Rise Of The Beasts: When Did Steven Caple Jr. Realize The Franchise's Global Appeal?

The "Transformers" franchise hasn't always been a critical darling, but its popularity is undeniable. The pop culture dynasty has been around since the 1980s and, as of this writing, the films have grossed over $5 billion at the international box office. However, "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" director Steven Caple Jr. didn't fully appreciate the franchise's global appeal until he worked on the latest film.

In an interview with Collider, Caple Jr. said that the magnitude of the movies really hit him during a shooting day in Machu Picchu, Peru. He recalled filming a scene with Anthony Ramos which required the actor to perform a tiresome sprint through a park. Lots of people showed up to lend their support to the proceedings, and they were familiar with the actor and the characters. "[They] were like, 'Run Optimus! Run! Run Anthony!' And there was just, like, a moment because Anthony was out of breath, we called cut, he's trying to catch his breath, and people were rooting and cheering for him. And it just motivated us all, like, 'Let's do the other take,' because we're trying to get it right."

It seems that the support from the visitors brought some energy to the "Rise of the Beasts" production on a day when the cast and crew really needed a boost. Furthermore, it made the director realize that the "Transformers" franchise is an international juggernaut.

According to Steven Caple Jr., the Machu Picchu shoot attracted citizens from all over the world, which was an eye-opening moment for the director. Getting to hear different people from separate corners of the globe made him realize that he was working on a franchise that's universally known, and they all appeared to know the characters.

"You could just hear the different accents across the board, and it all, simultaneously, was rooting for the Autobots," he told Collider. "And it just was a reminder of how big Prime is and the rest of the Transformers."

As of this writing, "Rise of the Beasts" is doing well at the box office, indicating that there's a big appetite for action-packed movies about shapeshifting robots. The first weekend saw the film rake in $110 million overseas, which is a solid start that won't hurt the franchise's chances of continuing to resonate with international audiences.