Charlie’s Angels first hit screens in 1976, and ever since then the series has maintained something of a cult following. The latest reboot, directed by Elizabeth Banks and starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska as the three main characters, was released this weekend and unfortunately it looks set to become a box office disaster, with estimates projecting that the movie will only earn around $8 million.
Despite being the subject of TV spinoffs and reboots, along with the McG-directed movies of the early 2000s, it seems that audiences have little interest in the brand anymore. The name Charlie’s Angels likely doesn’t carry a lot of cache with younger moviegoers, while it certainly appears based on the box office numbers that the 43 year-old ABC series doesn’t hold much nostalgia appeal, either.
In a recent interview to promote the movie, Banks ultimately ended up defending the project when addressing criticism that Charlie’s Angels is the latest entry in Hollywood’s constant production line of remakes, reboots and re-imaginings, saying:
“You’ve had 37 Spider-Man movies and you’re not complaining! I think women are allowed to have one or two action franchises every seventeen years, I feel totally fine with that.”
It’s doubtful that Banks is complaining about all the Spider-Man movies, either, given that she played the role of Betty Brant in Sam Raimi’s trilogy, with the first installment in 2002 marking just her fifth big screen appearance. However, the actress/director does have a point about the lack of female-driven action franchises, even though most major blockbuster brands tend to have a lot of female representation.
Regardless, looking at the lukewarm reviews and disappointing opening weekend, it certainly appears as though the 2019 version of Charlie’s Angels won’t even get past the first hurdle. After all, McG’s films both earned over $250 million apiece at the box office, numbers that Banks’ movie likely won’t come anywhere close to.
