Michael Bay Defiant Over Transformers Criticism
Action movie maestro says he only cares what the public thinks...
Filmmaker Michael Bay has hit back at critics who have panned his latest movie, Transformers: Age Of Extinction.
The action movie has been hit by a series of negative reviews - but has still stormed to a $100m opening weekend.
And Bay declared that he only cares about what his paying punters think.
"With Transformers, you're trying to make a ride for the audience. What ways are there to enthrall the audience?" he told a Berlin press conference.
"I've been a very fortunate director in terms of box office. It feels good, but it seems like you've got to take it as it comes - you gotta look for the next one.
"I work as hard as I can and I'm glad that people are liking the movie besides the critics, let's just forget the critics. The people in the audience are liking the movies - that's what I make movies for."
He also had a novel suggestion for a change to the way films are reviewed.
"I think that they should make it mandatory for reviewers that they sit in the audience - just by themselves surrounded by a real audience," he said.
"That's how you should watch movies, because right now I might have seen this movie 25 times with audiences.
"They applaud, they laugh, they cheer. I don't know what movie (the critics are) reviewing. People walked out happy, that's what we're trying to do. We're just entertainers."
The movie hits UK cinemas this weekend.