Hollywood blockbuster Transformers 4 has set records for its massive box office returns. But it’s also drawing massive controversy. The Wulong Scenic Area in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality has sued the makers of the movie for not crediting the location as promised.
An epic showdown between Autobots and Dinobots. But now it’s the location where this scene was filmed that’s facing off with the movie’s producers.
Wulong signed a contract with Transformers 4 last October. In exchange for using the UNESCO World Heritage site as a shooting location for five days, and receiving a hefty product-placement fee, producers promised to prominently show the words "China Wulong" in the movie.
But they didn’t deliver. And worse, operators say the movie may have led potential visitors AWAY from the scenic spot.
The Chinese company that co-produced Transformers 4 says the omission was simply a mistake made by foreigners who don’t speak Chinese, and who thought a stone tablet that reads "Qinglong Bridge" meant "China Wulong".
Liang says the scenic area should also take responsibility, as it delayed payment from their contract for five months, which resulted in a tighter shooting schedule for the movie.
In the lawsuit filed at a court in Chongqing, Wulong demands to be properly credited in the movie’s DVDs and all other versions.
It also asks to be re-imbursed the 4.8 million yuan, or nearly 800-thousand US dollars, it paid to be featured in the movie.
And requests further compensation for direct and expected economic losses, totalling 16 million yuan, or over 2.5 million US dollars.
But even if they win, the operators of Wulong are disappointed that their picturesque location still won’t be better known by wider audiences.
Chinese product placement in Hollywood movies has been a developing market in China for about five years now. For movie producers, advertising agencies and advertisers, the rules of the game are still being written.