Why can a franchise liek this make a billion, but the DCEU cant?

I don't think that's a fair comparison, at least not at this stage of the game. Let's wait and see how the DCEU does after a few more movies that really tie the characters together.

Simple - The DCEU doesn't generate better word of the mouth on opening release while Transformers manages to create a stronger division between general movie goers and professional film critics and where the audience has more of a role in the longevity of its financial run in theatres. It all boils down to expectations, really; Transformers doesn't exactly have a particularly high standard to live up to in the first place. The G1 cartoon was anything but the best written animated series produced in the 80's and hasn't aged very well. The franchise has always been looked at as a simple marketing strategy to sell a toy line with characters that are all basically action story archetypes and stereotypes who get into big brawls more than often.

The DCEU is a different story because they are competing against Marvel which has established a lucrative and widely appreciated cinematic universe in the last eight years that has been showcased on the big and small screen respectively, as well as coming off of the success of Christopher Nolan's highly successful Batman trilogy. In addition to both, Man of Steel and Batman V. Superman were not based on characters that have existed since the 1980's with a small stamp on pop culture - They were based on characters that have been around for almost a full century and set standard for what superheroes can and should aspire to be in culture and have gone through various iterations throughout the years. Expectations were going to be very high, and they were not met simply put.

Tone is another factor - Despite the trailers coming off as pretty serious by now its expected that something like Transformers isn't going to change anyone's life or try to set a new kind of standard for film but be over-the-top, absurdist popcorn fare with bright colors and loud noises. Man of Steel and BvS tried too hard to be deep and had moments of shock and awe that didn't sit well with that many people( Were many people clamoring for a subplot where Superman's Earth Mom is kidnapped, tortured, and has the word "witch" written on her forehead? No).

I believe you've been told this all before, why you haven't taken what others said before to heart and are asking this again is puzzling.

COOKIES AND MILK!-Ed

DCEU is a respectable and pleasantly complex franchise

Because Transformers are about the Transformers. I go see them because I want to see my guilt pleasure. My inner child does a happy dance. The movie plots aren't that great, but they have stories we understand and can follow... even if you don not like it. It's rich cars we can only see in the big screen. It's Transformers!

Besides, you can put Transformers into any situation.

DC movies doesn't know what it is doing with their properties. You can't shape these heroes into something else just because. We know who they are. See their TV shows, which are way better than the movies. They are not a copy of Marvel in any way. They stand on their own and they are good (Arrow was good).

Marvel knows want to do with their property. It is a tragedy really. What did the world know of iron man, black widow, thor, Hawkeye and Captain America compared with DC heroes? Yet Marvel gave us an overall good set of movies in the MCU. Captain America gave us the best superheroes movies to date (CW and WS). I mean, considering the politic *beep* that is going on, Captain America (which means USA) is being more loved than Batman AND Superman together.

You can't wait to have a depressed Superman with a father that tells him he should leave children die so that his secret is protected and expect us to like it. Superman/Supergirl saving children (and airplanes) are the stapple of the Kryptonians. These people mean hope. Chris Reeve Superman was it. Smallvile was it. Even Sups return embodied hope.

Now we just have "save Marta". No. Just no. I want my heroes. When they decide to give us Superheroes instead of psycotic humans with superpowers, then they will have praise.

Easy answer.

Michael Bay has millions of fans in all countries.

The Internet is NOT the real world.

The Internet hates Avatar and Titanic(and I hate those 2 classics too) but in the real world, Avatar and Titanic are the biggest movies of all time.

People worldwide only want HUGE, MOST EXPENSIVE movies and NOSTALGIA. That's why Avatar, Titanic and Star Wars VII are the 3 biggest movies of all time. And I hate those 3 movies.

SIR RIDLEY SCOTT, SCOTT FREE PRODUCTIONS, THE CARTEL, WRAITHS OF THE BROKEN LAND, etc....

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It relies a lot on nostalgia. Cartoons with giant robots were, depending on where you are from, more popular than the DC characters.

Because while the Transformers sequels have been generally bad, the DCEU is awful and not even enjoyable to watch. It's bland and most of the characters are insults to the ones they're adapted from(looking at you Lex). The movies are messy, and so obviously rushing to try and compete with Marvel instead of letting things play out naturally. They'd be better off just rebooting it already and trying to do things a different way instead of being stuck with this "dark and edgy" tone they've claimed is what separates them from Marvel...though I'd argue Civil War/Winter Solider are farrr more adult than any of the three DCEU films.