8 Lessons Studios Must Learn To Avoid Making Box-Office Duds

One of the most surprising box-office results of the year came courtesy of Michael Bay's Transformers: The Last Knight, and the fact that it only earned around $600 million worldwide - that's $500 million less than the previous instalment.

But if you think about it, is it really a surprise? Critics have been mauling the Transformers movies since the beginning - and the last two entries in the series both scored less then 20-percent on Rotten Tomatoes - so it was only a matter of time before audiences followed suit, and that time has arrived. So what does this tell us?

The Transformers movies used to excite people; they're huge, colourful popcorn-movies, the type that were made for that in-theater experience. But they're also dumb, poorly acted, and contained convoluted plots. Audiences forgave those flaws the first few times, but now, those weaknesses have taken a chunk out of the series - a $500 million chunk.

Simply put, Transformers couldn't rely on its sick visuals and eye-popping explosions any longer. These movies are legitimately difficult to tell apart, and that's a problem - with no great, unique story to tell and no heart underneath that shiny exterior, why should people buy a ticket to see the same confusing action scenes they've been watching since 2007?

Franchises have to grow in order to stay relevant. Pirates Of The Caribbean is another heavy-hitter that's on its last legs, and that's because all the movies feel the same. Look at franchises like the MCU, where each film feels distinct. They offer audiences something new each time, and Marvel's reaping the financial rewards. Hollywood would do well to take note.