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Transformers, World War Z, and More: 5 Key Viacom Franchises for

the Next Decade

Transformers

• Transformers is Viacom and Paramount’s

biggest movie series, with the four films in the franchise having grossed more than

$3.7 billion in global ticket sales according

to boxofficemojo.com. A fifth Transformers film is expected in

2017.

TransformersDomestic ticket sales

Worldwide ticket sales

Transformers $319 million $710 million

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

$402 million $836 million

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

$352 million $1.12 billion

Transformers: Age of Extinction

$245 million $1.1 billion

• Domestic ticket sales for Transformers movies have dipped since 2009’s Revenge of the Fallen, but strong international performance has made up for the declining American box office share.

World War Z

• In 2013, World War Z

overcame a troubled

production and expectations it

would flop, grossing over $540 million

globally.

World War Z

• Despite not releasing in China, World War Z did roughly $338 million in foreign ticket sales.

• Paramount and Viacom will vie to have the film in Chinese theaters for summer 2017, but may encounter resistance, as the country has been reluctant to screen films starring Brad Pitt after his performance in 1995’s Seven Years in Tibet.

Nicktoons

Paramount is working on a movie that will bring

some of its biggest Nicktoons properties together, potentially

uniting characters from shows including Hey

Arnold!, Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, and Rocko’s

Modern Life.

Nicktoons

• Viacom and Paramount have some great, underused

characters under the Nicktoons banner.

• If the upcoming team-up movie is successful, it could help launch new versions of

classic cartoons on Nickelodeon. The prospect of reviving previously successful shows on the network is likely very attractive to Viacom, as

Nickelodeon’s ratings are struggling.

The Daily Show

• As one of the most important shows on one of Viacom’s most important networks, there’s a lot riding on the transition from former host Jon

Stewart to new host Trevor Noah.

The Daily Show

• Comedy Central ratings were down 30% in the first quarter of 2015, and a healthy Daily Show will be needed to get things back on the

right track.• Following Jon Stewart’s exit from

The Daily Show, ratings for sister program The Nightly Show fell

roughly 40%. If the revamped Daily Show is a hit, it should help to

bring back some of that lead-in audience.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

• 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles successfully

reintroduced the heroes in a half-shell to

the silver screen, generating over $485 million in global ticket sales on a production

budget of $125 million.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

• A sequel is on track for a 2016 release.

• Ninja Turtles is also an important property for Viacom’s Nickelodeon

network, with the latest cartoon take on the

franchise heading into its fifth season.

Can Viacom’s big franchises help it bounce back?

• Viacom has some potent properties at its disposal, but it is facing big challenges going forward.

• Leaning more heavily on its film wing could help the company weather poor television ratings. Successfully expanding the Transformers series is crucial to that

end, but the company also needs to strengthen the rest of its film lineup. World War Z, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Nicktoons movie are key here, as are the

Mission Impossible and Star Trek series. • At the moment, the strength of Viacom’s film lineup looks like it will grow

significantly, but it’s uncertain if even solid improvement will be enough to offset continued difficulties in television.

• It seems unlikely that Comedy Central will be able to recreate the magic of the Jon Stewart-Stephen Colbert late night combo, and the MTV and Nickelodeon networks

are also both in great need of new hits.

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