit alleging that Paramount and two of
its Chinese associates had failed to deliver on pledges to hold the movie premiere at its hotel and
feature images of its property in trailers and movie posters. Soon after the developer and Paramount
said they had smoothed out the dispute.
The latest dispute comes as China overtook the U.S. in “Transformers” box office earnings. According to
the box office tracking website Box Office Mojo, the movie had earned $213 million in China and $175
million in the U.S. as of Sunday. It was released on the same day in both markets.
The movie is expected to become China’s highest-grossing movie early this week. Currently, the 2010 movie
“Avatar” holds that accolade, having made $218 million in China.
“Transformers” has been helped by a favorable screening in China, with over half of all screens showing
the film at the beginning of its release.
While the first three “Transformers” movies were already good earners in China, director Michael Bay
heavily courted the Chinese audience in his latest by employing Chinese stars and basing part of the
action in Chinese cities. While this interested many local movie goers, some criticized its numerous
product placements, including Chinese liquor and milk.
A commentary in the Beijing Times on Monday said Hollywood movies do not have to “flatter” Chinese
viewers and audiences would rather watch an “interesting story than various sorts of product
placements.”