Countless attempts at launching a shared cinematic universe have attempted to run long before they’d learned how to walk, and almost all of them have imploded as a result. No marketable property is ever going to be left gathering dust forever, though, but Netflix will be hoping its Power Rangers reboot fares markedly better than the last one.
In a display of overconfidence that was destined to end in disaster, owners Saban and studio Lionsgate touted the reinvention of the long-running martial arts fantasy franchise as merely the prelude to an expansive saga that was designed to last anywhere up to six movies, which has so often proven to be a death knell.
Sure enough, after disappointing at the box office and being largely shunned by critics and audience alike, Saban ended up selling the rights to Power Rangers altogether, with Hasbro swooping in and partnering up with Netflix to announce that not only had the brand found a new home, but Jonathan Entwistle had been installed as its architect-in-chief.
Of course, there’s been absolutely nothing to show for it so far, but the upcoming 30th anniversary special should at least captivate the nostalgia crowd, even if any plans for the future remain shrouded in secrecy. As fate would have it, the last failed attempt at breathing new life into Power Rangers has taken up residency on the most-watched charts of the very streaming service now tasked with succeeding where director Dean Israelite most recently failed, in a delicious twist of irony.
Per FlixPatrol, the forgettable and oh-so-serious superhero origin story for the Zord-loving teenagers has cracked the global viewership rankings, but the jury remains out on whether or not Netflix’s Power Rangers will survive and thrive where its immediate predecessor fell short so spectacularly.
