10 Remakes Of Classic '80s Movies That Bombed Terribly

3. Robocop

The Original: As much a satire as an action movie, Robocop takes place in a not too distant future where the corporations own just about everything, including the police force. When an officer dies in the line of duty, he’s transformed into their latest “product”, a cyborg that’s allowed to shoot rapists in the balls but whose programming won’t allow him to touch corporate villains. Best known for sexually charged dramas set in his native Holland, Paul Verhoeven keeps the action crisp and even though the movie’s about as subtle as a chainsaw, he never allows it to descend into flat out silliness.

The Remake: Watered down for the multiplex crowd, this version plays more like glorified series pilot, so bland and asinine that it belongs on the Sci-Fi Channel. The wit, violence and satire have been stripped away, and all that remains is a generic revenge story told in a PG-13 fashion.

Despite a $100 million budget, the remake took a mere $58 million in the US, less than Verhoeven’s film made in 1987. It performed better overseas, but don’t expect to see a sequel any time soon.