Ahead of the release of Power Rangers, Lionsgate had big plans for the franchise. Apparently, they were hoping to make at least 6 more films before moving into spinoff territory and spawning an entire cinematic universe. And while the studio hasn’t canceled those plans just yet, the chances of them moving ahead with that blueprint don’t look too good. Reviews weren’t terrible, to be fair, but the blockbuster failed to ignite the box office like the studio no doubt hoped it would.
Currently, it’s sitting at an unimpressive $135 million total, worldwide. Lionsgate was likely thinking that its debut in China would help change that then, but so far, it’s not off to a great start over in that territory, taking in only $1.2 million on Thursday night. Sure, it’s still early, but that doesn’t put it on track for a very strong opening weekend in that side of the world and now, the studio may be rethinking their ambitious plans to launch an entire cinematic universe from Dean Israelite’s film.
With Power Rangers costing a cool $100 million, its total box office take so far isn’t enough to have anyone screaming sequel. And with that weak start in China, Forbes believes it’s now one and done for the film, with Lionsgate unlikely to move forward with another outing. Though upsetting to hear, it’s hard to blame the studio for not wanting to pour more money into the franchise.
The total box office take is expected to be around $150 million once all is said and done, which is hardly anything to get excited about when it comes to a film like this. No one was thinking it would do MCU numbers, of course, but $150 million is pretty underwhelming all things considered. Especially for a release that’s supposed to be a franchise starter.
Still, never say never and until Lionsgate makes an official announcement, fans can remain hopeful that a sequel will somehow find itself with a green light. The chances are low, to be sure, but who knows? Perhaps Power Rangers will really take off on Blu-ray? Or maybe someone will come along with an idea for a second film that’s just too good to pass up?
Fine, we’re probably pulling at straws here. For the time being, it looks like the franchise is all but done with the silver screen and barring any sort of miracle during its home video release – as Forbes puts it – we can probably kiss those Mighty Morphin heroes goodbye.