An article claiming Michael Bay said Optimus Prime will die and Rodimus Prime will take over in “Transformers 5” is nothing more than satire.
The bogus report was posted on National Report, a self-described “satirical” website that mostly attempts to lampoon conservative politics.
The fake article says, “Pressed for more details Bay revealed this: ‘Optimus Prime has served his time. He is old news. He dies heroically in battle, but it is time for leadership to be passed on to a new generation. We will be introducing a new Autobot known as Hot Rod. He is young and hip and sometimes doesn’t think things through, just like Bumblebee. But he will have to learn how to lead what remains of the Autobots against Galvatron and his army of Decepticons.’”
The article also incorrectly spelled Michael Bay as “Micheal Bay.”
According to a now-removed disclaimer, the National Report says that it shouldn’t be taken seriously.
It says: “DISCLAIMER: National Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within National Report are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental . The views expressed by writers on this site are theirs alone and are not reflective of the fine journalistic and editorial integrity of National Report.”
The “Transformers 5” hoax had thousands of “likes” and shares on Facebook as of Friday.
The National Report has fake article headlines including “Mexican President Nieto Annexes SW US” and “Disney Confirms Jar Jar Binks for Star Wars 7.”
AP - update Box office top 20: ‘Apes’ debuts with $72.6M
NEW YORK (AP) — “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” swung to the top of the box office with a $72.6 million debut, one of the summer’s best openings.
The “Planet of the Apes” sequel, directed by Matt Reeves, unseated another sequel, “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” from the top spot after the Michael Bay action film led the box office for two straight weeks.
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Rentrak, are:
1. “Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes,” 20th Century Fox, $72,611,427, 3,967 locations, $18,304 average, $72,611,427, 1 week.
2. “Transformers: Age Of Extinction,” Paramount, $16,302,415, 3,913 locations, $4,166 average, $208,833,713, 3 weeks.
3. “Tammy,” Warner Bros., $12,555,151, 3,465 locations, $3,623 average, $56,998,752, 2 weeks.
4. “22 Jump Street,” Sony, $6,501,558, 2,811 locations, $2,313 average, $171,762,697, 5 weeks.
5. “How To Train Your Dragon 2,” 20th Century Fox, $6,073,372, 2,885 locations, $2,105 average, $152,276,733, 5 weeks.
6. “Earth To Echo,” Relativity Media, $5,488,277, 3,230 locations, $1,699 average, $24,585,816, 2 weeks.
7. “Deliver Us From Evil,” Sony, $4,750,289, 3,049 locations, $1,558 average, $25,052,099, 2 weeks.
8. “Maleficent,” Disney, $4,180,586, 2,077 locations, $2,013 average, $222,005,394, 7 weeks.
9. “Begin Again,” The Weinstein Company, $2,820,839, 939 locations, $3,004 average, $5,171,587, 3 weeks.
10. “Jersey Boys,” Warner Bros., $2,517,430, 1,968 locations, $1,279 average, $41,712,040, 4 weeks.
11. “Think Like A Man Too,” Sony, $2,400,983, 1,231 locations, $1,950 average, $61,807,245, 4 weeks.
12. “America,” Lionsgate, $2,393,811, 1,105 locations, $2,166 average, $8,211,791, 3 weeks.
13. “Edge Of Tomorrow,” Warner Bros., $1,813,249, 1,103 locations, $1,644 average, $94,498,341, 6 weeks.
14. “The Fault In Our Stars,” 20th Century Fox, $1,506,215, 1,002 locations, $1,503 average, $119,629,699, 6 weeks.
15. “Chef,” Open Road, $1,259,140, 701 locations, $1,796 average, $24,075,530, 10 weeks.
16. “X-Men: Days Of Future Past,” 20th Century Fox, $1,025,365, 655 locations, $1,565 average, $229,162,436, 8 weeks.
17. “Snowpiercer,” Radius-TWC, $635,370, 356 locations, $1,785 average, $2,635,471, 3 weeks.
18. “Rio 2,” 20th Century Fox, $392,099, 285 locations, $1,376 average, $129,626,911, 14 weeks.
19. “Boyhood,” IFC Films, $387,618, 5 locations, $77,524 average, $387,618, 1 week.
20. “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania,” Reliance Big Entertainment PVT. Ltd., $380,011, 101 locations, $3,762 average, $380,011, 1 week.
