A sequel to the ‘Power Rangers’ movie is reportedly unlikely to be given the go-ahead due to its underwhelming performance at the box office.
The Dean Israelite-directed reboot of the popular TV series was released earlier this year – but modest ticket sales in China mean a sequel now appears unlikely, according to Den of Geek.
The movie – which starred the likes of Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Banks – earned as much as $85 million at the US box office, with a further $50 million being earned in other overseas markets.
But the film failed to garner much attention in China, which has become a critical market for the movie industry over recent years, because it can breathe life into movies that failed to capture the attention of the US public.
‘Warcraft’, for instance, struggled in the US but was a significant success in China, which has considerably boosted the prospect of there being a sequel.
On the other hand, ‘Power Rangers’ opened to a disappointing $1.2 million on its first day, thereby reducing the chances of there being a follow-up movie.
The film is not released in Japan – another crucial overseas market – until July, but it is thought highly unlikely it will be sufficiently successful there for a sequel to be demanded.
‘Power Rangers’ has already surpassed its budget in terms of box office earnings, but the movie has reportedly fallen short of Lionsgate’s pre-release hopes.
What’s more, ‘Power Rangers’ – which is the first blockbuster movie to feature LGBT and autistic superheroes – received mixed reviews from critics upon its release.