| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Dave Green |
| Written by | |
| Based on | Characters created by |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Lula Carvalho |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Steve Jablonsky |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 112 minutes[1][2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $135 million[3] |
| Box office | $246 million[3] |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a 2016 Americansuperhero film based on theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created byPeter Laird andKevin Eastman. The sequel to the 2014Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, it was directed byDave Green and written byJosh Appelbaum andAndré Nemec. The film starsMegan Fox,Will Arnett,Laura Linney,Stephen Amell,Noel Fisher,Jeremy Howard,Pete Ploszek,Alan Ritchson,Tyler Perry,Brad Garrett,Gary Anthony Williams,Brian Tee andSheamus. The film follows the Turtles who, after defeatingShredder, must face an even bigger foe: the dreadedKrang.
Following the box office success ofTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,Paramount Pictures andNickelodeon Movies officially announced that a sequel was greenlit. Green began negotiations to direct the sequel in December 2014, taking over fromJonathan Liebesman, who directed the first film.Principal photography on the film began in April 2015, inNew York City, and wrapped up in August 2015.
Out of the Shadows premiered at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 22, 2016, was released in theaters in the United States on June 3, 2016. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics, who praised its performances, action sequences, visual effects and musical score, as well as deeming it an improvement over its predecessor. However, it was abox-office failure and grossed $246 million against a $135 million budget,[3][4] resulting in a planned third film being scrapped in favor of an animated reboot,Mutant Mayhem, released in 2023.
A year after stoppingShredder,[a] which Vern Fenwick was mutually credited for, theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are informed byApril O'Neil that scientistBaxter Stockman is working for Shredder and plans to bust him out of prison. As the Shredder is transferred between prisons alongsideBebop and Rocksteady bycorrections officerCasey Jones, theFoot Clan attacks theirconvoy. Despite the Turtles' interference, Shredder escapes when Stockman uses ateleportation device. Shredder is hijacked mid-teleport, winds up inanother dimension, and meets the alien warlordKrang, who reveals his plans to invade Earth. He gives Shredder amutagenic compound in exchange for reassembling the arc capacitor, a device that he sent to Earth long ago which will open a portal to his dimension, a portal through which he will bring to earth his powerful war machine, the Technodrome. Shredder and Stockman already have the first piece and must collect the other two. Casey tellsNYPDchief Rebecca Vincent and his superior what happened to Shredder, but is met with disbelief before they effectively suspend him, and decides to go after Shredder on his own.
Shredder recruits Bebop and Rocksteady, and Stockman uses Krang's mutagen to transform them into ahumanoid warthog and rhinoceros, respectively. April witnesses their transformation and steals the remaining mutagen vial from the TCRI lab. Pursued by the Foot, she is rescued by Casey, who later meets the Turtles, but the vial is taken into police custody. In the lair,Donatello deduces that the mutagen could be used to turn the Turtles into humans, butLeonardo refuses and orders Donnie to keep it a secret from the others. However,Michelangelo overhears and tellsRaphael, which enrages Raph and leads to a fierce argument between him and Leo. Raph then recruits Mikey, April, Casey, and Vern to break into the NYPD headquarters and retrieve the mutagen, but the Foot arrives ahead of them. In the ensuing battle, the turtles' existence is revealed to the police, who start a manhunt for them, and April and Casey are arrested while helping the brothers escape with the mutagen.
After recovering the second component of the machine, Bebop and Rocksteady go to the rainforests ofManaus, for the final component. The turtles follow them and board Bebop and Rocksteady's jet in midair. In the resulting battle, the jet is critically damaged after Rocksteady inadvertently fires atank-mountedMark 19 grenade launcher, and crashes into a river, though Bebop and Rocksteady are ultimately able to escape with the component. Shredder and Stockman complete the device and open a portal to Krang's dimension through which the Technodrome begins to emerge; Shredder then betrays Stockman by having his men take him to their headquarters inTokyo. When entering the Technodrome, Krang likewise betrays Shredder, freezing him and locking him with his collection of other defeated foes.
Unable to reach the Technodrome as the police are searching for them, the Turtles debate over taking the mutagen to become human and fight openly. While Leo agrees, Raph shatters the vial. Upon April's request, Vern recovers the security footage from a hidden TCRI camera that proves Stockman and the Shredder's collaboration, and secures April and Casey's release. April arranges a meeting between the Turtles and Vincent, and convinces her that they are not enemies. With the help of the police, the Turtles are able to jump from theChrysler Building and confront Krang aboard the still-assembling Technodrome. Krang is defeated when Donnie short circuits his robotic body. April, Casey, and Vern raid the Foot Clan facility, defeat Bebop, Rocksteady and the Shredder's lieutenantKarai and take control of the device. The Turtles are able to hurl the ship's beacon back through the portal, taking Krang and the rest of the Technodrome with it, as April, Casey, and Vern shut the portal down.
Bebop and Rocksteady are back in custody, while Stockman remains at large. The Turtles are honored by Vincent and the NYPD along with April, Casey, and Vern before Vincent offers to introduce the Turtles to the public, but they prefer to keep their existence a secret while still helping as they always have. On top of theStatue of Liberty, the Turtles celebrate their victory over the vanquished Krang.
Dean Winters appears as a bartender. SupermodelAlessandra Ambrosio has a cameo appearance.[12]NBA playersCarmelo Anthony,DeAndre Jordan,Lou Amundson,JJ Redick,Austin Rivers,Matt Barnes andSpencer Hawes also made cameos in the film.[13][14][15] Series co-creatorKevin Eastman makes a cameo appearance as a pizza delivery man named after himself in the film's opening.[16] Jill Martin also made a cameo appearance in the basketball scene in the film.Judith Hoag, who previously played April O'Neil in the1990 film, appeared in a cameo as Rita, April's boss, in a deleted scene.Jane Wu plays Jade, a police officer.
After the 2014 film exceeded box office expectations,Paramount Pictures andNickelodeon Movies officially announced a sequel was greenlit, and set to be released in theatres on June 3, 2016,[17] with plans to incorporate the charactersCasey Jones andBebop and Rocksteady.[18]Jonathan Liebesman andBradley Fuller were also interested in doing a storyline that involvedDimension X andKrang.[19]Dave Green began negotiations to direct the sequel in December 2014, replacingJonathan Liebesman.[20] Known briefly asTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Half Shell,[21] Paramount revealed that the title had officially been changed toTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.[22][23]
Megan Fox andWill Arnett returned asApril O'Neil and Vern Fenwick respectively; also confirmed were theShredder's return, and Bebop and Rocksteady debut in the movie.[24] In an interview,William Fichtner stated that he would be returning asEric Sacks, but for unknown reasons, he ultimately did not appear in the final film. However, he could have returned for the third installment, considering he (along with the turtle actors, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Alan Ritchson and Pete Ploszek) signed on for three TMNT films at the time.[25] Production was confirmed to start in April 2015,[26] along with the casting ofAlessandra Ambrosio, and several members of theLos Angeles Clippers.[27][28]Stephen Amell was cast as Casey Jones, after test reading alongside several different actors.[29] Amell acknowledged the character bore similarities to hisOliver Queen fromArrow. He stated the characters are "fundamentally different" from one another, but that Casey did resemble Oliver from older versions.[30]Tyler Perry was cast as scientistBaxter Stockman, replacingK. Todd Freeman, who played the role in the 2014 film.[31]Brian Tee joined the cast as the Shredder, replacing Tohoru Masamune from the first film.[32]Laura Linney was cast in an unspecified role.[9]Gary Anthony Williams was cast as Bebop,[5] while WWE wrestlerSheamus was confirmed to play Rocksteady.[6]Minae Noji was replaced withBrittany Ishibashi in the role ofKarai.[10]CM Punk revealed that he lost the role of Rocksteady to Sheamus.[33]Fred Armisen was originally chosen to voiceKrang in the film,[34][35] but, in May 2016, shortly before the film's release,Brad Garrett voiced Krang instead due to Armisen having schedule conflicts.[36] While promotingElvis & Nixon,Johnny Knoxville revealed that he was not asked to return for the sequel as the voice of Leonardo.[37]
Filming began in April in New York City andBuffalo, New York, spending about $70 million in the state.[38] Filming began on April 27, 2015, when the film crew was spotted filming inMidtown Manhattan and moved out toFoz do Iguaçu, Brazil,[39] with filming in Buffalo beginning on May 4, along theKensington Expressway[40][41] and ended May 17.[42] Filming wrapped up in August 2015.[43][44] Additional filming occurred in New York City on January 30 following year, and ended on February 1. Farrelly and Williams recorded additional dialogue for the film in February 2016.[45][unreliable source]
Steve Jablonsky composed the music score, replacingBrian Tyler from the first film.[46] Mexican teen boy bandCD9 performed an updated version of theoriginal show's theme song for the film.[47] The film score soundtrack was released on June 3, 2016, on digital platforms but excluded compact discs.[48]
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows premiered at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 22, 2016,[49] and was released in the United Kingdom on May 30 and the United States on June 3.[50] It received a one-week special run across 331IMAX and IMAX 3D theaters from June 2 up to June 9.[51] Outside North America, the film was released in about 30 overseas IMAX markets, beginning Wednesday, June 1, with additional markets throughout the summer, including China on July 2.[51]
Concept art of Bebop and Rocksteady was shown at Paramount Pictures’ CinemaCon panel on April 22, 2015. A 14-second teaser of the trailer was released by Stephen Amell on December 9, 2015. The full trailer debuted the following day.
Out of the Shadows was released onDigital HD on September 6, 2016,[52] and on4K Ultra HD Blu-ray,Blu-ray,Blu-ray 3D, andDVD on September 20.[53][54][55] The film debuted in first place on the overall home video sales chart and in second place on the Blu-ray sales chart for the week ending on September 25.[56]
Out of the Shadows grossed $82 million in the United States and Canada and $164 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $246 million, against its production budget of $135 million.[3] It made around 50% less thanits predecessor, which had grossed $485 million.[57] In October 2016, in response to the film's poor commercial performance, producersAndrew Form andBrad Fuller said they loved the movie, and they loved making it, but they were surprised by the film's performance, saying "It just didn't find an audience. We really don't know why."[58]The Hollywood Reporter estimated the filmlost the studio at least $75 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues.[59]
In the U.S. and Canada, the film was projected to gross around $30–40 million from 4,071 theaters in its opening weekend, with some estimates going as high as $49 million.[60][61][62][63][64] The film made $2 million from Thursday night previews which began at 5 p.m., compared to the first film's $4.6 million.[65][66][67] On its opening day it earned $12.5 million (including previews), with $4.4 million (36%) coming from 3D showings.[68] In its opening weekend, it grossed $35.3 million, finishing first at the box office.[68] However, its opening was down 45% from the first film's $65.6 million debut.[69] Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore said that while the studio was hoping for a stronger opening, he believed that the film could make up some ground in the coming weeks since most films aimed at younger audiences play at better multiples.[70]
It opened across 40 markets the same weekend as its U.S. release, including big markets like the United Kingdom, Mexico and Russia, which is about 39% of its total international marketplace, and was projected to make around $36 million.[60][63][71] It ended up grossing $33 million, which is down 11% when compared to the first film's same suite of markets, and had No. 1 debuts in 21 markets out of the 40.[72] The top openings were in China ($26.1 million), the UK ($5.1 million), Russia ($4.8 million) and Mexico ($4.5 million).[73][74] In the United Kingdom, it came in second place – behindWarcraft – with a £3.49 million ($5 million) seven-day opening from 513 theaters.[73][75]
In China the film was granted a rare July release date, along withThe Legend of Tarzan,[76] where it grossed an estimated $26.1 million from 6,600 screens in two days. It had a limited opening on Friday, July 1 and opened wide the following day. It faced competition from local filmBounty Hunters which had the advantage of opening wide right from Friday. Yet,Out of the Shadows emerged victorious at the end of the weekend ahead of the latter's $18 million opening. As a result,Out of the Shadows became the ninth consecutive Hollywood import film to debut atop the chart beginning from May 6, 2016. In comparable to Saturday releases, the figure is almost double the launch ofBig Hero 6; 41% above the first film; and 18% higher thanThe Angry Birds Movie.[74][77][78] It fell precipitously in its second weekend by 74%, earning $6.6 million and thereby slipped in to fourth place. It opened in key markets such as Germany and Austria on August 11 as well as Japan on August 26, 2016.[79]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 38% based on 172 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a slight improvement over its predecessor, but still lacks the wit or anarchic energy of the comics that birthed the franchise."[80] OnMetacritic, the film has aweighted average score of 40 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[81] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, an improvement over the first film's "B".[82]
Glenn Kenny ofThe New York Times gave the film a positive review writing: "This movie is, it happens, easier to sit through than the 2014 film", while also adding that "the 3-D action, overseen by the director Dave Green, is not wholly incoherent. The production values (showcasing new mutants and many gear-heavy extra-dimensional machines undreamed of in any actual engineering philosophy) are ultrashiny. And there are even a couple of amusing, albeit unmemorable, sight gags and one-liners".[83] Edward Douglas ofNew York Daily News gave the film three out of five stars: "As with the best popcorn flicks,Out of the Shadows offers plenty of mindless entertainment and mind-numbing silliness that somehow works well enough to leave even the Ninja Turtles' biggest detractors shell-shocked".[84] Michael O'Sullivan ofThe Washington Post praised the film's action sequences and story while overall writing that, "Out of the Shadows is, at least, deliciously silly, even if it is also decidedly forgettable. Like a well-plated but nutrition-free meal, it registers on the senses while being bad for you".[85]
Peter Hartlaub ofSan Francisco Chronicle gave the film a negative review: "Your 11-year-old is going to love this film. Then he'll grow up and wonder what he was thinking".[86] Sara Stewart ofThe New York Post gave the film two out of four stars and wrote, "despite the title, the wisecracking turtles named for Renaissance painters are never allowed to shine ... It's a bummer, dude".[87] Lindsey Bahr of theAssociated Press gave the film one star out of four and said, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is aSaturday morning cartoon on Michael Bay steroids. For the under 12 set, that's fine. For the rest of us? It's something to actively avoid".[88]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2016 Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer Movie Star: Female | Megan Fox | Nominated | [89] |
| Choice Summer Movie Star: Male | Stephen Amell | ||||
| 2017 | 37th Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Prequel, Remake, Ripoff or Sequel | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | [90] | |
| Worst Actress | Megan Fox | ||||
| 2017 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Movie | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | [91] | ||
| Favorite Movie Actress | Megan Fox | ||||
| Favorite Movie Actor | Will Arnett | ||||
| Squad | Noel Fisher,Jeremy Howard,Pete Ploszek andAlan Ritchson |
Noel Fisher stated in an interview that he and the other Turtle actors had signed on for three films.[92] Megan Fox had also signed on for three films.[93] Tyler Perry said that if a third film was made, his character, Baxter Stockman, would probably mutate into his fly form during the movie.[94] Pete Ploszek also expressed his interests in reprising his role in a third film as Leonardo.[95] In October 2016, in light of the film's mixed reception and financial underperformance, producer Andrew Form indicated that a third film was unlikely.[58]
In June 2020, it was reported thatNickelodeon Animation Studio was developing a computer-animatedTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film for Paramount Pictures.Seth Rogen,Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver would produce the film through their company,Point Grey Pictures.Jeff Rowe was set to direct the film, withBrendan O'Brien writing the screenplay.[96] It was released on August 2, 2023.[97][98]
In June 2018, Paramount Pictures announced a newreboot of the series with Bay, Fuller and Form returning to produce the film and Andrew Dodge writing the script.[99][100] Fuller and Form said at the24th Critics' Choice Awards that production on the reboot was set to start in 2019,[101] but in July, co-creatorKevin Eastman revealed that the film was still in development and believed that Paramount took the reactions to the 2014 and 2016 films "to heart", and that "its going to be a next-level type of stuff".[102] In August 2021, it was announced that a new live-action film was in the works withColin Jost andCasey Jost penning the script and Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Scott Mednick and Galen Walker signing on as producers.[103] A film adaptation of the graphic novel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin was announced to be in development by Paramount Pictures in April 2024. The film, produced byWalter Hamada and written by Tyler Burton Smith, will receive anR-rating and be live action.[104] In August 2025, the film was reaffirmed to be moving forward following the merger betweenParamount Global andSkydance Media.[105] However, in November 2025, it was reported that development on the film was put on hold asParamount Skydance appointedNeal H. Moritz to oversee a new live action reboot of the series.Ilya Naishuller was in talks to direct prior to this.[106]
Turtles snag a fresh pie from an unsuspecting Pizza Delivery Guy standing on a street corner, and Michelangelo shouts back, "Thanks, Kevin!"
Its likely that Paramount will announced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 very shortly, especially since Megan Fox and the four main Turtle actors all have a three-picture deal in place.
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